Numerous trade visitors from all over the world streamed through the entrances to NürnbergMesse at 9:00 a.m. on the first day of the fair to find out about the latest automation developments and trends from around 1,000 exhibitors on 112,000 m² of exhibition space. Participants took the opportunity to exchange ideas in person, discuss technological advances, cultivate relationships and make new contacts. A total of almost 44,000 visitors attended the restart of the trade fair over the three days. "The joy of seeing each other again was clearly noticeable on all sides, the discussions were open and cordial and the atmosphere in the exhibition halls was incomparable. You could clearly feel how the PLC community missed this lively exchange and immersion in the world of automation. We are delighted that we were able to inspire the industry again with the restart of SPS. The trade fair is the place where the foundations are laid for many future projects in automation," says Martin Roschkowski, President of Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

Exciting supporting program

The lecture program focused on topics such as sustainability in automation, safety and security and new logistic methods and robotic integration, which are important for the automation industry. In addition to highly qualified panel discussions and focused technical contributions, visitors had the opportunity to attend Dr. Markus Söder, Minister President of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), MdL, at the digital talk on Wednesday morning. Among the topics discussed were the future of digitalization and the importance of trade fairs for Germany as a business location. The live broadcast on the "SPS on air" platform made it possible to follow the highlight from any location. The recording is still available on demand to registered participants.

Another popular point of contact was the joint stand "Automation meets IT", which has been established for several years now. 23 companies took advantage of the strong joint presence to present their digital solutions for automation to a broad specialist audience and benefit from the dialog with experts. Intensive discussions were held on site on topics such as highly secure data communication, maintenance software, AI applications and high-tech control solutions.

Digital supplement "SPS on air"

Even before the trade fair, the digital pre-heat event gave a first taste of this year's range of exhibitors and whetted the appetite for more. The SPS 2022 concept gave trade visitors the opportunity to obtain comprehensive information about exhibiting companies and their products in advance via the "SPS on air" platform, to arrange on-site appointments or to enter into a digital exchange in the run-up to the trade fair. The Technology Stage powered by VMDA/ZVEI in Hall 3 was streamed live during the trade fair. The platform will be accessible until 15.11.2022.

Next year, the trade fair for smart and digital automation will take place in Nuremberg from 14 - 16.11.2023.