Delivering boost to economy

HANNOVER MESSE 2010 has given a further boost to ­economic recovery, with benefits set to flow through to the industrial sector over the next few months. Exhibitors are ­feeling upbeat about their ­future prospects: “The mood at HANNOVER MESSE is always a good indicator of industry sentiment, so we can now confidently speak of an upswing,” commented Deutsche Messe Managing Board Chairman Wolfram von Fritsch at the end-of-show press conference in Hannover on Friday, April 23. “Although the first part of the show was indeed severely impacted by the air travel bans caused by the volcanic ash, the last two days made up for part of this.” The total visitor count of 150 000 was roughly 20  % below the previous year’s figure. Attendance from Asia and North America suffered the most. HANNOVER MESSE 2011 will run from 4 to 8 April, occupying the entire exhibition center, with a total of 13 trade fairs.