Back from wire & Tube 2022: post-show comments

On the one hand, the outbreak of new Covid-19 variants and geopolitical disruptions and longing for human contact and face-to-face conversations on the other - against this backdrop, the success of the wire & Tube fair was less than taken for granted. And yet, despite all difficulties, the exhibition duo managed to deliver a quality environment for networking and engaging discussions about upcoming challenges.

From the visitors' side
The trade show, which had its curtain fall on June 24, gathered a total of 1,822 exhibitors from over 50 countries on 93,000 square meters of exhibition space, with an especially strong presence from Europe, as well as from countries overseas, most notably the US, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, India, and Japan.
From the exhibitors' side
We don’t know from official sources the exact number of visitors who attended the fair, but the shared feeling is that while attendance was lower, the quality of visitors was higher. This impression has been confirmed by the show organizers, who noted that 75% of visitors were executives or high-profile members with decision-making power.



Let's hear the impressions of the exhibitors about the most anticipated event of the year for the wire and tube industry. Here below are their comments, companies are listed in alphabetical order.

'I am satisfied with the visits. We received many genuine, serious inquiries for upcoming projects. I was pleasantly surprised to receive clients from Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Europe of course. We recently adopted many technological innovations in our machines, improving the quality of the process – for instance in galvanizing plants – which have been enthusiastically received by our customers.' 
Nirmal Singh, Assomac Machines

‘We are glad this fair was eventually held, it is a positive sign of recovery. Apart from a quiet Monday, we collected plenty of new contacts. Compared to 2018, these are also much more specific and interested. If I have to be honest, I would prefer the fair to be shorter and concentrated on just three days.’
Mattia Bossi, Bossi srl

'I am glad the fair continued. The outcomes of this wire edition show that there's a demand for an event like that. I noticed fewer people, but more focused, and appreciated the quality of the conversations I had.'
Markus Giese, Drahtwerk Wagener
‘Considering the period, we didn't have high expectations about the turnout. It definitely went better than we thought. What actually matters is the quality of the visits, and that was there. We consolidated our relationships with existing customers and established connections with new companies. Many came by to inquire about our new SiC Mosfet technology that’s equipped with our welding systems. That said, we do have some reservations about the booth organization, it could have been done better.’
Franco Cortassa, Elestar

"The experience turned out to be positive. We had many customers visiting who were interested in our solutions, and we were happy to have met them in person. Since the wire show in Düsseldorf is the only trade fair we attend, we were particularly keen on it. Our hall was not as full as it used to be, but overall we are..." (read more)
Gaia Frigerio, Froma

'What an exciting and successful show! We at Fuhr draw a positive conclusion about this year’s wire trade fair in Düsseldorf. We have had more visitors than expected, so we would like to thank interested parties as customers, representatives, and partners for their great interest, the productive exchange, and the many interesting conversations. We are taking a lot of exciting topics with us and look forward to pushing them forward together. Can’t wait for 2024!'
Esther Klinge, Fuhr Gmbh

'We have been gladly surprised by the fair and satisfied with the organization. Despite a reduction in the number of visitors, we have noticed that people were much more specialized, and hopefully, this will bring interesting results in the future.'
Véronique Greusset, ISIS

'It was a fantastic week for us, the first wire trade show in Düsseldorf after four long years. After a slower start on Monday, our newly designed double-decker booth was really crowded during the week. Even though it seemed that the companies sent fewer people to minimize the risk of infections, our team has had great discussions about our newest innovations and was able to (re-)connect with old and new customers alike. We look forward to seeing everybody for wire Southeast Asia in Bangkok and wire India in Mumbai later this year.'
Jonas Hagstedt, Lämneå Bruk
'We went to wire 2022 with very low expectations, which have been greatly exceeded. The trade fair was very well attended. There was a lively interest in our products, especially since at the show we were able to announce the acquisition of the company Erwin Neumann Drahtveredelung.'
Elisabeth Lukas, Lukas Anlagenbau GmbH

'Although visitors from Russia and China were absent, we have received numerous guests from Europe, the Middle East, USA. I can say I am satisfied. What was particularly appreciated at the fair was our Smart Technology, which allows us not just to collect data, but to make online corrections – a notable added value for our customers. With our own super precise measurement devices, if something goes wrong the error is corrected immediately during the process and not after production is completed, as is usually the case. This results in significant material savings, which is also an advantage from a green perspective. Green energy investments are fueling the hype, especially in the medium and high voltage segments, so we are currently in a favorable situation, which was confirmed by the outcome of this fair in Düsseldorf.'
Lars Fagerholm, Maillefer
'The fair in Düsseldorf was very good. The quality of the visitors was unexpectedly high. Unlike other trade shows, where there's a big flow of employees, this event gathered the true decision-makers, sales managers, directors, etc.' (read more)
Anitha Kamal, Mikrotek Machines
‘The fair was positive throughout. The chance to meet all our partners, customers, and competitors again and consolidate our market presence was a big benefit. The only downside was the organization, as the online desk was unclear and could be improved.’
Lorenzo Fassa, Officine MTM

'Meeting again in person after four years, shaking hands, and talking face-to-face was amazing. I found it a fairly well-organized fair. 80% of the visitors who came to our stand were either customers or people we had already an established relationship with, but we sat down at the discussion table to talk about concrete plans. No time wasters anymore. Those who came to the show, did so because they had clear ideas and concrete business prospects.'
Cesare Vernocchi, Olimpia 80

'Our guests were mainly European, and very few visitors came from America or Asia. At least this is what we felt at our stand. However, we can say that we are very happy with the quality and amount of inquiries we received; some of them are very potential.' (read more)
Mikel Zaldua, Saspi
‘Compared with the former editions, SETIC, POURTIER & C2S welcomed fewer visitors, however, the lower audience was hugely compensated by a higher interest and numerous large projects to discuss. SETIC, POURTIER, C2S and BOW TECHNOLOGY always showed strong commitment to support the wire and cable industry, and once again visitors have rewarded and reinforced us by bringing repeat or new collaborations, even finalizing several contracts - among them an order for a group twinner line from a famous European cable player.’Philie Colin, Setic & Pourtier
'For the Windak Group, it was a truly successful trade show. Considering that there was no equipment at our booth, and Windak showed only the packaging of the customer's end product, we still received a high interest from visitors. We gained the largest number of visitors from Germany, France, Poland, Sweden, the USA, Turkey...' (read more)
Olga Berlinberg, Windak Group

'We came to the show with little optimism, but it really exceeded our expectations. Besides marking the beginning of the recovery after a long period of uncertainty, the show was also a good chance to reestablish the human contact that Covid had stripped us away. The operators we address are the spring manufacturers, and we made good contacts in this regard. Overall, it was worth it to come as exhibitors, and if I were a spring manufacturer, I would have come too.'
Luca Koradi, WST Koradi

‘It was a very good exhibition with real serious potential business opportunities. The customers we met are on the way to investing in new developments and concrete projects. Some clients were surprised by our new products such as flat cable measurement with our UMAC and Profilmaster system for any shapes, Preheater and surface inspection Simac NG, without forgetting our new rayex S and D family. Definitely a fruitful trade show.”
Livio Martella, Zumbach
What do you think of this edition of wire & Tube? Let us know: [email protected]

Photo: Messe Düsseldorf, Constanze Tillmann