WindEnergy Hamburg has further strengthened its position as the most important platform of the global wind industry. Many of the 1,482 exhibitors from 40 different countries at the world's leading expo of the onshore and offshore wind industry announced product launches and business transactions. International interest in the industry event has increased further: The share of international exhibitors grown to more than 50% (as compared to 44% in 2016). All key players of the entire value chain were present in the fully-booked exhibition halls, including 16 wind turbine manufacturers from Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The featured topics of this year's flagship fair included Dynamic Markets, Cost Effectiveness, and Smart Energy, putting the spotlight on current developments in the globally expanding wind industry. All in all, WindEnergy Hamburg was attended by 35,000 industry visitors from 100 countries (as in 2016); the share of international visitors grew to 45%. 

"WindEnergy Hamburg is the only global industry event of the wind energy sector," stated Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO, Hamburg Messe und Congress. "As the energy transition unfolds around the world, and more and more wind markets exhibit dynamic growth, the interest in sharing knowledge and ideas and staying informed is stronger than ever. The world's leading wind industry expo offered the right opportunities at the right time - an innovative platform for sharing information, doing business and networking at the highest levels," Aufderheide continued. "What became clear in the discussions with international industry visitors and exhibitors more than anything else was that the Global Wind Summit is considered a launchpad for further growth." In parallel with WindEnergy Hamburg, the global WindEurope conference was held at the Hamburg Messe fair site. Both events jointly formed the Global Wind Summit 2018. 

Giles Dickson, CEO WindEurope, said: "The WindEurope 2018 conference has been a big success. The Global Wind Summit brought together the WindEnergy Hamburg exhibition and the WindEurope global on and offshore conference under one roof. The co-location and integration of the two events increased the level of interaction between all the different players in the wind industry. More than 2000 conference delegates delved into the key issues facing the industry. We looked at how wind is breaking new ground geographically, technologically and financially. And we had top-level speakers such as EU Climate & Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete, and IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol, plus European energy ministers." 

In a representative survey, 96% of industry visitors said expectations had been fully met. The most important reasons for attending this fair were to establish new business contacts, renew existing ones, and get information about new products and trends. 96% of visitors praised the excellent international networking opportunities, as well as the comprehensive overview of innovations and new developments in the wind industry they gained at the fair (97%). The presence of 40 national delegations from countries such as the United States or Pakistan, as well as energy ministers and other high-level representatives of many nations highlighted the significance of this knowledge-sharing event for the global wind markets. 

The comprehensive coverage of topics at the trade fair was commended by 97% of industry visitors. Exhibitors and industry associations agreed that the business climate was excellent at this trade fair, a statement confirmed by representatives of the 23 national and regional pavilions at the event. 

Matthias Zelinger, Chairman of VDMA Power Systems, asserted: "If anyone had doubted the global demand for wind energy, the international character of WindEnergy Hamburg this week has delivered the final proof. And if anyone had doubted whether wind energy can make an attractive contribution to climate protection in the transport and heating sectors, the WindEurope conference confirmed that it can and will. Without the shadow of a doubt, this combination as presented in the Wind Capital has been a full success." 

BWE President Hermann Albers commented: "Driven by new innovations, fast efficiency improvements and dynamic global markets, the industry has demonstrated its strength in Hamburg - the hot spot for the international wind industry. Now the federal government has to do its part to get the German domestic market back on track and lend it new impetus as the engine of the wind industry." 

Enercon CEO Hans-Dieter Kettwig had this to say: "Enercon can report a positive outcome for WindEnergy Hamburg 2018. The visitor response at our exhibition stand was excellent; we had many great discussions with customers and stakeholders from Germany and other countries, and there was great interest in our new wind energy products and services and our regenerative energy system solutions. In short, this year's fair was a great success. The outstanding feedback once again shows that Hamburg is well established as a key meeting place for the international wind energy community. The only sad note is that no representative of the Federal Government came to Hamburg to get informed about the wind industry. We would have loved the opportunity to discuss our industry's current challenges and the necessary political reforms." 

Executive Vice President Dr. Andreas Schröter of DNV GL - Energy said: "WindEnergy Hamburg has definitely fulfilled our expectations. In particular, the somewhat subdued mood in the German wind industry brightened up noticeably in view of the international character of this trade fair. We were also pleased to note that the photovoltaic and wind energy sectors are finding more and more common ground. Combined with the topic of energy storage, the fair therefore reflected a holistic approach. Apart from being a technology exhibition, WindEnergy Hamburg has evolved into a business platform that attracts international investors. We ourselves were able to generate many leads, including international ones, from countries such as Poland or Argentina." 

Mike Shiel, the Head of Energy EMEA at Scottish Development International, stated: "The level of return of investment is the highest of all the renewable shows we do. Everybody you need to meet is here. We got some great business deals." 

Zhao Na, Head of Marketing at Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Limited: "We are fully satisfied with WindEnergy Hamburg. As a Chinese company we are not well known in Europe as yet. This fair helps us build a new business network, especially in Scandinavia and Germany. We all get to know each other better, which helps everybody." 

Stewart J. Mullin, Director of Marketing, Communication and Public Affairs at MHI Vestas Offshore Wind A/S: "WindEnergy Hamburg is one of the best trade fairs ever. The combination of the trade fair with the WindEurope conference is fantastic. We met visitors from all business segments. We were exhibiting for the third time, and from our viewpoint, the fair is getting more and more international. Contacts at the fair are high-level and represent the entire value chain of the offshore segment. We think it's a great idea that there is a dedicated Offshore Hall where you can focus your networking activities." 

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy CEO Dr. Markus Tacke commented: "WindEnergy Hamburg 2018 was a fantastic fair. It brought people from all over the industry together to network, to share ideas, and to think about the future of renewable energy. For Siemens Gamesa, WindEnergy Hamburg offered a great opportunity to meet up with our customers and present our innovations." 

Jose Luis Blanco Dieguez, CEO of Nordex Group, stated: "We are very satisfied with this year's WindEnergy Hamburg. We had meetings with visitors from all over the world markets. We have successfully showcased our N149 which we installed four weeks ago near Hamburg. All in all, a great success and we are looking forward to the next WindEnergy Hamburg 2020." 

Dirk Luttermann, Head of Marketing Senvion S.A., agreed: "The fair went very well for us. We were able to establish many new contacts, especially with parties from the Americas, Asia and Europe. This trade fair is always a great place for initial business contacts, and in this respect in particular, we are very satisfied." 

Paulo Fernando Soares, CEO International Business at Suzlon Energy Ltd. / German Branch, summarised his impressions: "For us, WindEnergy Hamburg is the one and only trade fair. It is an absolute top priority. It is here we meet European companies with a global footprint. That is exactly what makes the difference compared with other trade fairs. Here we can present our strategy at the highest level and establish new, top-flight contacts with new markets." 

Christian Schnibbe, Head of Communication at the Bremen-based wind farm developer and operator wpd, placed the emphasis on the positive atmosphere at the trade fair: "The general mood at WindEnergy Hamburg is much better than expected, considering the current situation of the industry. At wpd we were able to establish many new contacts, especially with Asian markets. So there will be some homework for us to do after the fair." 

Jan Willem Ruinemans, Head of ZF Wind Power Business Unit, declared: "WindEnergy Hamburg really covers the dynamics of the wind market, enabling the full value chain to meet and drive business forward. We are proud that we could bring our cost-effective gearbox technology forward on this leading international wind fair and support customers to shift wind energy towards a bright future." 

Søren Rasmussen, Managing Director of the Danish Wind Energy Association as well as the Danish pavilion, enjoyed the unique atmosphere at the fair: "I spent the entire time at our exhibition stand because it was permanently teeming with visitors. From the very beginning there was a great mood here, and we are pleased to see our exhibitors so happy because they were able to establish many new contacts." 

Brent Nussbaum, VP Member Relations at the US wind energy association AWEA, was concise and clear: "Our expectations have been met. WindEnergy Hamburg is a show with a strong international engagement. Very positive: We had international delegations at the booth and are happy to see the excitement of Europeans in the American offshore market. It was a successful fair with lots of follow ups." 

Jan Rispens, who heads the Cluster Erneuerbare Energien Hamburg (EEHH), likewise expressed his satisfaction: „WindEnergy Hamburg was a very successful trade fair for us. Our stand was always very busy, and we made excellent contacts, including international ones, mainly with Argentina and France which we established through our events in the accompanying programme at the fair." 

The next WindEnergy Hamburg trade fair will take place in two years, from 22 to 25 September 2020 at the Hamburg Messe und Congress fair complex. The WindEurope Conference will again be held in parallel.

WindEnergy Hamburg | www.windenergyhamburg.com