Fall in Europe was like a smorgasbord of conferences and exhibitions delayed for two years or more, all following one another in a matter of days. It’s official now – the pandemic is over because we are so over it. Only China is not over it. It’s been a year of normalizing, getting back to our regular lives and, hopefully, putting COVID-19 behind us. Attending events, bringing the industry back together, makes us all feel a little more like ourselves, and the attendance numbers and comments seem to reflect that. Everyone was eager to meet customers and even competitors in public again. The pandemic also spawned much more futuristic conversations, topics and papers. Sustainability, green building and digitalization were all on the agenda. It is clear the virus made us all consider using less energy, making our surroundings sanitary or “touchless,” plus collecting and using data to make our industry work better.
Because of the pent-up demand for meeting dates, the last few months were packed with industry events. Some events were so close together I’m surprised people had time to go home and change clothes between them. A few conferences included a virtual component for those who weren’t ready to risk public groups, but for the most part, the people were out in droves. In this issue alone we report on six events, all occuring in September and October.
LIFTEX 2022 by Angie Baldwin. Run by the Lift & Escalator Industry Association (LEIA), this once-every-three-year exhibition was scheduled for April but was pushed to September. More than 4,000 attended over a two-day run that saw a 22% increase from previous events – and their largest ever.
E2 Forum Returns – Part 1 by Undine Stricker-Berghoff. There were 48 presentations and approximately 350 attendees. Long delayed by COVID-19, the e2 Forum focused on new ideas affecting our industry, including digital infrastructure and cybersecurity.
SILC 2022 – A Boutique Conference with a Far-Reaching Purpose by Bülent Yılmaz. This event was held in the coastal city of Santander, Spain, and focused on current challenges as companies adjust to a global market and a technology dependent industry.
Lift & Escalator Symposium 2022 by Richard Peters. This well-attended symposium had 26 speakers and a panel over two days. The need for our industry to consider the environment was a reoccurring theme throughout.
Ninth European Lift Congress Heilbronn 2022 by Undine, Sticker-Berghoff. Fourteen speakers from eight European countries – plus China presented future oriented ideas as well as the latest R & D.
The First Lift Expo Italia Took Place in Milan, Italy by Bülent Yılmaz. Twice postponed this Italian fair took place in Milan and was part of the packed event calendar in late summer. Still 2000 visitors enjoyed the booths and speakers.
Our focus topic this month is Escalators and Moving Walks.
“Truly Transformational” by Kaija Wilkinson. This is a feature on London’s Bank Tube Station – the third busiest in the city. Otis installed seven escalators and two moving walks without delaying the traffic moving through daily.
Calculating, Quantifying and Reporting “Green” by Sascha Iqbal. The author explains in great detail how to credibly claim and compare environmental performance of escalators and moving walks.
This issue, like the exhibit halls, is also packed with new and interesting articles, including A Family Affair – our Lindsay Fletcher interviews the father and daughter team behind Doppler. In Environmental Impact of Lifts: the EPD, Giuseppe Iotti looks at the geographical variations and trends across Europe; and all major OEMs also have features from Spain, the U.K. and China. We hope you enjoy a good read!
Get more of Elevator World. Sign up for our free e-newsletter.
