Industry Meets For “Lift Experts’ Day”

Hannover gathering shows the VT industry is ready to put the pandemic behind it.

Because the pandemic forced the postponement of October 2021’s interlift, organizers AFAG Messen and VFA interlift took the opportunity to bring together members of the vertical-transportation (VT) industry for “Lift Experts’ Day,” which was held October 19-20 at the hybr.id_space hall in Hannover, Germany.

As the event opened, it was evident all had missed face-to-face events. Though the evening weather was muggy, it was beautiful, and those attending enjoyed pleasant conversation during a walk from the hotel to the restaurant. A cocktail party before the dinner was held at an Italian restaurant next to the hybr.id_space facility. All guests, including representatives of the leading participants — especially the European elevator associations — took time to catch up and enjoy delicious snacks. Following the cocktail party, guests walked to the hotel together. Dinner in a family atmosphere lasted ’til the late hours.

When we arrived at the hybr.id_space hall the next day, we were welcomed by a highly equipped studio and a very professional team. After all the guests took their seats in the hall, and tests and rehearsals were carried out, the event was streamed live on the AFAG YouTube channel. Excluding the presentations made by foreign guests, all other presentations were given in German and translated into English simultaneously, meaning the event was streamed live on YouTube both in German and English.

Moderated by Ulrike Lotze from the German Lift Journal magazine, the event started with a presentation from Andre Kukhnin from Credit Suisse. Kukhnin shared interesting data based on regions and brands, including the industry’s OEMs. He stated that new elevator installations, which had seen a sharp decline at the beginning of the pandemic, are showing an upward trend again. Periodical maintenance, too, is showing greater development, he said.

Next, AFAG Messen Managing Partner Thilo Könicke talked about difficulties experienced in the procurement and supply stages during the pandemic. He said increasing freight fee and delivery times are affecting the industry negatively.

Frank Saalmüller, from German company Schaefer GmbH, addressed the gathering next, giving a presentation titled “Hygiene Regulations — What Remains After Corona.” Saalmüller’s discussion focused on COVID-19 infection risks faced inside elevator cabins and on the precautions and solutions developed by Schaefer.

The last presentation before lunch was given by interlift Project Manager Joachim Kalsdorf and regional representatives Angela Vinci (Southern Europe), Hanan Wang (China) and your author (Turkey and MENA). Kalsdorf gave information about the current reservations and the precautions planned for the exhibition center. He was followed by the regional representatives, who talked about the latest situations in their areas and the precautions that should be taken by participants during their journey to Germany. As for interlift reservations, Turkey is showing the third-highest number of participants, after Germany and Italy. The growth rate of elevator manufacturers in Turkey is also reflected in interlift.

At the first presentation in the afternoon, European Lift Association General Secretary Luca Pezzini spoke of the steps taken and developments made toward the establishment of a global Elevator Federation. Then, Wolfgang Nothaft from Meiller (Germany), Riccardo Bertoluzza from Prisma (Italy) and Alice Ravarelli from Wittur (Germany) spoke about current developments in the industry and their products.

Franz Walzke from VFA (Germany) then made a presentation on “Standards and Guidelines,” followed by Tim Ebeling from Henning GmbH & Co. (Germany), who gave a detailed discussion on “Digitalization.”

After a coffee break, Prof. Dr. Sven M. Prüser of HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences, who was the only guest from outside the VT sector, discussed “Trade Fairs — Analogue Intelligence for the Future.” Prüser, with the help of examples from daily life — and the chocolate bars he handed out to the guests — talked about different marketing types.

At the end of the day, all guests agreed to meet in Augsburg for interlift, scheduled for April 26-29, 2022.