Interlift 2022 will be the First Meeting Point of the Industry During the Pandemic

At the press conference held via Zoom on February 1, 2022, İnterlift organizer AFAG Messen declared the figures related to the organization’s 2022 event, which will be held in Germany with rules to be applied due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

interlift, the most comprehensive exhibition of the elevator industry, which was postponed in October, will be held in Ausburg, Germany as usual, on April 26-29 2022.  During the COVID-19 pandemic period, which affected the entire globe since beginning in 2020, no large-scale events were held on the elevator and escalator industry, especially in Europe. On February 1, AFAG Messen management organized a press conference via Zoom to answer the questions of the exhibitors and visitors who plan to attend interlift.

AFAG CEO Henning Könicke announced the schedule of the press conference, and then gave the floor to VFA President Achim Hütter. Hütter said the success and high visitor number of a recent exhibition in Italy, as well as other exhibitions in Germany, indicate that people are interested in such organizations.

The number of cases in Bavaria is expected decrease as of mid-February

Thilo Könicke, one of the two AFAG managing directors, took the floor and gave information about the current coronavirus restrictions in Germany. Könicke stated that the Bavarian prime minister, in a statement on January 31, 2022, that some restrictions, especially the ones that are related to trade fairs, will be lifted as of mid-February. Interested people will receive a notification about a new regulation that probably covers the time when interlift will be held. He added that they will inform the whole industry via a press release as soon as they receive information about the recent developments.

Turkey is in Top Three

interlift Project Manager Joachim Kalsdorf explained the current figures about Interlift 2022, and said that the number of exhibitors signed up so far was 312. He stated that most of the companies will come from Germany (100), Italy (55) and Turkey (53). According to these figures, Turkey is in the top three for the first time. 

Kalsdorf explained that the members of the Italian Association (ANICA) and the European Federation for Elevator Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EFESME) will take place in their own pavilions, and the exhibition will be held in Hall 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7. He also stated that the accommodation capacity increased significantly, thanks to eight new hotels that were opened in Ausburg this year.

No Wittur Cube

After the presentations, a Q&A session got underway. Ultike Lotze from Lift Journal asked if Wittur was one of the exhibitors or not, as the company’s name was not seen on the hall plans presented. Karsdorf said that they recently had a meeting with Wittur management, and they will not take place in this year’s organization but will again be present in the exhibition in 2023.  

The second question was about the COVID-19 vaccination. Könicke said the current application is called 2G+, which means there is no restriction for the ones who have received a booster after two vaccinations. Those who are not vaccinated, both the exhibitors and the visitors, will need to be tested with a negative result in order to enter the fairground. He also underlined that QR code, which indicates that a person is vaccinated, is valid all-around Europe. 

EU compatible Heath Passport, which is available to all Turkish citizens through E-Nabiz application, is also valid in Germany.

Considering the expected number of visitors, Könicke stated that the influx of visitors at ANACAM at the end of last year was a positive indicator for the sector. He emphasized that all of the industrial exhibitions that were held in Germany recently hosted more visitors than expected.

Gubisch: “I trust in scientists rather than the politicians”

Schaefer CEO and VFA Board Member Michael Gubisch stated that discussions have been held regarding the exhibition many times, and the company did not find any reason for the exhibition to fail in April. He said that he trusted in scientists rather than the politicians, noting the scientists believe that Omicron variant cases, which peaked in February, will decrease in spring.

At the last part of the meeting, after answering the questions about using masks and keeping social distance in the fairground, Hütter made a closing speech and stated that VFA members were aware of the concerns and invited everyone to Ausburg confidently.