What can exhibitors and visitors expect now?
BAU, the world trade fair for architecture, materials and systems, will not be held as a traditional trade fair next year. Despite a sophisticated hygiene concept, Messe München, together with the BAU Advisory Board and Board of Trustees, decided on a hybrid format from January 13 to 15, 2021, giving exhibitors the opportunity to present their innovations digitally. The digital part of this year’s event will then also be an important part of the traditional BAU 2023 trade fair.
In June, Messe München, together with both committees, announced that the event would take place as planned in January 2021 – albeit with the proviso that developments would have to be awaited and the situation reviewed again at the end of September before exhibitors had made the bulk of their trade fair investments. Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy Chairman and CEO of Messe München, commented: “Falling infection figures and the opening of borders gave us justified hope in June that the situation would improve significantly. Unfortunately, the signs changed dramatically over the course of September. Even though it would have been possible to hold an in-person trade fair with our protective and hygiene measures, the designation of more and more risk areas throughout Europe and the associated travel restrictions have now forced us to make this decision. According to our exhibitor survey, which we have conducted in recent days, especially against the background of the worsening Covid-19 situation, the vast majority of our exhibitors now consider their participation in the presence trade fair to be unrealistic, as in the current situation it can be assumed that only a few of the originally expected visitors will be on site.” Dieter Schäfer, long-standing Chairman of the BAU Advisory Board and Board of Trustees, agrees with Reinhard Pfeiffer: “The decision in June was the right one. At the time, it would have been far too early to question BAU. It was clear to all of us that clarity would be needed by the end of September. It was therefore logical to carry out a survey last week. The Advisory Board and Board of Trustees are behind the decision to replace BAU 2021 with a hybrid format.”
Postponing BAU was discussed with the Advisory Board and Board of Trustees. However, postponing the trade fair was never a serious option because it would have interrupted the two-year innovation cycle that BAU has always been geared towards, according to Martin Hörmann, Deputy Chairman of both committees. Hörmann continued: “International exhibitors and visitors are a brand essence of the classic BAU. Under the current COVID 19 conditions, we would not have been able to fulfill this expectation.”
In addition to a compact exhibition space, the hybrid format includes an additional digital offering. Exhibitors will be able to present themselves in the ICM International Congress Center Munich and in up to two other exhibition halls. Forums and special shows can also be held there. Companies wishing to present themselves on site can choose between system stands and individual stand designs. The digital part will focus on presentations and discussions from the forums as well as recorded videos. These will be available as a live stream for the international audience. In addition, companies can present their products virtually in their own online sessions. The hybrid format offers virtual networking modules for exchanging ideas with other participants. There are also plans to integrate the traditional BAU Info Talks.
Participation opportunities online from mid-October
Details on the new format and information on participation opportunities for exhibitors and visitors are expected to be available online at www.bau-muenchen.com from mid-October. Exhibitors who have already booked a stand for the traditional trade fair will still be able to present themselves on site. BAU will then take place as usual again in 2023, including the additional digital offerings that will be available in hybrid format for the first time next January.