Embedded World 2016 in Review: The Biggest Ever Show To Date

Industry-wide and on a global stage, Embedded World has long been regarded as the number one place to exhibit and visit when it comes to embedded system technologies. This year was no exception.

Exhibitor and attendance figures broke new records in this the 14th year of the trade show. Such is its significance within the industry, trade visitor numbers were up by 17% at 30,063 of which around one third were international visitors from outside Germany. The number of exhibiting companies also saw an increase of 4% to 939 from 38 different countries. In addition, over 1,000 eager engineering students from across Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic attended on the third day of the fair, which is known as student day.

Exit Polls

NürembergMesse Management Team, hosts of the show, also ran polls amongst both exhibitors and visitors which both rated the show as a resounding success.

Nine out of ten of the 30,063 trade visitors stated they had procurement decision making responsibility, with 94% saying they would recommend the show to colleagues and business contacts. 96% said they would return for the show in 2017.

The exhibitor poll showed that 93% of exhibiting companies rated the event as a success with almost as many saying they would book again for next year. Nine out of ten companies expect follow-on business from the event with 94% saying they had made new business contacts. Organisers continue to ensure that Embedded World is well targeted with 97% of exhibitor respondents stating that they had reached their target groups at the show.

Embedded World and Electronic Displays Conferences

Alongside the trade show, and just as successful, were the embedded world and electronic displays conferences which together attracted 1,666 experts from all over the world to share their professional knowledge.

As well the looking at the usual subject areas of systems, software and hardware engineering, the focus of the embedded world conference was very much on IoT and its safety and security aspects. This was highlighted in the keynote address by Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab, the theme of which was “The Long Hard Road Out of the Cyber Dark Ages”. In his address, Kaspersky called for the introduction of universal development standards to make software more secure in the age of IoT where and the increasing fusion of IT with the embedded environment.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the electronic displays conference looked at conceptual approaches in display technology and automotive applications.

Napier at Embedded World 2016

This year, Napier had six clients exhibiting or speaking at Embedded World and arranged a total of 118 editor meetings. So far these clients and their products have generated over 60 pieces of coverage across the European technology press and Napier is following up to generate a further twenty plus pieces of content which includes in-depth articles, interviews and thought leader pieces.

The Embedded World Exhibition and Conference will be held again in Nuremberg from  Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 March 2017.

 

2. 9 Steps to Increase Trade Show ROI

 


A First-Timer’s View of Embedded World 2016

With plenty of industry shows under my belt, I was hotly anticipating my first visit to Embedded World in Germany. I spent the weekend beforehand trying to figure out:

  • which were my most comfortable shoes to spend all day on my feet in
  • which were the professional outfits that would travel the best
  • how the two would match up

Longing for that elusive ‘capsule wardrobe’, I finally arrived in Nuremberg with Mike and Suzy on the Monday evening. Full of anticipation, our first engagement was a drinks reception courtesy of the lovely folk at Open Systems Media in the very swish surroundings of Le Meriden Grand Hotel. A whirlwind of meeting new and familiar editors plus a special mention for Napier in Rich Nass’s speech later, I finally collapsed into my hotel bed with the prospect of an early start to get to the Messe in the morning.

Day 1 - Tuesday

Having negotiated the almost baffling system of buying tickets for the U-Bahn, we arrived at the Messe in a flurry of snow.

Then I got my first view of the Halls.

Wow! The vast spaces were filled with every embedded technology you could think of. Slick stands which had clearly had quite some money spent on them to showcase gleaming products, microchips and demos of their applications plus food and drink everywhere!

With five clients at the show, plus one speaking at the co-located electronic displays conference, we quickly set about locating each of them. As we had made their editor appointments, we knew their stand numbers of by heart so it was a relatively straight-forward task especially as three of them were in Hall 4.

Having said our hellos and making sure each of our clients were all set and had their correct schedules, press kits and marvelling at their stands. We made our way up to the already bustling press office to pop our press releases in the racks for eager journalists.

Then the first of a full packed day of editor meetings began. It all passed in a flash of demos, handshakes and air kisses and lots of talking and handing over of usb sticks packed with press kits.

Several bottles of water were consumed in the dry air of the exhibition hall along with several coffees to keep us going and the odd sneaky ‘Nuremberg Würst’ (made in the city for over 700 years, they can be no longer than 9cm and weigh no more than 25g).

Pedometer miles – 4.98

Combined editor meetings – 37

Day 2 - Wednesday

This was going to be our busiest day with another early start as our first editor was booked in for a prompt 9am meeting. From there, the rest of the day passed in a blur as I ran between two clients making sure that the meetings ran smoothly and that everyone was making the most out of the opportunity to talk about their products, introduced key spokespeople and gave updates on company developments. Editors were writing notes furiously in their notebooks whilst firing questions and intently listening to the answers.

Pedometer miles – 5.58

Combined editor meetings – 51

Day 3 - Thursday

The final day dawned and we knew we had to make the most of it and still be as enthusiastic with each editor as we had been on day 1, so Mike and I swapped clients so that we could still be fresh and interested.

This was also student day. This meant several groups of eager young engineers, some with their tutors, interested in demos, asking questions and trying to find all the best promotional gifts alongside the regular show visitors.

After another fruitful day of meetings, we headed back to Munich in the hire car, past snow laden fields for the flight home.

Pedometer miles – 6.01

Combined editor meetings – 30

Reflections

Undeniably exhausting as the week was, it was also exhilarating to be immersed in a world of technology that blows the mind in terms of current and future applications. Working so closely with our clients meant that we gained a much deeper insight into their new and forthcoming product developments as well cementing those relationships for the future.

Meeting pretty much all the key editors of tech press in Europe under one roof over three days was a great way to put faces to names I had been speaking to for the past few months. All in all, a very positive experience. And I only got one tiny blister.

Total pedometer miles – 16.57 (And I only got one tiny blister!)

Total editor meetings - 118

Embedded World took place in Nuremberg from Tuesday 23 to Thursday 25 February. The biggest show so far in its 14 year history, there were 939 exhibitors from 38 countries, 30,063 trade visitors and over 1,000 students. The next Embedded World Exhibition and Conference will take place Tues 14 March to Thursday 16 March 2017 and the details are online for the 2017 show!

Find out more about how Napier can help you make the most of your next exhibition with out Tip Sheets 9 Steps to Increase your Trade Show ROI and 7 Tips for Meetings at Trade Shows