Technology on display

Chancellor Angela Merkel was supposed to be joined by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the ceremony to kick off this year's Hanover Fair. However Berlusconi could not travel to Germany due to the large cloud of volcanic ash above the continent, which has caused 63,000 flights to be cancelled since Thursday.

Italy, a country with a long tradition of industrial engineering, is the partner country for this year's fair, which runs through Friday.

Merkel impressed with innovative products

Merkel toured the fair instead with Italy's economics minister Claudio Scajola, who had come from Italy by car.

Merkel praised the level of innovation at the fair, which, she believes, will "lead the way, so we can come out of this crisis stronger than before."

"Last year we had a large backlog of orders from before the financial crisis, but it has to be said that, this year, the sheer scale of the Hanover trade fair and the high level of innovation are a sign of hope that we can overcome this crisis," she added.

Industry is also upbeat

This year's motto, "Efficiency - Innovation - Sustainability", reflects the usual optimism that the Hanover Fair seeks to spread. Exhibitors seem to be showing remarkable self-confidence in light of the economic crisis of the past year.

"One businessman recently said to me, 'In the crisis, I'll stick with the original - and the original is the Hanover Fair.' And that's why they come here," the convention's director Wolfram von Fritsch told Deutsche Welle.

Market megatrends

And come they have: Despite the ash cloud causing an unprecedented number of flight cancellations over the past few days, bus convoys from Istanbul and Milan as well as convoys of cars from Spain and Scandinavia have made their way to Hanover to attend the trade fair.

That so many have gone to such lengths to get there is an indication of how timely this year's Hanover Fair has turned out to be. Much of the world is slowly coming out of the biggest economic recession in decades, and the world's largest industrial showcase is a crucial indicator of that recovery.

Four thousand and eight hundred exhibitors from 64 countries are displaying the newest in efficient and energy-saving products, as well as in the emerging field of "electro-mobility."

Friedhelm Loh, head of the Eletro-Industry Association, said he saw electro-mobility, energy efficiency and environmental protection as megatrends in the market - something that gives Germany an advantage.

"We Germans have a 16 percent stake in the world market, and I think the industry will further strengthen that," he said.

Greatest number of products ever

In defiance of the market's optimism, the volcanic ash cloud hanging over Europe continues to disrupt air travel. Around 15 percent of the exhibitors, mainly from Asia and the United States, are not expected to even make it to Hanover.

The Hanover Fair's optimism is rooted in the 4,000 innovations that are to be put on display this year, "more than we've ever had before," said von Fritsch.

The 4,800 exhibitors mirror the number that attended the convention in the boom year of 2008. In addition, more than 250 firms have booked exhibition space over the past four weeks alone.

"That's something we've never had before," von Fritsch said. "And that confirms a trend over the past few months that we've been able to read from several indicators."

Author: Henrik Boehme (acb/ng)
Editor: Chuck Penfold