The verdict of 1,385 exhibitors and about 140,000 visitors: INTERSCHUTZ / INTERPOLICE 2005 a fantastic show!

With a record lineup of exhibitors, a new concept in tune with today's market, an exhilarating, action-packed program and record-breaking attendance, INTERSCHUTZ 2005 and its sister event INTERPOLICE 2005 were every bit as successful as anticipated.

Facts & figures

At the six-day tandem show staged in Hannover, Germany, from 6 to 11 June, 1,235 INTERSCHUTZ exhibitors and 150 INTERPOLICE exhibitors from 46 different countries (with foreign exhibitors making up 45 percent of the total) showcased their goods and services on an area of 93,124 square meters (INTERSCHUTZ: 89,399; INTERPOLICE: 3,725). Germany's Minister of the Interior Otto Schily emphasized the importance of the show for creating new business opportunities and clinching deals, as well as its role as a barometer for future strategies.

Among the many participating countries, Germany headed the list at INTERSCHUTZ / INTERPOLICE 2005, with some 781 exhibitors taking part. The presence of 76 exhibitors from Great Britain, 69 from the United States and 57 from Italy was a source of gratification for all security specialists seeking dialog with their colleagues from abroad. The strong turnout from the new EU nations and Asian countries was also impressive, with a notable 23 Polish exhibitors and 48 Chinese exhibitors at the show.

Total attendance amounted to about140, 000 visitors, including more than 30,000 from abroad, translating into a 22 percent rate of foreign attendance - appreciably higher than the 19 percent mark achieved by the previous event five years ago in Augsburg. This was equivalent to a 30 percent increase on the previous event.

Trade visitors accounted for 95 percent of overall attendance this year, corresponding to an eight-percent increase over the 2000 event.

The upsurge in visitors from Asia was particularly significant. While Asian attendance in Augsburg amounted to 2,200, the Hannover event drew a total of 5,500 - an increase of 127 percent. What was true for exhibitor participation was equally true for attendance: INTER­SCHUTZ has become an absolute must for Asian visitors

The response from U.S. professionals is also clearly on the upswing. The number attending from the Unite States grew from 1,200 in Augsburg to 1,900 in Hannover - a rise of 58 percent.

Whereas five years ago, some 17,200 firefighters attended INTERSCHUTZ, they now numbered 23,900 in Hannover. This amounts to a 39 percent increase.

The attendance figures also showed pleasing growth for all the show's target groups in fire protection, disaster relief and rescue work. A total of 58,000 trade visitors made the trip to Hannover, or 68 percent more than at the previous event.

Particularly noteworthy was the level of attendance by fire captains and lieutenants this year. While 6,900 attended in 2000, some 12,800 were on hand this time around. This represents a whopping increase of 85 percent and underscores the increasing importance of INTERSCHUTZ as an event for supervisory-level firefighters.

The attendance figures for business owners, CEOs, board members and public administrators also showed big gains over those for the previous show, with an increase of 33 percent.

A tribute to the attractiveness of INTERSCHUTZ as a place for doing real business was revealed by an impressive 111-percent rise in visitors with direct involvement in making purchasing decisions.

Echo from political leaders, exhibiting firms, professional associations and the show's organizers

Attending security experts from all over the world met with a wide range of innovations and tailor-made security solutions, a high degree of thematic "cross-pollination" across the show's display categories, and a "platform for international dialogue", as it was termed by Germany's Minister of the Interior, Otto Schily. At INTERSCHUTZ / INTERPOLICE 2005 some controversial issues were also debated, including wireless digital communication, joint control centers and shared disaster relief responsibilities.

"INTERSCHUTZ is undoubtedly the world's leading trade fair for rescue services, fire prevention, disaster relief and security. It strengthens our sense of global community and makes a vital contribution to the task of equipping ourselves for worldwide disaster prevention. We are amazed at the diversity of firms represented here and particularly impressed with their level of innovation. The new joint INTERSCHUTZ / INTERPOLICE exhibition now does justice to the daily collaboration practiced by the police forces and their firefighting counterparts. This appears to be a solid foundation on which to pursue a continuation of the joint approach", declared Hans Jochen Blätte, President of the German Fire Protection Association (vfdb), indicating his support for another tandem show in the year 2010.

Stephan Ph. Kühne, Member of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe AG, noted: "We were successful in demonstrating how this trade fair sets new benchmarks, particularly along the interface between the established INTERSCHUTZ and the new INTERPOLICE. INTERSCHUTZ is already a leading exhibition and has now consolidated its position even further. The premiere of INTERPOLICE proved that it has good growth potential as a showcase for security equipment."

Larry Drake, Mar­keting Director of Search Systems in Bakers­field, USA: "This exhibition gives us the opportunity to present our systems to the European market. With INTERSCHUTZ and INTERPOLICE we can kill two birds with one stone."

In the words of Joachim Schäfer, organizer of the U.S. Pavilion: "American firms enjoyed excellent international business opportunities here, writing significant orders and finding hosts of new distributors with whom to grow their European business. Most have already indicated to us they will return for the next INTERSCHUTZ show."

Prof. Gerd-Rüdiger Marx, Chairman of the Association of Firefighting Vehicles and Equipment within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) commented: "The exhibitors are very satisfied with the results of INTERSCHUTZ 2005. Never before have so many professionals come to the show, and the astonishingly high degree of international involvement is also worthy of special mention. The excellent facilities at the Hannover Exhibition Center provided a successful showcase for our members and their offerings."

Hans-Peter Kröger, President of the German Firefighters' Association (DFV) proclaimed: "INTERSCHUTZ is a show that fill us with confidence as we look to the future. Deutsche Messe AG, by expanding the scope of the event to include INTERPOLICE, has broken new ground. Looking beyond the tried-and-true to find new approaches - this is an important message for all of us."

Hub of business activity

Ad Rombouts, Marketing Director of Holmatro Rescue Equipment from the Netherlands, was buoyant: "We managed to sell 20 of a brand-new unit to the London Fire Brigade. There is no better place for us to launch our products than INTERSCHUTZ."

Hans Graulich, President of the Lower Saxony Firefighters' Association, views INTERSCHUTZ as an ideal platform for initiating new business deals. "A large number of highly qualified fire service managers come to INTERSCHUTZ with specific purchasing plans in mind. This allows us to sign concrete deals with the responsible municipal procurement managers who are also in attendance at the show."

Exhibitors report having landed some firm orders during the show, despite not necessarily expecting this at the outset. Albert Ziegler GmbH & Co. KG, for instance, signed a purchase agreement with the City of Leipzig for five vehicles. And the company reported clinching other good business deals at INTERSCHUTZ as well.

Russian firms appearing at INTERSCHUTZ declared themselves very satisfied with the success of their involvement. The visit by Russian Disaster Relief Minister, Sergei Schoigu, illustrates the significance of INTERSCHUTZ to Russia. On the occasion of his ministerial visit, the Russian Federation signed a purchase agreement for several vehicles with Iveco Magirus AG.

Deutsche Messe AG staged this top event for the industry with the following non-commercial co-promoters and partners of INTERSCHUTZ: the German Fire Protection Association (vfdb), the German Association of Firefighting Technology within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) and the German Firefighters' Association (DFV). The premiere of INTERPOLICE 2005 not only added a significant and promising element to the range of INTERSCHUTZ exhibition categories. As a tandem event it also allowed both INTERSCHUTZ and INTERPOLICE to demonstrate their international competence and put a historically developed and established trade fair in a better position to meet the challenges of the future. "We are facing new threats to public safety. Security requirements have changed and the old distinction between civil defense and disaster relief is no longer adequate," said German Minister of the Interior Otto Schily, acting as patron for both events.

Theme days, professional forums and high-profile debates

For the first time, four special Theme Days formed the focal point of the supporting program at INTERSCHUTZ 2005. Addressing all the latest security issues, these theme days proved an ideal complement to the expo part of the show. The unique blend of commercial and non-commercial input, along with professional forums and high-profile talks, made INTERSCHUTZ and INTERPOLICE an international showcase of industry and commerce for practitioners, associations, organizations and the broad public.

INTERSCHUTZ 2005: world firsts, trends and spectacular demonstrations by non-commercial exhibitors

In halls 12, 13, 26 and 27, pavilions P32 to P35 and at the open-air sites, INTERSCHUTZ reflected the entire world market for rescue and security, fire protection and disaster relief products, presenting a dynamic platform for the very latest technologies, trends and services. As Julian Wagner, Chairman of the Board of Rosenbauer International AG from Austria, put it: "INTERSCHUTZ is unquestionably the leading trade fair for our sector."

As a forum for innovations, INTERSCHUTZ was a source of considerable impetus for the German sector, which is characterized on the one hand by low-level investment at home, but high regard for its technology abroad. Margot Nijkamp-Diesfeldt, Communications Manager of Plastisol B. V., a producer of fiberglass-reinforced polyester constructions from Wanroij in the Netherlands, puts it this way: "INTERSCHUTZ is like a world showcase for our sector. It is the ultimate platform for new and innovative products."

The majority of companies exhibited vehicles and vehicle equipment, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems and protective equipment, presenting innovative concepts tailored to customers' individual needs. As Heinrich Schlingmann, Managing Director of German firefighting vehicle maker, Schlingmann Feuerwehrfahrzeuge GmbH & Co. KG, noted: "This means a departure from standard vehicles and a move towards special solutions."

The 95 non-commercial exhibitors (compared with 77 in Augsburg in 2000) underscored the singular status of INTERSCHUTZ in the industry. At the open-air sites in particular, experts were able to witness the very latest security systems at work. Germany's disaster relief organization Technische Hilfswerk (THW) demonstrated the work of sniffer dogs in a simulated scenario of a collapsed building.

And just to prove that firefighters are accomplished in other areas as well, the "high-altitude rescue squad" of the Hannover Fire Department demonstrated their skills on a climbing wall.

The Hannover Fire Department is deserving of special recognition, having contributed significantly to the show's success both before and during the event. The competition "TFA - "World's Toughest Fireman" - drew a particularly large crowd. The German relief organization, "Johanniter-Unfallhilfe" presented a hands-on obstacle course for visitors and also ran numerous conferences and special events. As Oliver S. Bruse, media spokesman for the Lower Saxony/Bremen branch of "Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe" explained: "INTER­SCHUTZ provides a platform for us to bring our core competencies in rescue services and disaster relief closer to the general public."

Advances in digital wireless communication were of central interest at INTERSCHUTZ this year. Groundbreaking innovations in the field of communications technology were also the focus of attention for the German Fire Protection Association (vfdb), which presented the first virtual training school for firefighters and security officers. New technologies rank equally with new management systems at this flagship event, providing scope for new initiatives and helping conserve the world's decreasing resources.

INTERPOLICE 2005: a platform for international security experts

In Hall 27 trade visitors were able to bring themselves up to date on the latest police and public security techniques as well as the range of duties involved. A traffic engineering conference, a meeting of German chiefs and a conference on security and crisis management for large-scale facilities all represented ideal forums for an international exchange of ideas.

The interrelated keynote themes at INTERSCHUTZ and INTERPOLICE 2005 generated valuable synergies across the range of fire prevention, rescue services, disaster relief and security topics. Products and technologies - such as protective equipment and communications technology, which are equally relevant to both the police and firefighters - formed an interface between the two exhibition areas.

"This new combination has helped the show become the trade fair for the security community. The organizers have succeeded in taking a historically developed and established trade fair and developing it to meet the challenges of the future", commented Lower Saxony's Minister of the Interior, Uwe Schünemann, noting that all of the organizations had the same goal in mind: helping people in emergency situations and preventing damage. For this reason it was sensible to stage a tandem trade fair event. The synergy effects in the security field were highly valuable for all organizations concerned.

National forum for crime prevention

The combination of exhibition and supporting program was widely praised, providing expert insights into current and future security requirements, strategies and measures. Numerous conferences, symposia and seminars were also staged under the umbrella topic of "Security." The main focus of the 10^th German Prevention Congress, running concurrently with the trade fair, was the prevention of violence in local communities. This is the only national convention forum addressing crime prevention in Germany, and is the largest event of its kind in Europe.

Manfred Hommel from DaimlerChrysler had this to say: "I am pleasantly surprised at the level of exhibitor participation. As a tandem trade fair, the INTERSCHUTZ / INTERPOLICE has shown that it is well on track to extending its international influence. The visitor numbers also demonstrate that the revised concept of the trade fair has met with an excellent response."

Since the German Firefighters Congress is tentatively scheduled to take place in Leipzig in the first half of June, 2010, the next INTERSCHUTZ will most likely also be staged in Leipzig - once again in tandem with INTERPOLICE. The co-promoters and organizers will once again be the German Fire Protection Association (vfdb) and Deutsche Messe AG.