INTERSCHUTZ 2010 ends on positive note

Exhibitors and event organizers at INTERSCHUTZ 2010 - the International Exhibition for Rescue, Fire Prevention, Disaster Relief, Safety and Security - had an extremely positive opinion at the close of the show: "Companies consistently reported encountering investment-ready visitors who were equipped with decision-making authority. Fifty percent of attendees came to the event with firm investment plans," reported Stephan Ph. Kühne, Member of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe, on Saturday in Leipzig. "Many of the outstanding leads generated at INTERSCHUTZ are going to translate quickly into concrete orders for exhibiting enterprises," he predicted.

More than 1,350 exhibitors from 46 nations showcased their products and services at INTERSCHUTZ, which is staged at five-year intervals. Occupying some 90,000 square meters of display space, INTERSCHUTZ filled the entire Leipzig exhibition center. 125,000 people attended INTERSCHUTZ over the six days of the show - 25% more than the organizers had anticipated. As Kühne commented: "Visitors have given INTERSCHUTZ 2010 the highest marks - with regard to the products and services showcased by exhibitors as well as the international character of the event and the themes it covered."

The President of the German Fire Protection Association (GFPA) Hans Jochen Blätte, noted "a light-hearted, yet focused atmosphere on the part of exhibitors as well as visitors, leading to a greater number of business deals." He continued: "Even the noncommercial exhibitors like the German Red Cross (DRK) and THW technical support service were highly satisfied. This demonstrates again that INTERSCHUTZ is an event which successfully combines emotion with commerce."

"From the point of view of the Firefighting Association, this has been a successful INTERSCHUTZ 2010," concluded Hans-Peter Kröger, President of the German Firefighters Association (DFV). "The response by exhibitors has been positive in every respect. We were especially delighted at the enormous amount of interest in political issues at this year's event. Elected representatives at the municipal, state and federal level - all the way up to Chancellor Merkel - took advantage of INTERSCHUTZ to find out more about the competence and performance of the professional and volunteer fire brigades."

"Exhibitors' expectations were greatly exceeded," declared Dr. Rolf Schildknecht, President of the Board of the German Association for Firefighting Technology within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), adding: "A particular factor behind everyone’s favorable assessment was the high caliber of the numerous trade visitors in attendance, which had a correspondingly positive effect on the quality of sales conversations at the show."

INTERSCHUTZ 2015 has been scheduled to run from 8 to 13 June in Hannover, Germany.