From December 2 – 4, the 2014 Valve World Expo (9th Biennial Valve World Conference & Exhibition) with its supporting conference will be held at the exhibition center in Düsseldorf, Germany for the third time. This expo has grown into a world-class industry event. To gain perspective on its recent history and current importance to the PFV industry worldwide, we present an interview with Director Freidrich-Georg Kehrer.

TW: How has the trade fair developed since its Düsseldorf debut in 2010?

FGK: As the world’s leading trade fair for industrial valves, Valve World Expo has experienced continuous growth at the Düsseldorf location. The 2010 event attracted 535 exhibitors, in 2012 as many as 591 from 37 countries participated. They occupied 166,800 square feet of net exhibition space in two exhibition halls. 

Valve World Expo also recorded increased visitor attendance. Over 10,500 visitors from 57 countries travelled to Düsseldorf in 2012. 70% of them came from abroad, especially from the Netherlands, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Spain. However, trade visitors also came to Düsseldorf from as far away as India and China. 
Today, just about three months before the start of the third edition of Valve World Expo, as many as 626 exhibitors from 40 countries have registered already. The strongest exhibiting countries after Germany are Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, France, the U.S. Turkey, the Netherlands, India, Taiwan and China.

We have even opened up a third exhibition hall to satisfy the many requests. With over 190,500 square feet of occupied space, more exhibition space has already been sold at this stage than the total area sold in 2012.

Valve World Expo holds great economic potential because valves form the basis and serve as the interface for upstream and downstream technologies such as pumps, filter and tube systems. They are indispensable to all technological automation processes and a key component in nearly all sectors of industry. 

TW: What about the accompanying conference this year?

FGK: As in previous years – organization of the conference will be in the capable hands of KCI. For 2014 we have decided to dovetail the content of the trade fair and the conference more closely also in visual terms, which is why the conference will now be held right amidst the hustle and bustle of the fair, namely in Hall 4. 

Plant, machinery, components and systems are presented at the trade fair, while conference seminars and workshops go into greater depth about their application processes or discuss innovative solutions for the use of different valves. Various expert lectures focus on topics like emissions, seals, castings, standardization, materials, testing and new designs. 

This means we offer experts an information and communication platform in Hall 4, in the heart of trade fair activity – a combination of theory and practice.

TW: How does the Valve World Expo fit into the portfolio of the Düsseldorf trade fairs?

FGK: The international trade fair for industrial valves fits perfectly in our trade fair portfolio. It provides a key interface for our machinery and equipment events. After all, no industrial automation process could do without fittings, valves and non-return valves. 

Special synergies also exist with Tube, the International Tube Trade Fair held every two years. In addition to Tube, the Düsseldorf trade fair location also hosts “wire” as the world’s biggest trade fair for wire and cable as well as the trade fair quartet GMTN (GIFA – International Foundry Trade Fair, METEC – International Metallurgical Technology Trade Fair, THERMPROCESS – International Trade Fair for Thermal Process Engineering and NEWCAST – International Castings Trade Fair). With its focus on casting, metal working, thermal technology and the applications for cast parts GMTN boasts concentrated technological power in Düsseldorf every four years.

Valve World Expo forms part of the global line-up of flow-technology trade fairs, which also encompasses international spin-off events in China (Valve World Expo Asia) and the U.S. (Valve World Expo Americas) as well as our international Tube trade fairs in India, China, Thailand, Brazil, Russia and the Arab states and NEFTEGAZ in Russia.

TW: What will be different in 2014?

FGK: First of all, we will open three exhibition halls - Halls 3, 4 and 5. Given that there was already a long waiting list of companies interested in exhibiting in 2012 we were forced to meet this demand this time. By adding Hall 5 and opening the North entrance required by this move we now have the possibility to grow further within the fairgrounds. 

Furthermore, the Pump Summit will be held for the first time in the Stadthalle at the exhibition centre on December 2 and 3, 2014. Here, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers and end users of pumps, compressors and seals will have a technical forum all to themselves. By holding the event concurrently with Valve World Expo, valuable synergies can be generated for the experts in both industries. 

The Pump Summit will be accompanied by a seminar whose speakers will address such issues as energy efficiency, the future recruitment of engineers, fugitive emissions, sealing technology, purchasing and maintenance. 

At the Pump Summit there will be some 60 exhibition stands on 21,500 square feet of net exhibition space at the Stadthalle venue. Here, an exchange on new technologies and expert know-how will take place in a relaxed setting. 

TW: Who should attend the Pump Summit?

FGK: Experts from the fields of pumps and pump systems in various industries meet in Düsseldorf with a view to optimizing pump applications in terms of safety, performance, reliability and costs. The aim is to raise industry awareness worldwide about using the right pump type and pump accessories. 

The trade fair and seminar predominantly focus on such markets as water & waste water, building services, food & beverage, the mining and (petro-) chemical industry, oil & gas, energy generation, the pharmaceutical industry, shipbuilding, paper & pulp and engineering & contracting.