The Munich fair and the representation in Croatia of the company Belimpex d.o.o. today presented the leading global fair for architecture, building materials, and systems – BAU 2017. The presentation was led by the fair director Mirko Arend, who expressed his particular pleasure in personally appearing in Zagreb.
Arend stated that in accordance with a long-standing tradition of growth, there are currently no available exhibition spaces, two months before the fair begins. In numbers, BAU 2017 will host more than 2,000 exhibitors from over 40 countries, with an expected share of foreign representatives of about 30 percent.
Since the organizers expect a figure of at least 250,000 visitors, Arend said that interested parties from Croatia should “already today seek to book accommodation,” in which the company Belimpex will gladly assist them.
Exhibitor Profile and Visitor Structure
In recent years, BAU has specialized and perfected the attraction of foreign visitors and gained an international profile. The demand for exhibition space is particularly high among foreign companies, as evidenced by last year’s data showing 637 exhibitors from 41 nations.
Since 2005, BAU has recorded interest that exceeds the available exhibition space, which has forced the organizers to maintain a waiting list, during which they “discriminate” against domestic representatives from Germany as their goal is to further increase the number of foreign participants.
According to the visitor structure, the fair attracts specialized guests from the planning, design, and construction sectors the most, whose share in the total number of visitors is 37 percent. In second place are building material traders and other merchants with a share of 30 percent, while groups of urban planners, architects, and civil engineers make up 26 percent of the visitors.
“Magical” Numbers
Data on the number of visitors and their representation by country align with the international profile of the fair, as in 2015 the magical number of a quarter of a million guests was surpassed for the first time, of which 72,000 or 29 percent came from abroad. At the top of the list of foreign guests are Austria, Italy, and Switzerland, while 1,215 visitors came from Croatia last year.
The presented slides also showed a remarkable increase in arrivals from distant countries, such as Israel or China.
– That the BAU fair deserves the title of the leading global professional fair is also evident from the movement of the number of visitors from non-European countries. More than 12,000 visitors came from outside Europe last year, which is also a record number – said Arend.
Purposeful Space
The presented map of the BAU 2017 fair reveals 17 exhibition pavilions on a vast area of 185,000 square meters. The pavilions are organized according to building materials, product sectors, and thematic areas.
– What is fascinating about the BAU fair is that it unites all technologies, products, and materials applied in design or construction at one professional fair. In this regard, BAU is unique – emphasized the director, one of the reasons that attracts “everyone from investors to urban planners and architects, to craftsmen and builders” to Munich.
Key Themes and Forums
The organizers have defined four key themes for the BAU 2017 fair. These are Intelligent Facades, Digital Planning, Construction and Operation, Connecting Buildings, and Construction and Life in 2020.
There are also complementary forums, one on “The Future of Construction” where renowned urban planners, architects, and civil engineers will explain through project examples how design and construction will look and function in the future, and another “Architect and Industry in Dialogue” which involves a proven series of discussions led by three speakers from internationally renowned architectural offices and three representatives from the industry.
