Next BIOTECHNICA/LABVOLUTION Scheduled for Spring of 2017

Shortly before its premiere in Hannover, the new lab technology trade fair LABVOLUTION – held in tandem with established trade show BIOTECHNICA – is clearly heading for a successful start. Deutsche Messe is therefore creating a roadmap to ensure that the good start translates into a long-term success story. In an important update, the next LABVOLUTION is now scheduled to take place from 16 to 18 May 2017. And like LABVOLUTION, BIOTECHNICA – Europe's premier industry event for biotechnology and the life sciences, held in tandem with the lab technology trade show – will also be moving from autumn to spring. Both trade fairs will remain biennial events. In other words, Deutsche Messe is defusing the competitive situation in the trade fair market while paving the way for a strong lab technology event in Northern Germany and Europe.

"With LABVOLUTION, we’re launching a promising new trade fair that we intend to develop systematically,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Member of the Managing Board at Deutsche Messe. “We want to establish LABVOLUTION as a sourcing and information platform for all lab technology users and as a discussion forum everything related to the future of the laboratory in the digitization and automation age.”

To this end, LABVOLUTION is already about to showcase a highlight at its debut from 6 to 8 October 2015: the smartLAB display, an intelligent prototype lab of the future set up in Hannover. smartLAB is the result of a collaboration between companies and institutions headed by the Institute of Technical Chemistry at Leibniz University Hannover. The display features live demonstrations in the smartLAB along with supplementary presentations and panel discussions.

The new spring date for BIOTECHNICA and LABVOLUTION is also a sign of increased commitment to meeting the needs of the market. For many firms in the sector, the earlier timeslot is more in sync with sales planning for the business year. Furthermore, numerous scientific events and conferences take place in the autumn. Moving the event away from its fall timeslot will therefore be welcomed by many scientists and researchers – a target group of key importance for BIOTECHNICA. Building on its 30-year history, the exhibition will be augmented more and more by opportunities for mindsharing and knowledge transfer, as well as effective matchmaking. The first steps in this direction are already being taken this year, with the new BIOTECHNICA Plaza providing a central arena for discussion on its three featured marketplaces: Bioeconomy, Personalized Medicine Technologies and Bio-IT. And new networking opportunities are also available: For the first time, a free online tool will help participants to find business partners at BIOTECHNICA.

LABVOLUTION will continue to enhance its profile as an international trade fair dedicated to lab technology for research, analytical, production and training laboratories. Companies worldwide use LABVOLUTION as a business platform for the promising Northern European market. Covering a wide range of lab technologies for customers from the chemical industry, life sciences, the pharmaceutical sector, medical technology, biotechnology, environmental technology, quality control and the food industry, LABVOLUTION puts laboratories in the spotlight along the entire value chain – and across all business sectors.

Market response to the new timeslot and the future direction of BIOTECHNICA and LABVOLUTION has been very positive. Alexander Berka, founder and CEO of Analytik Jena AG, had this to say about the shift: “Rescheduling BIOTECHNICA/LABVOLUTION to its new spring timeslot as of 2017 is the right strategic move, for it will now take place when the calendar year is in full swing. This proves that the organizers have listened to preferences voiced by exhibitors, and responded accordingly. Now the time in between this and related events is sufficiently long, thus taking a load off of exhibitors who otherwise had to deal with appearing at two major trade fairs in close succession.”

This view is shared by Dr. Wolfgang Kronemeyer, Vice President Life Sciences Sales Europe at Qiagen GmbH, who remarked: “Qiagen welcomes the decision to reschedule BIOTECHNICA/LABVOLUTION to the springtime. The new timing fits in much better with the rest of the tradeshow calendar, and we wish the event lots of success as a result of the change.”