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Official post-show figures from organiser Mesago Messe Frankfurt recorded that 8,982 visitors bounded through the doors of Messe Frankfurt's impressive Hall 3, which cuts a striking figure with its impressive glazing, offering the show floor the luxury of natural light, unlike so many other venues of its ilk.
It seems Formnext took no 'warming up', with exhibitors sharing positive reports after the last stands were packed up and new leads were filed away to tackle this week.
"With an excellent ratio of visitors per exhibitor, the debut of Formnext has really hit the ground running," said Sascha Wenzler, Vice-President at Mesago. "Despite the tight preparation schedule, we managed to establish an excellent market position for formnext thanks to strong support from our exhibitors. At 42 per cent, the share of international visitors at the event also
Formnext 2015 sends a very positive signal."
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Feedback from exhibitors has galvanised the Formnext concept, Mesago reported, shining a spotlight on the additive manufacturing technology spectrum, as well as giving product development and other key manufacturing techniques a platform.
Among those praising formnext 2015 for the outstanding quality of the information on offer was Rainer Lotz, CEO of Renishaw: "The additive industry is showing off its best side here; there's nothing else like it in the world."
He added that he was pleasantly surprised by the quantity and exceptional competence of those in attendance. "For our service department involved in contract manufacturing with additive metal components, the contacts we've gained have made Formnext our best event of the year."
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For 3D printing technology champion and innovator Stratasys, Formnext proved to be a real sales platform right on the first day.
"We're very happy, and pleasantly surprised by how many attendees have come to see us. In our view, Formnext's first event has been a rousing success," stated Karolina Radosevic, EMEA Event Manager. "Our strong commitment to `formnext was definitely the right decision – we'll be back next year for sure."
"The visitors we interacted with were highly competent and they included some new contacts with real interest in our products," said Deniz Okur, Marketing Manager for 3D production printers at 3D Systems. "We're now planning to prepare an even greater presence for Formnext 2016."
An important aspect of Formnext Powered by TCT was its conference programme, which was orchestrated by co-organiser TCT. The presentations given by top brass from additive manufacturing and product development pioneers and commentators served to demonstrate the shifting manufacturing landscape. 266 participants attended the cutting-edge presentations held by members of various industries, including Audi, MTU Aero Engines, EDAG Engineering, and BMW.
The special shows at Formnext – including Audi Toolmaking – also resonated with much of the audience. "From Basic Material to Component", meanwhile, offered an overview of the latest developments in materials. Finally, the Formnext Design Dialogue was a very popular meeting point for attendees with an interest in design.
Formnext 2016 is scheduled to return to Frankfurt am Main from November 15th-18th.
