Visitors Ten Percent Up

With 80,000 visitors—an increase of ten percent—electronica 2018 set a new record. The focal topics included blockchain, artificial intelligence and medical electronics.

»Electronica is the most important meeting place for the electronics industry and this year recorded eight percent more exhibitors, ten percent growth in the number of visitors and a more than 20 percent increase in area,« siad Falk Senger, Managing Director of Messe München. In terms of the number of exhibitors, the leading countries were Germany followed by China, Taiwan, the U.S. and Great Britain (in that order).

80,000 trade visitors from over 80 countries came to Munich. In terms of the number of visitors, the top countries were Germany followed by Italy, Austria, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France, Switzerland, the U.S., the Russian Federation, China and Poland in that order.

From the perspective of the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association, the trade fair was a success, noted Christoph Stoppok, Head of Components, Mobility & Systems: »The positive trend in the electronics market is also continuing at electronica 2018. Nevertheless, the shortage of skilled labor is an issue that must not be ignored. With ‘electronica Experience’, electronica has created a successful format to inspire pupils and students for the subject of electronics.«

CEO round table dominated by artificial intelligence

On the fair’s first day, prestigious industry representatives discussed the importance of artificial intelligence for electronics. The participants in the talk included Jean-Marc Chery (STMicroelectronics), Dean Ding (Alibaba), Alexander Kocher (Elektrobit), Reinhard Ploss (Infineon), Walden Rhines (Mentor Graphics) and Kurt Sievers (NXP). At the CEO round table, Reinhard Ploss emphasized the need for a sustainable approach to the issue of artificial intelligence: »We’ve a raft of strong industries in Germany. Artificial intelligence will enter them everywhere and supplement or even replace existing things. It’s therefore important to develop an AI strategy in order to establish a digital industry in Germany and Europe.«

Electronica Experience: Meeting Place for Students and Pupils

In Hall C6, the new format »electronica Experience« focused on networking between exhibitors, school pupils, students and trade visitors. On all four days of the trade fair, applications, live demos and a jobs fair provided insights into the world of electronics and its professions.

The highlight was its opening by the U.S. economist Jeremy Rifkin on the first day of the fair. In his talk, he voiced clear demands relating to the use of artificial intelligence: »We need to understand what we can use AI for and what not. Big data plays a major role in communication, energy and transportation. AI makes sense in those sectors in order to increase efficiency and cut costs.«

The next electronica will take place in Munich from November 10-13, 2020.