Waiting to return “physically” to the fair, Bau Online, the digital event organized by Messe München, focused on the architecture and materials sector, took place from 13 to 15 January.
The Bau Online conference program highlighted many important trends in the construction industry and it became clear “that beyond “Covid-19” a simple ‘business as usual’ is not possible”, says Markus Sporer, Bau Exhibition Management. “The face-to-face BAU 2023 will therefore be more relevant than ever”, explains Matthias Strauss, also Bau Exhibition Management. “Here, the long-term transformation of the construction industry and all of its trades — triggered by the coronavirus — will be demonstrated in a compact way”.
Numbers
247 exhibitors from 29 countries participated in Bau Online, offering 1,495 live presentations and 4,316 one-on-one talks. 23 exhibitors additionally supported the event as sponsors. During the three days, a total of 38.325 participants from 138 countries joined in; the platform was accessed a total of 218.756 times. The conference program comprised 31 forums with around 150 experts, providing insights into trending topics. The live stream was broadcast for three time zones (Europe/Berlin, U.S.A/New York, Asia/Shanghai).
“In the construction sector, we need innovation for climate protection and challenges, such as affordable housing”, explained Anne Katrin Bohle, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community. She continued: “Additionally, the current crisis has shown that construction needs to become even more resilient. Digitalization also aims to support sustainable construction and increase productivity in the construction industry”. Dieter Babiel, Managing Director of the Central Federation of the German Construction Industry, took the same line: “So far, the construction industry as a whole has come through the pandemic well. Nevertheless, we need an entrepreneurial, pioneering spirit and start-ups for progress, growth and competitiveness”.
