Subscribe/Advertise/Contact Us/Links/Digital Editions
IWF ATLANTA REGISTRATION 2_19_24
Site Menu

Interzum @home: 10,000 participants from 132 countries

Share this story


Photo: Koelnmesse

The first virtual interzum trade fair - interzum @home 2021 – wrapped up Friday, May 7, “with excellent overall results.”
More than 10,000 participants from 132 countries were active on the platform.
Over its four-day run, interzum proved that its digital edition, interzum @home, could present relevant issues and provide a whole industry with fresh, creative inspiration.
Global megatrends such as digitalization, individualization, mobility and urbanization dominated the presentations from exhibitors.
“The last few days have shown how creatively the industry approaches new challenges. It has been a tremendous experience,” says Oliver Frese, COO of Koelnmesse.
“But for me, it was also an impressive demonstration of the relevance and attractiveness of the interzum brand on the international stage. Like many other trade fairs, we have however seen that face-to-face contact is immensely important, which is why I view interzum @home 2021 as a successful case study for interzum’s future hybrid orientation.
“I am convinced that interzum 2023 will of course have a strong physical presence here in Cologne, but its attractive digital offerings will make it even more valuable for all participants. Whether an event is purely digital or in person, I believe that it is vital to have a strong trade fair with global appeal in the right place at the right time – and interzum is such an event,” says Frese.
At the heart of the event from the outset were networking, knowledge exchanges, high-quality content, an extensive event program and the latest solutions and product innovations from the 142 participating companies from 24 countries.
With this line-up of exhibitors, this year’s digital edition of interzum was very international. One of the new platform’s key elements was networking opportunities, and the participants used its diverse features for a lively exchange on all four days of the trade fair. Over the span of the four days, organizers say more than 80,000 chat conversations and audio/video were held and more than 10,000 leads were generated, which amounts to more than one lead per minute and some 230 digital events with a total of 4,240 minutes of content were hosted, attracting about 100,000 visits from 132 countries.

The future is hybrid
With interzum @home, Koelnmesse has created an innovative format through which the exhibiting companies were able to demonstrate the state of the art in the industry. However, exhibitors agreed that a digital trade fair can’t replace an in-person interzum event in Cologne.
“For us at Koelnmesse, and also for exhibitors, the last four days represented a steep learning curve,” says Frese.
“A number of key points emerged. First, user access to the platform must be as easy and convenient as possible; second, exciting, well-edited content, thorough preparation, good presentation and active lead management always prevailed. That means we’ve learned even more about the features and topics our visitors are interested in, in particular about which content on interzum @home’s interactive show floor and which parts of streams kept particularly large numbers of viewers absorbed. This kind of analysis is very important for our exhibitors and us. We will now compare our experiences with those of the exhibitors in order to further develop our digital platform together, because we believe the trade fair concept of the future will be hybrid,” says Frese.
At interzum 2023, digital components will represent a logical extension to physical presence in the trade fair halls. In the future, the focus will be on knowledge and content in the online space, and experiences and socializing at the venue, but always with fluid transitions between the two – with networking as the connecting element, which is possible both online and offline, and which will always be important.

Proudly serving the industry since 1987
KCD - Right Banner July 20th_2020
SCM Canada ESHOP May 2023
Taurus Craco Right Banner March 2024
Felder 2021 Homepage Right
Xylexpo 2024
CHEMCRAFT Feb 2024 Right Banner
GRASS Jan 2024 Banner References
NR MURPHY Jan 2023 Right Banner
VENJAKOB Right Banner March 2024
Akhurst Banner Dec 2021
FESTOOL Feb 2024 Cordless Trio
ELIAS WOODWORK Feb 2024 RB
Blum March 2024 Revego
SUGATSUNE March 2024 Right Banner ALT-ST
OCI March 2024 Right Banner
CNC Automation Feb 2024 Right Banner
© KLEISER MEDIA INC., 2024 Woodworking Magazine