EMO Hannover 2023 from September 18-23 once again featured a large Startup Area on Stand E34 in Hall 9, presented jointly by the EMO organizer VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) and the VDMA Startup Machine. “Startups bring a breath of fresh air to well-established industrial sectors because they often function as pioneers and trendsetters in their field of business,” said Stephanie Simon, who was responsible for the project at the VDW. That’s why established exhibitors were often more than interested in talking to young companies, she pointed out. The EMO Startup Area featured nearly 60 companies that were looking to break into the production technology market and appeal to its users, added Juliane Salten, Project Manager, Startup Machine Services, VDMA Services GmbH. Their primary aim was to raise their profile and set up networks with customers and investors.

Anna Weirauch, Customer Success Manager, ai-omatic solutions in Hamburg, agreed and stated that she was excited about the possibility of showcasing their AI-based digital maintenance assistant in the Startup Area at this year’s EMO Hannover, as well as looking forward to networking and showing how it could help customers maintain their machines more effectively.

Matchmaking, Speeddating, and Startup Night

The organizers came up with a number of ideas for helping exhibitors share information and network. The goal was to provide a professional networking platform where experiences, possibilities, and opportunities in production technology could be discussed, but also where new partnerships could be forged. David Hahn, CEO of Remberg GmbH from Munich, firmly supported the venture: “In 2019, we were able to attract the renowned mechanical engineering company Klingelnberg as a customer at EMO. And everywhere you looked, there were managers from the very companies we were selling our digitalization solutions to. Things like this only happened at EMO.”

To support this forging of contacts even more strongly, EMO Hannover 2023 featured ‘Startup Matchmaking’, which organized face-to-face meetings at the event between established companies and appropriate startups and digital solution providers. The Speeddating event gave participants the opportunity to exchange ideas exclusively with exhibiting startups and to explore further areas of shared interest during the subsequent networking session. The EMO Startup Night, including Speeddating on September 19, 2023, gave exhibitors and visitors alike the chance to meet new company founders in person and make contact in a relaxed atmosphere. Finally, tours of the EMO Startup Area were offered on each day of the fair. These gave participants a rapid overview of the topics and main focuses of the young companies at the fair. 

Startups from twelve countries on board

The joint stand of EIT Manufacturing Darmstadt offered something special. It featured 20 startups from twelve countries—Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. These presented their products and services under the joint umbrella of the Innovation Network at EMO Hannover. Dr Christian Bölling, Director, EIT Manufacturing Central, stressed that companies are an important part of the innovation network that EIT Manufacturing is developing. They are supporting around 80 startups, are in regular contact with more than 150 other companies, and are constantly expanding their network. The organization fostered the development of prototypes into marketable products, brought startups and industry together to solve challenges in innovative ways, and provided education and training for workers in industry to make the companies more competitive.

On September 4, a big social media challenge also started on LinkedIn, Instagram/Facebook, and Twitter under the title EMOspark - Igniting Start-up Innovation at EMO Hannover 2023. The aim was to make the companies known and support them in generating leads. Companies were encouraged to post short teaser videos or posts about their products/technologies before the show using #EMOspark2023. During the show, they were complemented by daily live updates from the booths with photos and videos. And finally, after the show, each startup was again asked to publish a short post with highlights of their participation at the show and share what they learned. “By using the hashtag #EMOspark2023, all posts can be easily found and shared, which is increasing the visibility of the campaign. The combination of pre-show teaser content, live updates during the show, and post-show summaries will capture the interest of the target audience and create a lasting impact,” opined Tanja Lee, Campaign Organizer, VDW.

For more information: www.emo-hannover.de