Snow closed the Frankfurt airport and kept crowds down during the first day of the giant ISH trade show on March 12 in Germany. Attendance returned to normal levels on the second day of Europe’s largest trade show devoted to plumbing and heating. The show ran through March 16.
The 10 fully booked exhibit halls covered 308,000 sq. yd. of space. A total of 2,434 exhibitors had booths, which represented an increase from the 2,382 exhibitors two years ago. Of the total, 1,021 exhibitors were German companies, which were 42 fewer than in 2011. The number of non-German exhibitors increased in 2013 to 1,413, which were 94 more than in 2011. About 190,000 attendees visited the halls over five days.
While sustainability has been a prevalent subject surrounding the equipment displayed in the ISH halls devoted to heating for many years, it surfaced as a major theme in the plumbing halls. The Blue Responsibility campaign that started at ISH in 2009 focused this year on sustainable plumbing solutions that encourage the responsible use of water.
The show introduced WELL, which is short for Water Efficiency Label and is the European classification system for plumbing fittings. The 130 products currently classified are manufactured by 19 companies from different countries.
On the heating side, the environment was a central focus of the press conference conducted by Bosch Thermotechnology. President Uwe Glock said that while Germany continues to be a pioneer in renewable energy, it needs to do more work on heating and cooling buildings more efficiently. He noted that 40% of the energy used worldwide is consumed in buildings, with heating and cooling accounting for 80% of that amount.
For more ISH coverage, visit the On the Road blogs.
