Despite the economic uncertainty of the time, the mammoth process industries event in Frankfurt this May will be almost as big as the last record-breaking event, in 2000
Nobody can deny the current economic slump.
At Achema, however, demand on the part of exhibitors remains stable.
Thus this year's Achema, from 19 to 24 May 2003 in Frankfurt, will only just fall short of the record numbers of Achema 2000, thus making it the second best result in its history.
As for the visitors, their interest remains undiminished.
And well in advance one fact is already evident: the international character of the event is once again on the upswing.
The various sectors of the chemical process industries, their exhibitors and visitors are optimistic that Achema 2003 will usher in an improvement in the economic climate.
In this one week around 4000 exhibitors from all continents will present specialised equipment, technologies, solutions and know-now from chemical engineering, biotechnology and environmental protection to an international, professional public.
Achema is the leading event for all sectors of the process industries - for the chemical and petrochemical industries, pharma and food industries, and related branches - and as such acts as a seismograph of technological trends and the development of the world economy.
International orientation again on the upswing.
Never before was Achema more international.
For the first time the proportion of overseas exhibitors is in excess of 40%.
At the same time Achema 2003 will also be the most European Achema ever.
77% of exhibitors from abroad - or 91% of the total number of exhibitors - come from a European country, thus documenting the importance of the European domestic market.
The largest contingents of exhibitors come from Germany, Italy, UK, Switzerland, France and the USA.
The greatest individual increases have been achieved by Asia, the main challengers being companies from China, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Nor is this increased international orientation confined to exhibitors.
It is anticipated that demand from visitors, particularly from Asia, western Europe and central and eastern Europe, will intensify.
The main reasons given for a visit to Achema are the general and specialised information on leading-edge technological developments, and networking.
Moreover it is Achema that sparks off investment decisions in the process industries.
Of the 200,000 international visitors expected, approximately 40% will be from top management.
New hall structure and enhanced visitor-friendliness.
With 140,000 square metres of net exhibition space Achema 2003 will only fall short of comparable figures for 2000 by less than 5%.
The exhibition groups with the strongest representation are pumps, compressors, valves and fittings, laboratory and analytical techniques, pharmaceutical, packaging and storage techniques, thermal and mechanical processes, and engineering.
The new hall 3.0, 3.1 and hall 4.2 are home to the exhibition group with the most dynamic growth rate, pharmaceutical, packaging and storage techniques; its area has expanded by 35% over the year 2000, thus defying all prognoses.
The groups pumps, compressors, valves and fittings and thermal processes are close runners-up.
The remaining exhibition groups have generally remained stable.
Biotechnology exhibition and conference.
For the first time the biotechnology exhibition group will be complemented by a major international biotechnology conference; both the exhibition area and the lecture rooms will be under one roof in the attractive new forum.
Biotechnology is becoming increasingly interlinked with the traditional disciplines of the process industries, be it DNA chip production, large-scale cell cultivation or the development and production of pharmaceuticals.
Here Achema provides an outstanding forum for contacts and synergies among research-intensive core biotech companies, pharma companies and other areas of the process industries.
Nearly 25% of all visitors to Achema 2000 expressed their interest in biotechnology.
Whether the topic be reactor concepts or catalysts, water technologies or laboratory and analytical techniques, the Achema Congress with 'hot' topics and over 800 lectures covering the whole spectrum of the Achema exhibition groups, and further trail-blazing themes from the process industries, will provide the answers.
Never before in its history has Achema presented such a high-profile international congress programme, accurately targeting key present-day issues.
The congress will pinpoint trends and perspectives for new developments, eg chemical nanotechnology, fine and speciality chemicals, particle technology, sustainable chemistry, separation technologies, food technology, supply chain management, water technologies, material and energy flow analysis, management of chemistry parks, fuel cell technology, etc.
In addition to this, at the Achema Biotechnology Conference ten plenary lectures and 170 other lectures by renowned international experts will address just about every topic that currently affects the biotech community.
The spectrum ranges from targets and drugs, protein design and production, tissue engineering, systems biology, structural genomics, computer aided drug discovery, pharming, stem cells and bioprocess engineering to legal aspects, financing and intellectual property rights.
Daily discussion forums will cover the commercial aspects of biotechnology.
Besides the actual congress, contact forums in individual halls will familiarise a broader public with themes of general interest.
In particular the panel discussions on fascinating, highly topical themes and the Achema Worldwide Economic Forums (China and Mexico) are expected to attract a great deal of attention.
