The future will be decided by mobility. It’s what connects people, cities and continents, fueling trade and generating economic growth. The demand for transportation continues to grow. Only innovative technologies can meet this demand in a safe, economical and sustainable way, believes a passionate Wolfram N. Diener. In his article, the President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf dives into the innovation drivers that are kick-starting the mobility of tomorrow – and explains why trade shows are exactly the right place to disseminate these concepts.
by Wolfram N. Diener
To really grasp the extent of the mobility challenges we face, consider some of these figures: In Germany alone, the number of freight transports will increase by 46 percent by 2051. The number of flights will increase by 68 percent. Rail travel will increase by 52 percent and bus travel by 25 percent. Another 4 percent more cars will be on the roads. That, at least, is the forecast of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. Traffic is growing at a similar clip or even faster in other countries. Global population growth, urbanization and globalization are the reasons why ever more mobility will be needed.
Being mobile is simply part of a modern lifestyle, a measure of a good quality of life. Billions of people want to travel, visit new places and drive to work, school or the doctor’s office. But huge traffic volumes come with downsides like accidents, noise, congestion and CO2 emissions. As a global society, we need to get these drawbacksunder control while at the same time meeting the growing demand for mobility and transportation. How can we master this balancing act? We at Messe Düsseldorf are sure that we can get it done if we come up withintelligent concepts.
In our view, innovative mobility technologies are a key factor,with enormous growth potential – both for companies that develop these highly sought-after solutions and for us as a trade show company. Just as we need innovations to meet mobility challenges, we also need the platforms to present and discuss those innovations and bring them to the wider market. That’s why we’vemademobilitya forward-looking field of expertiseof our trade show activities.
"Here in the heart of Europe, where many roads cross, is exactly the right place to think about and experiment with the future of mobility."
Autonomous Systems as Drivers of Innovation Autonomous and uncrewed systems are among the most promising technologies for the future of transportation: Autonomously navigating cars, planes, ships, air taxis, transport drones and autonomous mobile robots can all help to ease the burden of freight and passenger transport. Controlled by artificial intelligence, equipped with powerful digital sensors and able to communicate with their surroundings in real time via 5G,vehicles controlled autonomouslycan find their way more safely, quickly and energy-efficiently than those navigated by humans. It’s fascinating to see how advanced these technologies already are. The U.S.-based XPONENTIALshow is the world's leading trade show for uncrewed systems and robotics. MesseDüsseldorf organizes this gathering jointly with the Association for Uncrewed Vehicles International (AUVSI). Together, we’re now launching a European spin-offevent in Germany.
In February 2025, XPONENTIAL Europewill take place in Düsseldorf for the first time – together with the EUROPEAN DRONE FORUM. The third partner on board is the largest German-speaking association for uncrewed aviation, UAV DACH. Our common goal is to raise awareness of the cross-market potential of uncrewed systems, including for new industries. After all, therange of possible applicationsis mindbogglingly diverse, covering everything from transportation, inspections and surveying to search missions and video recordings to agriculture and the movie industry. With our trade shows in North America, Europe –and longer-term in other regions of the world – we will contribute to the global dissemination of this technology, which is critical for the future.
Future Cluster Düsseldorf Next to automation, climate-friendly drives will play a particularly important role in enabling the sustainable mobility of tomorrow. Electric vehicles receive a lot of attention at “Flotte! Der Branchentreff”. The leading German trade show for fleet management has committed long-term tothe city of Düsseldorf. Herein the heart of Europe, where many roads cross, is exactly the right place to think about and experiment with the future of mobility. The state capital of Düsseldorf and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are home to a dense cluster of companies, universities and projects that realize digitalization and mobility-related ideas. Examples include KoMoD (Cooperative Mobility in the Digital Test Field Düsseldorf) and KoMoDnext, two projects that have tested the communication between autonomous vehicles and the transportation infrastructure.
New transportation solutions are based on strong joint efforts. The idea of cooperation is very important to us. Their ability to bring players from different areas together isexactly what makes trade shows so innovative and attractive. Platforms like XPONENTIAL Europe are like massive idea factories that facilitate the interaction between business, science, politics and society. It’sexciting to see how the mobility of tomorrow is becoming a reality. Let’s all help to ensure that autonomous and climate-neutral vehicles get a chance to improve sustainability, productivity, safety and competitiveness in as many industries as possible.
Messe Düsseldorf Group Messe Düsseldorf is among the most successful trade fair companies worldwide. It hosts around 40 trade fairs including 20 leading international trade fairs at its 613,000 m² exhibition center. In the 18 halls the international market leaders and top decision-makers of various sectors get together every year in order to present and discover innovations, to exchange and network. The sectors of expertise of Messe Düsseldorf include: “Machinery, Plants and Equipment” including metallurgy and foundry technologies (inter alia drupa, K, interpack, glasstec, wire and Tube); “Retail, Trades and Services” (EuroShop, EuroCIS, ProWein); “Health and Medical Technology” (MEDICA, COMPAMED, REHACARE, A+A); “Lifestyle and Beauty” (BEAUTY, TOP HAIR); “Leisure” (boot, CARAVAN SALON) as well as "Mobility" (XPONENTIAL, Flotte!). Add to this numerous conventions, corporate events, conferences and meetings by its subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress. Abroad, Messe Düsseldorf organizes more than 70 events. The global network of the group of companies encompasses 77 foreign representatives for 142 countries – including 7 international subsidiaries.