bauma, the world’s leading event for the construction industry that will be staged in Germany next month (April), has signed a record number of exhibitors while considerably increasing its exhibition space for this year’s edition.

The site in the east of Munich will be expanded to 614,000 sq m from 605,000 sq m in 2016 and the number of halls will be increased to 18 from 16. bauma 2019 will also feature an indoor space of 200,000 sq m, said Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO of Messe München, the organiser.

“Thanks to the clear division into the individual exhibition sectors, visitors can be managed in a more targeted way. With the two new halls that together cover 20,000 sq m, bauma will provide space for more exhibitors than in 2016, when 3,425 exhibitors took part,” explained Dittrich.

Additionally, the space for construction machines and attachments has been expanded from four to five halls as well as by an additional outdoor areas, directly adjacent to the hall complex.

Dittrich said the triennial fair being held from April 8 to 14 at the Munich Exhibition Grounds anticipates a record number of exhibitors.

“More than 3,500 exhibitors from 55 countries will be there – almost 100 more than in 2016. bauma Plus allows even more companies to present their products and services. Virtual reality will bring the construction site into the trade fair hall. What is more, the 600,000-visitor mark is ready to be passed,” he said.

bauma Plus is a new participation concept that provides additional exhibition opportunities beyond the traditional booths.

In 2016, bauma attracted 583,736 visitors from 219 countries.

Innovation, sustainability and digitisation will be the focus of bauma 2019 while a leading trend will be electromobility and driverless vehicles.

“The expo will not only be showcasing the diverse range of possible applications of leading exhibitors’ products, it will also be providing a platform for discussing the aims, potential and sustainability of new technology,” said Mareile Kästner, bauma 2019 project director.

She said the construction machinery industry is increasingly opting for alternative drives. “In the future, there will no longer be one single typical drive system, but instead an increasingly wide range of competing drive systems on the market. Electromobility and driverless vehicles in particular are seen as key future drivers,” says Kästner.

Meanwhile, the bauma Innovation Award is being presented for the 12th time in five categories: Machine, Components/Digital Systems, Construction Work/Construction Method/Construction Process, Science/Research and Design.

A total of 138 nominations were submitted from Germany and around the world and evaluated in January by around 220 trade journalists, and 15 have been shortlisted.