Over 225,000 visitors came to Hannover Messe 2017, 8,000 more than at the 2015 event, which featured the same leading trade fairs as this year. Over 75,000 visitors came from abroad in 2017 - "This has never happened before in the 70-year history of Hannover Messe," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Messe AG, organizer of Hannover Messe. "This impressive figure proves that international decision-makers have recognized that only at Hannover Messe can they get a comprehensive view of developments in the field of Industry 4.0," Köckler continued. The top visitor countries were China (9000), the Netherlands (6200), India (5300) and Poland, this year's Hannover Messe partner country with 5000 visitors.

Answers to the industry's most important question

Under the guiding theme of the trade fair - 'Integrated Industry - Creating Value' - over 500 application examples illustrated the concrete benefits of digitalization for industry and energy. "Over the five days of the trade fair, Hanover was the world capital of Industry 4.0," said Köckler. "All sectors involved in digitalization presented solutions for the most important question currently facing industry: How do I make my company fit for the digital future?" The role of people in the networked factory was a key topic. The partner country Poland underlined the importance of close cooperation within Europe and, with 200 companies, recommended itself as an innovative partner for global industry. The partner country placed particular emphasis on the topics of research and start-ups, as Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo made clear at the opening of the trade fair. Poland also underlined its leading position in the field of electromobility.

Hannover Messe 2018 will run from April 23 to 27, 2018 , when the partner country will be Mexico.