Arbeitsschutz Aktuell - Safety and Health - Final report: Paradigm shift in occupational safety

Proactive instead of preventive
Prevention forum discusses current state of play and the future

Leipzig/Karlsruhe, 26 October 2010. Arbeitsschutz Aktuell - Safety and Health 2010 at Leipziger Messe (Leipzig Trade Fair) attracted around 11,000 visitors. 1,200 conference participants used the prevention forum, which drew to a close on Thursday after three days, to compare notes and exchange ideas. "The paradigm shift in occupational safety has become a reality for those involved in the sector. They are looking not only to respond to the process initiated but also to take a proactive approach. Experienced experts and young professionals alike don't just want to prevent but also to act. With future events including Augsburg in 2012 and the World Conference on Health and Safety at Work in 2014, here in Leipzig the drive towards generating sustainable communications, for example, as produced by sources such as the Joint German Occupational Safety Strategy (GDA), has been tangible," said Olaf Freier, Managing Director of organiser HINTE GmbH, who was delighted with the success of the event.

In an initial survey of exhibitors, many of the 220 companies praised the high standard of discussions at the stands. The overwhelming majority of visitors said they were looking to obtain specific information and were particularly interested in innovations. Over 80 percent of exhibitors and visitors were in favour of the mobile concept of Arbeitsschutz Aktuell, which is held at a different venue in Germany every two years. The proportion of first-time visitors to Leipziger Messe this year was around 54 percent. Arbeitsschutz Aktuell expanded its geographical range on the previous event in Hamburg in 2008, with just under 40 percent of visitors travelling 300 kilometres or more. Overall, exhibitors assessed the economic situation in the industry as slightly improved on 2008.
In view of the changes in mood among the players in the occupational safety sector, Freier said it was now no longer enough to just present products - it was also necessary to show how they are to be used appropriately. "The Trend and Media Forum, which proved highly popular, is a feature that enables us to bring exhibitors and visitors together." He said the award for young, innovative companies, presented for the first time, also fell into this category. Internet TV has also been used to produce content, he added, enabling the industry to maintain dialog on a sustainable basis. "Leipzig has launched the international run-up to 2014, when the World Conference will be integrated into Arbeitsschutz Aktuell. We'll be continuing our preparations for that at Augsburg in 2012, developing appropriate modules and showcasing them to the industry."

EUR 2,500 for the Bärenherz children's hospice
To round off their charity campaign, exhibitors, organisers and sponsors of Arbeitsschutz Aktuell presented a cheque for EUR 2,500 to the Stiftung Bärenherz foundation. The money will go towards the Bärenherz children's hospice in Markkleeberg. The Stiftung Bärenherz foundation offers support to organisations helping families with seriously ill children who have a low life expectancy. The hospice at Kees'scher Park in Markkleeberg, which offers in-patient and out-patient treatment to affected families, is financed almost exclusively from donations and receives funding in equal amounts from the Verein Kinderhospiz Bärenherz Leipzig e. V. and the Bärenherz Stiftung foundation.

"Arbeitsschutz Aktuell - Safety and Health" will take place in 2012 at Messe Augsburg from 16 to 18 October.

HINTE GmbH company profile

In a history spanning roughly sixty years, HINTE GmbH has organised more than 600 exhibitions, trade fairs and conferences in all Germany's major exhibition venues. The company is now developing future markets in South-Eastern Europe, organising fairs in cities such as Belgrade and Istanbul. With a portfolio that includes leading B2C and B2B events, some of them international, location is not an issue for the trade fair specialist.

The subsidiary HINTE Marketing & Media GmbH offers comprehensive marketing and PR services in addition to trade fair communication.

HINTE Event-Services GmbH ensures the independent organisation of events in their entirety.

Since the end of 2009, fair network GmbH has been working with German and Swiss trade fair specialists to develop innovative ideas in the B2C sector.

Key figures:
Project year: 2009/2010
Trade fairs: 9
National: 8
Exhibitors: 2,700
Visitors: 230,000

HINTE GmbH
Bannwaldallee 60
76185 Karlsruhe
Telefon: +49 (0)721 931 33-0
www.arbeitsschutz-aktuell.de

Ursula Rubenbauer
HINTE Marketing & Media GmbH
Bannwaldallee 60
76185 Karlsruhe
Telefon: +49 (0)721 831 424 460
www.hinte-messe.de

This release was published on openPR.