ISH 2023: Solutions for a sustainable future. Interview with Stefan Seitz

What kind of energy do we use for heating, what ensures hygienically clean air, and how much water do we need? Against the background of scarce energy resources, pandemics and climate change, these questions are more relevant than ever before. Exhibitors will present solutions at the ISH from 13 to 17 March 2023 in Frankfurt am Main.

ISH, the leading innovation show for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Water, will be back in March 2023. Peter Hug interviewed Stefan Seitz, Director ISH Brand Management for eu.bac and VDMA, about the relevance of the upcoming international industry meeting place.

Peter Hug: The time until ISH 2023 is passing quickly. With what expectations are you looking forward to the upcoming event?

Stefan Seitz: Anticipatory, very attentive and excited – I think that sums it up quite well. I am very much looking forward to visiting our exhibitors at their stands, discovering the innovations for a sustainable future for myself and entering in direct exchange about them. After all, the themes of the ISH absolutely hit the nerve of the times. At the leading international sanitary and HVAC event, national and international companies present the industry’s marketable solutions for water, heating and air.

Peter Hug: What topics will be in focus?

Stefan Seitz: The motto of ISH 2023 is “Solutions for a sustainable future”. Everything revolves around innovations that contribute to the achievement of climate protection goals and enable the responsible and efficient use of available resources. Sustainability is the very big topic. It is the connecting element between ISH Energy, consisting of heating, air-conditioning and ventilation, and ISH Water. In the Energy segment, this means that in the future we will have to become less dependent on fossil fuels and quickly increase the share of renewable energies. However, sustainable use and security of supply is also necessary with regard to our drinking water. The last extremely dry and hot summers have clearly shown this to us.
In the area of Water, however, sustainability also refers to the materials used – both in production and installation. It includes an efficient hot water supply and extends to durable concepts for bathroom design. In the future, bathrooms should be designed for all generations and needs.

Peter Hug: What kind of ISH can we expect in 2023? Will the market leaders be there?

Stefan Seitz: We will be welcoming around 2,000 exhibitors at ISH 2023, who will be using the appeal of the innovation platform for their business. They are distributed roughly equally between the ISH Water and ISH Energy sections. In any case, the event is a unique opportunity for all participants to present their own solutions to an international audience, to benefit from the networking effects and to exchange valuable knowledge. The world’s biggest meeting place for the HVAC + Water sector has a high degree of internationality, with 70 percent of the participants coming from abroad in 2023. In addition to many German companies, most exhibitors come from Italy, Turkey, Spain, China, Poland, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland.
The ISH Contactor at www.ish.messefrankfurt.com/contactor provides a daily update on all exhibitors taking part.

Peter Hug: What will ISH 2023 look like – what is new and what themes can be seen where?

Stefan Seitz: In the ISH Energy segment, we are placing an even stronger focus on the technologies of the future in the heating market. Electrification is progressing strongly in this segment. That is why we are concentrating suppliers of heat pumps, home energy management systems and energy storage, as well as manufacturers of complete heating systems, in Hall 12, whereas in Hall 11.0 we are focusing on suppliers of wood heating, waste gas technology as well as heat generation and heat transfer. In Hall 10, visitors will continue to find everything to do with home and building automation, energy management, together with monitoring, control and regulation technology, as well as testing equipment. Automation and energy management as well as smart homes make an important contribution to saving energy and increasing efficiency. These solutions are the focus of Hall 10 and are flanked by the Building Technology Forum, which takes a look at the latest technologies and developments in intelligent building technology in Hall 10.3. The meeting place for the real estate sector and the building industry is organised by the VDMA Building Automation and Controls Association together with eu.bac and the BTGA (German Association of the Building Services Industry). As at the previous event, the focus in Hall 9 will be on solutions for heat distribution and in Hall 8 on refrigeration, air-conditioning and ventilation technology.

The Eastern part of the fair ground is all about Water. The absolute novelty here is Hall 5, where the ISH is one of the first events to feature the newly built hall with installation technology and software. Installation technology will also be on show in Halls 4.0 and 6.0. Tools and mounting materials are to be found in Hall 6.1. The Bathroom Experience is at home in Halls 2, 3, 4 and the Forum. The International Sourcing section will be located in Hall 1. Thus, the unique, practical and international range of products for the sanitation, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning sector in March 2023 invites visitors to discover solutions for the most important questions of our time.

Peter Hug: How digitally is the industry positioned for March 2023?

Stefan Seitz: At the last ISH 2021, the industry came together purely digitally. That was a valuable experience, but it also showed that face-to-face meetings are indispensable. Messe Frankfurt has meanwhile tried out many different event formats. The learning from this is that digital offerings are a perfect complement to the physical event. That is why we are accompanying ISH 2023 in Frankfurt with a digital platform. Parallel to the industry meeting point in Frankfurt, we will provide the ISH Digital Extension. It will then be available for use for one week longer, until 24 March 2023. This means that everyone can make the most of their time at the fair and, for example, view missed programme items afterwards. Another advantage is the possibility to make targeted contact. Using AI-supported matchmaking, suitable business partners can be found and contacted at the fair or digitally. The ISH site plan at www.ish.messefrankfurt.com/fairground will help you find your way around the exhibition grounds.

 Find the eu.bac booth at the fair Hall 10.3 A29: https://lnkd.in/edtbTjDX