Wolfgang Marzin, president and chief executive of Messe Frankfurt said: “Over recent weeks, we have worked extremely hard to make ISH 2021 the main platform for doing business and imparting knowledge in the sanitation and HVAC sector. If it is not possible for us to hold a physical event in Frankfurt, we will simply take ISH to people at home and focus on doing that what we could always do best: bring together demand and supply, convey knowledge, generate new impulses and reveal solutions.”
There are two modules for exhibitor participation: ISH Contactor and ISH digital platform 2021.
ISH Contactor is the international hub and search engine for water, heating and air conditioning the whole year round. For a whole year, companies can reach everyone interested in sanitation and HVAC with their profiles at www.ish.messefrankfurt.com. Naturally, this profile can be updated, modified and extended at any time. Over one million visits for this period means that ISH Contractor will be the world’s biggest catalogue for the sanitation and HVAC world. Additionally, content for the sector will also be available there.
The heart of event is the ISH digital platform, the virtual live event from 22 to 26 March 2021. There, all exhibitor activities will be brought together and linked to the various services offered by Messe Frankfurt. On offer are three packages – basic, advanced and premium – each with a variety of different features. For young, innovative companies, there is a special Start-up Package. In common with ISH Contactor, all packages include an exhibitor presentation with products, information and contact details but with the addition of a chat function and 1:1 video calls, which exhibitors can use to communicate with customers. One of the most important features will be the intelligent, AI-aided matchmaking with appropriate business contacts for lead generation.
Rounding off these central features will be live streams and on-demand relays of items from the programme of events, as well as an appointments system for online meetings with exhibitors. During the event, all features will be available around the clock, in all time zones worldwide, and thus give visitors the chance to benefit from all lectures, press events, product shows, presentations, special shows, etc., regardless of time or location.
In September 2020, the patrons of the fair – the Federation of the German Heating Industry (BDH), the Association of Air Conditioning and Ventilation in Buildings (FGK), the German Sanitary Industry Association (VDS), the German Sanitation, Heating and Air Conditioning Association (ZVSHK) and the German Association for Energy Efficiency in Building Services (VdZ) – gave their unanimous support to holding ISH as a digital event and are backing ISH digital to the hilt.