EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit 2020 ended last week

05.11.2020

Successful launch of innovative meeting platform for the international sheet metal working industry. Digital Event provided plenty of webinar content, networking and insights into latest technologies

The first EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit, which took place online from 27 – 30 October 2020, provided the first meeting platform this year for the international sheet metal working community. More than 5,500 registered participants from 91 countries have used the opportunity to log on to the platform during the four virtual event days to network, watch webinar content live and on demand, view product demonstrations and visit virtual stands of exhibitors. This new event format proved successful in current times, as many participants from all over the world joined to discover innovations, trends and current solutions in the sheet metal working industry.

“This year has been everything but normal due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And while we were unable to hold EuroBLECH in Hanover, our focus was to provide a meeting place for the sheet metal working community at this crucial time to generate business and keep the industry connected. We thank all participants for joining us at the first digital event for the sheet metal working industry. In times like these we have to be innovative, venture into new areas and adapt to new circumstances. And this is exactly what our objective was by launching the EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit. At present, keeping the industry connected and providing a platform for networking and knowledge exchange is fundamental, as a complementary format to the live show”, says Evelyn Warwick, Event Director of EuroBLECH, on behalf of the organisers Mack-Brooks Exhibitions.

The EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit provided a much anticipated trade and networking event for the global sheet metal working community, which has been impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. The event was an online trading, networking and webinar event for professionals from the entire sheet metal working technology chain. Visitors could virtually meet relevant exhibitors in pre-booked meetings and drop-in meetings, watch informative product presentations and follow webinars on current industry trends, followed by live Q&A Sessions. Similar to a live event there were several options for visitors to get in touch with exhibitors: drop their business card at virtual stands, pre-book meetings with exhibitors or instantly contact exhibitors as they browsed the virtual stands.

“The feedback we have received from participants was very positive – many pointed out they did not expect a digital event to deliver such a great value to the industry. Our platform already offered a lot of functionalities to our participants, but we will obviously look at further improvements using the valuable feedback we have received at this event”, continues Evelyn Warwick. “As we are approaching the new year and further lockdowns are on the horizon, we are certain that the industry will need a meeting place like EuroBLECH DIGITAL to stay connected and generate business”, concludes Evelyn Warwick. The EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit demonstrated that even virtual exhibition stands, online meetings and video chats provide new sales opportunities and the possibility for exhibitors to generate business leads. The content presented on the platform was streamed for almost 700 hours in total during the event.

Presentation Theatre and Product Showcases provided visitors with insights into latest technologies and machines

Participants took advantage of the opportunity to get an overview of latest innovations, presented in the Virtual Presentation Theatre by selected EuroBLECH exhibitors. Each exhibitor presentation put a clear focus on product innovations and technologies, followed by live Q&A sessions, which many participants used to ask their questions. Companies which presented their latest developments were Bystronic Laser, Lantek, Lumentum, Mazak, Prima Power, Salvagnini and TRUMPF Group. The presentations can still be viewed on demand via the EuroBLECH Digital Platform for another week. In addition, Virtual Stands of the exhibitors contained hundreds of Product Showcases to allow visitors to explore new products and services in more detail. 

EuroBLECH goes DIGITAL: The Webinar Programme

A daily programme of webinars by industry experts provided an opportunity for participants to gain useful insights into the latest market developments as well as technical expertise concerning new industry applications and solutions. Key players from the industry as well as associations provided exclusive insights into latest technologies and case studies on subjects such as Digitalisation, Forming and Separation Technology, Automation and Process Optimisation. The lively Q&A sessions at the end of each webinar session demonstrated that there indeed is a need for the industry to discuss current challenges and opportunities. All sessions are available to view on demand via the platform for another week. Many participants pointed out the good quality of the webinar sessions and how this tool might be a great way to overcome current restrictions and stay in touch with customers and suppliers.

Participants’ Testimonials about the first EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit:

„A great idea, a perfect realization and a competent and interested audience. This event made an important contribution to mastering the current challenges.“
- Dr.-Ing. Jobst Bickendorf, General Manager, AUTOCAM GmbH

“In these difficult Corona times, but surely also in the future, the EuroBLECH Digital Innovation Summit provides us as supplier of machine tools with a new platform to present our innovations and to get in touch with our customers.”
- Daniela Schwarz, Global Product Portfolio Manager, Bystronic Laser AG

“Your team is quite professional, and the whole online seminar was organised in an impeccable way. “
- Simon Hu, Director of International Business Department, Han’s Laser

“Many thanks for the very good preparation of the virtual event. Everything worked smoothly. For me, it was a great experience with this format, which belongs to the most successful ones I have attended in the past months during the pandemic.”
- Plamen Kiradjiev, Global CTO Industry 4.0, IBM Services

“Although we had little preparation time, the Mack-Brooks/ EuroBLECH Team helped us outstandingly. WBM enjoyed the webinar and is eager to learn to really improve this tool for future business development.”
- Hermen Bos, Managing Director, WBM Staalservice

“The webinar was a great opportunity to connect with potential customers and present current technology trends. I especially appreciated the live video Q&A session.”
- Martin Klewenhagen, Technical Sales Support TruLaser, TRUMPF Group

Further information on EuroBLECH can be found at www.euroblech.com