"This year's HANNOVER MESSE marked the final breakthrough for Industrie 4.0," said Dr. Friedhelm Loh, Chairman of the HANNOVER MESSE Exhibitors' Advisory Board. "Exhibitors showcased more than 400 real examples of Industrie 4.0 this year, vividly bringing the keynote theme of ‘Integrated Industry - Discover Solutions!' to life. Now the task at hand is to implement the available solutions and give shape to the associated business models."

According to this year's exhibitor survey, two out of every three exhibitors presented genuine technical innovations or product enhancements at the show. For German companies, the figure was even higher, at 71%. Once again, exhibitors at HANNOVER MESSE demonstrated that they are on the cutting edge of industrial productivity in today's economy.

The mood in the business sector is also optimistic, with more than 60% of exhibitors rating their industry's situation as ‘good' or better. And they are even more upbeat about their own companies, with a clear majority of 74% exhibitors describing their own situation as positive, and 61% expecting a further improvement in the overall economy through the end of 2016.

Exhibitors were extremely pleased with this year's fair. Key factors in their highly positive appraisals of HANNOVER MESSE 2016 were the number and caliber of the show's attendees, as well as the advertising impact achieved by their exhibition stands. The run of the fair has made them very optimistic about their post-show business prospects.

"The choice of the USA as the partner country and the visit by the U.S. President have clearly given the show a boost, both in terms of the exhibitor and visitor turnouts. The challenge now is to build on this performance for next year," commented Dr. Loh. The industrial community is looking for guidance in the technology arena, he maintained: "Our task now is to give shape to the business models made possible by Industrie 4.0, and highlight them at the next HANNOVER MESSE."

Looking ahead to the next HANNOVER MESSE, Dr. Loh had the following comments on behalf of exhibitors: "This year's event has demonstrated the wide range of areas of application for Industrie 4.0. Now it is a matter of clarifying the relevant business models. Everyone by now should have realized that Industrie 4.0 is no longer just a vision, but an actual reality, with HANNOVER MESSE as its nucleus. Integrated energy will have a big part to play at HANNOVER MESSE 2017, along with Industrie 4.0 and initiatives like Young Tech Enterprises. The integration of a renewable, decentralized and efficient energy supply is key to sustainable industrial value creation. I am already looking forward to next year's event, when ideas once considered 'not yet ready for implementation' will be on display to surprise and delight our visitors."