Exhibitor Responses

Jörn Peplow, Corporate Communications Director, Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
"We're very happy with the way things have gone. We just had a highly successful press conference at our stand, where Prof. Dr. Kary Mullis, the Nobel prize winner for chemistry in 1993, autographed some of our electronic Multipette products for a special edition. This was a great occasion for us, with outstanding support from the BIOTECHNICA organizers. BIOTECHNICA is the standout tradeshow as far as we are concerned. This is a meeting point for the whole sector, where researchers from all areas of the life sciences gather together. The new BIOTECHNICA design concept is very smart indeed. I really like the multi-pronged approach - the mix of trade exhibition, conference program, awards ceremony and partnering concept. This complete spectrum enhances the event's market appeal, and gives BIOTECHNICA some clear competitive advantages over similar events. We are mainly interested in three aspects: networking, 'showing the flag' and presenting new products. Initially we were uncertain whether we could keep up with the new annual cycle, but, based on our success at this year's show, we'll definitely be back."

Thomas Paust, Marketing Director, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany
"We are here at BIOTECHNICA to present our company and our latest laboratory and process equipment - and we also see the event very much as a job recruiting opportunity. Our main target groups are the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, vaccine manufacturers and diagnostics companies. We value BIOTECHNICA as a key platform for catching up with contacts as well as for networking and knowledge transfer. We really believe in the concept of trade fairs, because sharing information over the Internet is no substitute for meeting face to face. The BIOTECHNICA conference program is a valuable addition to the event. And the atmosphere here in Hannover is another real plus."

Dr. Dagmar Leiss, Marketing, Performance & Life Science Chemical, Laboratory Business, Merck Germany, Darmstadt, Germany
"We are regulars at BIOTECHNICA - especially our bioscience unit, which fits in well here. This is where we meet our customers from the university, pharmaceutical, chemical and food sectors. BIOTECHNICA is a well-organized event, and the quality of pre-marketing has also been improved. This year we are also making good use of the conference program as well as the partnering concept."

Dr. Markus Wiedemann, Sales Manager for Germany, Switzerland, Austria, PerkinElmer, Schwerzenbach, Germany
"At BIOTECHNICA we meet exactly the right target group for us, i.e. visitors from the pharmaceutical, academic and biotechnology sectors. We are also using the event to introduce our new "Operetta" product, which gives researchers a fast way to obtain a wide range of data from a cell without damaging it in the process. We are delighted at the interest the product has generated. We are aiming particularly at customers in the academic sector, so BIOTECHNICA is the ideal place for us to be. We welcome the annual event cycle, because we are eager to maintain our visibility in the marketplace. Our thanks also go to the organizers - this is a well-structured fair, with a very pleasant atmosphere."

Sunil Patel, Business Development Manager, Nova Decision, Montpellier, France
"We are here as exhibitors due to the presence of all the leading firms in the biotechnology sector - from both the research and technology segments. We are able to present our products and see what other companies have come up with. It's a real 'one stop shop'."

Joon-Ho Min, Manager KOTRA, Korea Trade Center Hamburg, Korea National Pavilion
"We have 14 exhibitors appearing at our national pavilion, which is up on last year's figure. This reflects the ongoing growth and development in the Korean biotechnology sector. KOTRA is the foreign trade office the Korean Chamber of Commerce, and we are also the organizers of the national pavilion here. We and the exhibitor companies are here to generate new leads and export opportunities. BIOTECHNICA is a fine platform for profiling and exporting our products and forging new business leads. This exhibition is also a great opportunity for smaller firms to enhance their profile."

Evert van de Werfhorst, General Manager, Capilix, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
"This is the first time we've had our own stand at BIOTECHNICA to showcase our chemical component analysis systems. This show is ideal for us due to all the laboratory equipment firms represented here. Our clients come from the research sector and biotechnology firms. This market is extremely small in the Netherlands, making Germany an ideal exhibition location for us. We need a strong market presence, and we are very likely to be back next year. The organization and atmosphere in Hannover are both excellent."

Dr. Ralf Kindervater, CEO BIOPRO, Group pavilion of Baden-Württemberg GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany
"As a company dedicated to promoting the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, we have come to BIOTECHNICA to highlight our region as Germany's leading biotech location. This is our showcase to give our visitors an idea of how things work in the Baden-Württemberg biotechnology sector. At this event there is a real sense of partnership between commercial firms and research institutions. The level of activity on our stand is on a par with last year, in spite of the economic crisis. We use this fair for catching up with old contacts and forging new ones, and for emotional marketing and socializing. BIOTECHNICA is the key tradeshow as far as we are concerned - we don't bother with smaller partnering events. I am a supporter of the new annual cycle, because things happen very fast in the biotechnology sector. A two-year interval is too long to keep up with the pace of events. It would be fair to describe biotechnology as the key technology of the 21st century."

Horst Schmitt, Regional Sales Manager, Applied Science business unit, Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany
"I really appreciate the enhanced conference program, because in the Internet age it takes a lot of energy and effort to lure people out of their laboratories to interact directly with the business side of the industry. And an attractive supporting program is a good way to get them fired up. Our first priority at the show is to find new users and leads, and secondly we are looking to catch up with existing customers. This is also a chance to see what our competitors are offering. BIOTECHNICA gives us the opportunity to communicate information on our products and devices - such as the instruments we develop for cell and molecular biology - and put them in front of a wide circle of potential users. This is the main trade fair for us, because it is geared to everyone in the biotechnology industry - from production and research companies to biotechnology centers. Everyone who is anyone in biotech is here."

Dr. Rainer Erb, Project Manager, German Foundation for the Environment (DBU), Osnabrück, Germany
"Linking a conference program to BIOTECHNICA is a good idea, and lends the fair an even stronger appeal. Visitors get a sense of the bigger picture, and exhibitors can meet a wider circle of industry players. Our foundation is here mainly for the networking opportunities. The key aspect for us is the chance to meet up with the target groups for our funding assistance programs. BIOTECHNICA is the only event we have attended regularly over the last twelve years. And our co-exhibitors, the recipients of our funding assistance, would not be here today without that support. They too are here to meet their own target groups. We have come to BIOTECHNICA to maintain our presence in the marketplace, and to present some success stories like ChemBioTec, a funding initiative for the development of resource-intensive production processes in collaboration between industry and research."

Dr. Claus Köller, Sales and Project Director, Tristram & Partner, Bochum, Germany, Laboratory and quality management theme stand
 "We are using the theme stand to present our Lims software package to the biotechnology sector for the first time. Lims supports the specimen workflow in the laboratory, allowing analysts to focus on their analysis work rather than administration. We have come to BIOTECHNICA for the first time, because we see biotechnology as the crucial market for the future. As smaller firms grow, they will come to need our system."

Karin Newport, Software Development Manager, Biomatters, Auckland, New Zealand
"This is the first time we have exhibited at BIOTECHNICA, and the main reason for deciding to come was the opportunity to meet up with some of our European customers here. We are also interested in forging partnerships and finding out what the competition is up to. It is important for us to 'raise the flag' once a year in Europe. Because we don't travel here often, we looked for a tradeshow that was a meeting point for pharmaceutical companies and software partners. We sell software for research in over 50 countries around the world, mainly to universities and students. However we are also looking to widen the scope of our business to include commercial firms. We hope younger visitors will also be encouraged to come here - by the conference program, for example."

Dr. Heinrich Cuypers, Senior Project Manager, BioCon Valley GmbH, Greifswald, Germany
"BIOTECHNICA is the key networking hub for this industry. The conferences in the supporting program help to attract a wider audience. We have been regular attendees since 1997. This year we have seven exhibitors presenting at our group pavilion - including what is probably Germany's newest biotechnology company - Enzymical. The firm is less than a month old, with the notary public recording its articles of association on 16 September 2009."

Dr. Christian Zimmer, CEO, Enzymical, BioCon Valley group pavilion, Greifswald, Germany
"We must be the youngest company at BIOTECHNICA, and we have already signed up some leads. Our priority is to find out what is in demand and pick up early on any new trends. We are also talking about possible synergies with like-minded companies. Our main focus is in "white", or industrial, biotechnology. We make enzymes and optimize them for the production of fine chemicals, for use in medicines, for example. The group pavilion gives us the chance to 'see and be seen' at BIOTECHNICA. We can profit from the network created by this event. BIOTECHNICA is right at the top of our list of trade fairs."

Heike Bihlmann, Project Manager, Swiss Biotech Association, Zurich, Swiss national pavilion
"The companies at our national pavilion at BIOTECHNICA are mainly here for business and advertising purposes. They get together with their customers beforehand, and specifically arrange to meet up at the trade fair. The priority is to catch up with existing contacts, find potential customers for the future and present their product portfolios. We also use the innovation forum to raise our profile - as a further platform for generating interest in the marketplace. One of our exhibitors here this year is NovImmune, winner of the EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD 2009."

Valentin Vivier, Marketing Support, Alma Bioinformatics S.L., Madrid, Spain
"This is the first time we have exhibited here in Europe. The aim is to make our company better known, and meet the key players in the biotechnology sector. We want to generate new leads and network."

BJ Morrison McKay, Executive Officer, International Society for Computational Biology, La Jolla CA, USA
"BIOTECHNICA is the leading exhibition for anyone involved in biotechnology. We are a non-profit society, and have never been here before. The special feature of this show is the very wide spectrum represented by the 650 exhibitors. We want to talk to people and distribute our publications."

Thomas Schäfer, Official Inspector, German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Affairs (BMELV), Bonn, Germany
"This is the first time BMELV has had a stand at a trade fair for applied biotechnology. BIOTECHNICA is the ideal choice for us in this sector. We appreciate the high level of interest among the trade audience at this event, who approach us with specific and very precise questions. We see ourselves mainly as a contact point for issues relating to all aspects of genetic engineering. We are also hosting three other exhibitors at the BMELV stand: the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI), the Max Rubner Institute (MRI) and the renewable materials agency Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe."

Dr. Thomas Stelzer, Product Manager Europe, Cell Culture, Filtration & IVF Thermo Scientific NUNC and NALGENE Life Science Products Thermo Fisher Scientific, Langenselbold, Germany
"Our presence at BIOTECHNICA is focused on cell research as our main priority, and our activities in the areas of equipment technology, one-off products and protein research/ genome analysis/ bioprocesses. We are seeing a lot of interest in our new cell culture surface, 'Upcell', which seems to be in high demand, and we have had some sales meetings. At BIOTECHNICA we meet just the right customers, for example university laboratories, research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, and this seems to be the ideal place for us. The theme forums integrated here in the exhibition halls are an excellent idea, which we have used for lecture presentations."

Dr. Benedikt Geldmacher-Voss, Regional Manager North Germany, Sales Microscopy Systems, Life Science Research Division, Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany
"After a very positive experience last year, we had positive expectations going into this year's show. BIOTECHNICA and the Analytica event in Munich are the key trade fairs as far as we are concerned. Our target groups are universities and the pharmaceutical industry. BIOTECHNICA attracts a trade audience from these sectors, and is therefore tailor-made for our requirements. This year has seen strong demand for our new 'Angstroem' product, a microscope with a structured lighting system. On the basis of our experience at this year's event, we support the annual cycle."

Juan Carlos del Rio, statistical assistant, European Commission, Health Research
"BIOTECHNICA is the only German tradeshow we appear at. We are presenting projects from the 'food and health' sector. Anyone interested in undertaking a project with funding support from us can obtain information on the application process and deadline dates. We are very happy with the level of demand at our stand, and will definitely be back at BIOTECHNICA next year."

Dr. Georg Siems, Sales Manager, IUL Instruments, Königswinter, Germany
"BIOTECHNICA enables us to meet high-caliber visitors from the laboratory equipment, quality assurance and process engineering fields. Many of them are from the university sector, but we also have a lot of interaction with commercial firms - from the pharmaceutical sector for example. We value this trade fair, which gives us 90 percent coverage of our target group. There is a lot of interest in our new 'BioLumix' product, a fast-track microbiological testing system, and will definitely making progress towards signing up some future orders. Many of our customers see BIOTECHNICA as the key tradeshow for their needs. This makes the special symposiums in the supporting program even more valuable from our perspective."

Dr. Björn Loeprecht, Director, Major Accounts, CambridgeSoft, USA, with German head office in Munich, Germany
"We supply software for biologists, and are here at BIOTECHNICA for the first time featuring these products. Our target group comprises managers of biology laboratories, scientists, IT decision-makers and university researchers. We will have to wait and see how well we do here. Organizational arrangements have worked well, and there is a very congenial atmosphere."

Dr. Bernward Garthoff , Cluster Manager, BIO.NRW, Düsseldorf, Germany
"With 27 co-exhibitors, the BIO.NRW group pavilion is one of the biggest at BIOTECHNICA in Hannover this year. Featuring commercial firms, institutions, research establishments and regional networks, we cover the entire spectrum of biotechnology players in North Rhine-Westphalia. As usual, we appreciate the chance to meet trade visitors and other colleagues for face-to-face networking. In addition to the supporting program, BIO.NRW also offers a varied and interesting program for our co-exhibitors, including a cocktail party, the NRW innovation forum, and a photographic competition for school pupils and students. BIOTECHNICA has been the highlight of this year's networking events for the BIO.NRW Cluster."