WorldWide Drilling Resource

by Bonnie Love, Editor, WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Excitement was in the air as I attended the bauma press event in Chicago, Illinois, last month. Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO for Messe München, began by giving us a little his- tory about the event which began in 1954. Held every three years, this event has seen exceptional growth, with this year’s edition being hailed as the biggest show on earth. The goal is to bring the industry together to highlight innovative products and services; giving decision-makers the knowledge they need to keep companies up-to-date with the latest technology. bauma doesn’t just focus on the construction industry. In fact, there were nearly 140,000 visitors from the mining industry at bauma 2016, a number expected to increase at the 2019 edition. Bringing all the facets of the construction and mining industry to one event requires a great deal of planning and space! Two addi- tional halls have been added, bringing the total to more than 6.6 million square feet of exhibit space. Attendees from more than 200 countries around the world are planning to attend, that’s more countries than the United Nations! VDMA, the mechanical engineering industry association in Germany, helps organize the event. Joachim Schmid from the association, enlightened us on the show’s partner country - Canada. The country is not only the seventh largest market in the world for construction machinery, it’s also among the top five producing countries for nearly all mineral resources. He also gave us more details about the Innovation Award, which has been divided into five different categories to recognize pioneering developments within the indus- try. This year, they have received more entries than ever before! Another interesting feature of bauma 2019, is the THINK BIG area which will help improve the image of the industry among the younger generation by offering interactive exhibits for students and trainees to encourage them to join the construction and min- ing industry. Join more than 600,000 visitors, over 3500 exhibitors, and the WWDR Team in Munich, Germany, April 8-14 at bauma 2019! Mr. Dittrich showed us the location of the nearly 97,000 square feet of additional space. Mr. Schmid also mentioned there will be a selfie tower more than 60 feet above bauma 2019, for attendees to get a great photo of bauma’s massive display. MIN 70 DECEMBER 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®