Peter Kazander: Always difficult to estimate. In 2017, it was 50,000, a figure that we should break again with 150 more exhibitors. Unfortunately, this also depends on external factors such as strikes, snowstorms and the like.

mfl: Has Euroexpo as the organizer also reflected this - one could almost call it exponential - growth in terms of personnel and organization?

Kazander: Yes and no. No, the team hasn't grown. But sometimes in the evening after a 16-hour working day, I think about whether that wasn't a mistake. In terms of organization, we are of course already trying to automate or simplify processes. But the most important thing is the 1:1 contact with our exhibitors. This becomes more time-consuming from year to year, but it's the most fun.

mfl: How do you ensure that at least some of the proximity is retained for exhibitors?

Kazander: I still firmly believe that proximity does not depend on what you do, but rather on how you do it. Together with our exhibitors - large and small - we work in partnership to create a first-class platform for our trade visitors. This means accessibility, the willingness to find solutions even when things are difficult and a willingness to communicate, especially when ideas and wishes cannot be implemented 1:1 or when we ourselves have made mistakes in the planning process, for example. That also happens. Then there has to be trust, which can only be gained through honesty and reliability.

mfl: You are now faced with the task of having to moderate the transition of LogiMAT from a manageable working trade fair into a well-functioning major trade fair. What are you putting on your to-do list, what is on your wish list to achieve this goal?

Kazander: Actually, nothing at all. We will remain a working trade fair, albeit a growing one. We are deliberately not setting ourselves up to act differently just because - thanks to our exhibitors and visitors - we have become the world's largest intralogistics trade fair. We are proud of this, but we will continue to do LogiMAT the way we have always done it: personally, honestly and with heart and soul.

mfl: You have long given exhibitors the advice to prepare their trade fair appearance well in advance. What is the most common mistake you see and what would be your best tip for a successful trade fair appearance?

Is this the future? Virtual reality could also become an issue for trade fair visitors.

Kazander: It hurts my soul when companies only hope for so-called walk-in customers without any communication in advance. Participating in a trade fair costs a lot of money. This money should be invested wisely. For LogiMAT, we offer a lot of opportunities to communicate with editorial offices and potential trade visitors. These range from our unique trade fair news service to newsletter advertising, free guest tickets or a company logo in the trade fair app to an exclusive advertising display on the exhibition grounds. It doesn't always have to cost the earth and it still works. A second no-go is stand personnel who "hide" behind a notebook to check e-mails, for example, and then of course answer them. No visitor will approach an exhibitor who is obviously "at work". Finally, the training and motivation of the staff at the stand. By training, I don't mean product training - everyone can do that. I mean trade fair training. Keep moving, stay communicative, actively approach people. Simple things like reaching out to a potential visitor. That makes it much more difficult for them to keep walking. Employee motivation is important because three whole days on the stand are incredibly exhausting. In order to keep this up with full commitment, all employees must be supported and not - as is unfortunately often the case - simply driven into competition with each other. I could give more examples - "trade fair preparation and implementation" would be a topic in itself.

mfl: Although a trade fair thrives on personal conversations, you can't switch off digitalization during the trade fair days. As an organizer, what do you think of AR applications for trade fair visitors' cell phones, for example? Is it necessary to further enrich the trade fair experience digitally?

Kazander: Our exhibitors are already doing this. VR glasses are becoming increasingly popular at individual stands to visually explain products and solutions. This is often peppered with a little bit of "gimmickry", but it is definitely a sensible development. I don't think it makes much sense to make an entire trade fair virtually accessible. That doesn't mean, however, that there aren't still ideas on how to sensibly bundle exhibitors' presentations together on a virtual platform. But the word "sensible" is more important than the word "gimmick".

mfl: Mr. Kazander, at the end of this interview, a question that industry experts are waiting for an answer to: What goes through your mind when you think of stand A41 in hall 5 at the upcoming LogiMAT?

Kazander: A lot of joy and a bit of pride - I'm quite honest about that. I am very pleased to have won the Beumer Group - such an important player in the market - for LogiMAT. Beumer, like all the other 1,500 exhibitors, is an enrichment and that is good for the trade fair. But first and foremost it is good for our trade visitors, who are looking for and find the key players in Stuttgart.

mfl: A few years ago you said that if things worked out with Beumer in Stuttgart, you would quit...

Kazander: A few years ago, I also said that I wasn't aiming to become the world's leading trade fair. But that still happened. Every now and then you have to revise your statements (laughs). But seriously, it is indeed time to hand over the project management of LogiMAT Stuttgart. In that sense, LogiMAT 2018 will be my last trade fair in Germany.

mfl: In 2017, you said in this magazine: "At some point, we will have the market completely together in Stuttgart". That goal should already have been achieved. What comes next?

Kazander: I am becoming more and more cautious every year when it comes to estimating when this will actually be the case. In 2018, we were once again able to attract almost 200 companies to exhibit at LogiMAT for the first time. I certainly wouldn't have estimated this number to be so high in April 2017.

mfl: Will we see a LogiMAT South America or a LogiMAT Russia in the foreseeable future, for example?

Kazander: I do indeed hope that I will have the opportunity to focus even more on foreign markets. Nevertheless, there will not be a series of "doomed to fail" LogiMAT offshoots worldwide. There are more intelligent solutions that offer our exhibitors more potential and more security. Because despite all the euphoria, we must never forget that: We do not organize a trade fair as an end in itself, we do it together with our exhibitors for the trade visitors. Only their success is my success.

Martin Schrüfer, editor-in-chief of materialfluss, spoke to Peter Kazander. The prospect of LogiMAT without the likeable trade fair manager is not only saddening for Schrüfer - will "Mr. LogiMAT", as LT-manager dubbed him in 2011, change his mind? For example, with a wild card for the Elftal at the upcoming World Cup?