Formnext Connect had long been planned as a face-to-face trade fair. However, when the Covid-19s rose in September, the organisers also decided that the event would switch to a digital format in 2020. A good decision, as it turned out, because even today there is still no talk of a real decimation of the number of illnesses. By Sabine Slaughter

The digital format of Formnext was something that many - exhibitors and visitors - still talk about today. A digital trade fair that made it possible to greet each other with a handshake, to have many one-to-one conversations - or group discussions if desired. Of course, presentations, lectures and other components of an "analogue" fair were not missing. The platform, although not yet fully developed, offered a lot and is a real approach for further events until presence fairs become safely and reliably possible again. This, however, although vaccines are more or less available, is still in the stars, not to say in the future.
I can already hear many readers asking: How? One-to-one talks and a handshake? Yes, because the platform, which was already activated a week before the actual fair date - and was still available for weeks after the fair - offered visitors something very similar to an "analogue" fair.
Visitors and exhibitors could "network" with each other by means of a virtual handshake. If the networking was successful - i.e. both partners accepted the other's handshake - both the chat function and the possibility of a virtual meeting in separate virtual online meetings face-to-face were possible. There was a special scheduling tool for this - very convenient, as it included a duplicate check which did not allow any simultaneous meetings. Once one party had accepted the invitation to the virtual meeting room with video of the other, the face-to-face meeting could take place at the agreed time.
Many participants took up this offer and a lively conference activity developed, which often degenerated into a kind of "speed dating" due to the 15-minute scheduling possibilities. Or one received a conference request for another time zone, since the requesting partner in his mostly home office naturally serves his local time zone. However, the activation of this function a week before the actual trade fair and even weeks later made it possible to have a much more intensive, relaxed event experience, as appointments could also be made in the "next week" and the virtual conference rooms were also available here. Only the question "Would you like a coffee or biscuits?" could not be served by the virtual platform, so one had to take care of these essential conference additions oneself during the meeting breaks. But that's the least of the problems when you're in a home office.
So you could contact a variety of companies, talk and get information from them. For example, I received a request from the US at nine o'clock CET in the evening, accepted it, and then held a virtual meeting shortly before midnight. My interlocutor, who had just logged on to Formnext Connect for the first time, was visibly taken aback that not only was his handshake accepted, but someone actually showed up at the virtual meeting. It resulted in an exciting and very interesting conversation, the contents of which we will present in one of the next issues. And this is just one example of how outstanding this fair and the matchmaking tool of Formnext Connect really brought all participants together. But that was the beauty of this meeting and many others: I would never have been able to make and deepen this amount of contacts at a real presence fair. I would never have learned so much about products, materials, applications, technical backgrounds and difficulties that users and manufacturers experience when working with additive manufacturing. A multitude of inspirations, suggestions and insights, not only for articles, poured in on - probably not only me.
This was underpinned by the very interesting presentations, live circuits and lectures which were of course again available to all visitors and exhibitors. Slight irritations caused by variations in bandwidth and the number of participants using the platform could be avoided by using conventional technologies such as telephone or rescheduling an appointment if necessary.
All in all, Formnext Connect, which attracted 203 exhibitors with over 2200 representatives and 8541 attendees from over one hundred countries, was, as trade fair organiser Mesago put it in its closing statement, proof that it is the "digital heart of the AM industry". Almost 45,000 spectators attended the 221 lectures and presentations alone.
The TCT Conference was another treat: current trends from the AM world, innovations and also insights into technological developments were presented, discussed and of course also shown.
We will always be happy to return here to our meetings and discussions at Formnext Connect and gradually let you participate in our experience process. Different topics, not only "successes of additive manufacturing" but also their individual areas, such as the selection of materials, the design of the component to be printed, the printing and also the further processing, finishing of components as well as the overall workflow, MIS, ERP, FEA, PLM and others will be highlighted. Look forward to exciting issues with interesting insights, products and most importantly ways to prepare your business or manufacturing for the industrial (r)evolution of additive manufacturing and successfully manage its demands.
In any case, I am looking forward to the next Formnext 2021 or, depending on the pandemic situation, Formnext Connect 2021...

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