Starting in 2010, Valve World Expo will be staged in Düsseldorf, Germany. Messe Düsseldorf has acquired the leading global event for valves and valve accessories from KCI Publishing B.V., based in Zutphen, the Netherlands. KTC Publishing B.V. launched the trade fair in 1998 and has been responsible for organizing and running the event in the Dutch city of Maastricht every two years since then. From November 30 – December 2, 2010, the Valve World Expo together with the Valve World Conference will take place at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf. KCI Publishing B.V. will remain the coordinator of the leading international industry conference. The two organizers have agreed to work closely together to promote the trade fair’s further development.

Donald Wiedemeyer, CEO of KCI Publishing B.V., sees the event’s move to Düsseldorf as a great opportunity for Valve World: “Over the past few years, Valve World Expo has developed very positively to the extent that we have reached our limits in terms of venue and organizational capacity. In Düsseldorf, the event will have a chance to continue expanding and extending its international reach even further. The city and fairgrounds’ infrastructure is excellent, plus Messe Düsseldorf is known for its exceptional expertise and experience in the organization of leading international fairs. Our clients can only benefit from all of this! KCI Publishing and Messe Düsseldorf will work hand in hand to provide exhibitors and visitors with the ideal conditions for doing business.”

Valve World Conference Director Sjef Roymans also regards the cooperation with Messe Düsseldorf as an opportunity to further build on the successful formula of the event. “Valve World and the Valve World Steering Committee will continue to organize the Valve World Conference. Messe Düsseldorf will facilitate the Valve World Conference, which will always be held in conjunction with the Valve World Expo. With Messe Düsseldorf’s proven organizational experience and the vicinity of an international airport, we expect that the Valve World Conference will definitely further expand both in terms of quantity and quality.”

Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, is delighted with this addition to the trade fair program: “Valve World Expo is the world’s No. 1 event for its industry and, together with the Valve World Conference, it serves as an important meeting point for flow control professionals. It also fits in perfectly with our portfolio of metallurgy trade fairs staged here in Düsseldorf as well as around the world. I am confident of Valve World Expo’s great growth potential and believe that we can do a lot towards making this respected event even more successful!”

Valve World Expo’s positive development over the past few years is reflected not only in the steady increase in exhibitor and visitor numbers but also in the amount of exhibit space booked. The last staging in November 2006 attracted 430 exhibiting companies from 34 countries and some 9,000 trade visitors from Europe, Asia, North and Latin America as well as 400 conference participants. The upcoming trade fair, to be held in Maastricht from November 4 – 6, 2008, is fully booked and will significantly surpass the results of Valve World 2006. The trade visitors are predominantly from the on- and off-shore oil and gas industry, the (petro)chemical industry, the (nuclear) power generating industry, as well as from the food industry and the shipbuilding industry. In addition, materials and plant engineers, quality controllers, valve suppliers, wholesalers and retailers as well as supply manufacturers involved in casting, forging, industrial springs and seals come to the Valve World Expo and Conference.

Joachim Schäfer, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf, is responsible for the metallurgy trade fairs and in the future also for Valve World Expo. He believes that the change in venue will bring many benefits: “The expertise we have gained by organizing leading international trade fairs will be of tremendous service to the international clients of this highly innovative event and will assist them in the global competition. For many years, Düsseldorf has been ranked as one of the world’s trade fair venues with the greatest international reach. Together with our subsidiaries and foreign representative offices, we have a presence in 105 countries. Due to optimal transportation connections, getting to Düsseldorf is quick and easy from all continents.”

Since its start in 1947, Messe Düsseldorf has specialized in organizing trade fairs and has achieved worldwide acclaim in this field. At the center of its portfolio are the 40 trade fairs focusing on machinery and equipment, retail and wholesale, trade and services as well as medicine and health. The Düsseldorf fairgrounds offer modern exhibition halls and conference facilities as well as a comprehensive customer service program for exhibitors and visitors. The city of Düsseldorf provides a large variety of hotels, restaurants and stores for all categories.

For further information on Valve World Expo 2008, visit www.valve-world.net or contact Valve World, P.O. Box 396, NL 7200 AJ Zutphen, The Netherlands. Telephone 011 31 (575) 585 270; Fax 011 31 (575) 511099.

For information on visiting or exhibiting at Valve World Expo 2010, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: info@mdna.com. Or visit the web site http://www.mdna.com.

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