The W3+ Fair Jena opened its doors for the first time with welcoming speeches from Bodo Ramelow, Minister President of Thuringia, and the Mayor of Jena. Jena’s first industry trade fair brought together players from the cutting-edge technologies of photonics, optics, electronics and mechanics in the Sparkassen-Arena: Over 160 exhibitors, partner associations and speakers met a total of 2027 trade visitors. “What a great atmosphere at the new W3+ Fair Jena! We are still buzzing from the successful premiere and all the positive feedback. Providing a stage for photonics and neighbouring key technologies has paid off: we will be bringing this enriching live exchange across professional and regional boundaries to Jena every year in future,” said Nora Kirsten, managing director of the fair’s gold partner OptoNet.

A good third of the exhibition space was occupied by companies from Thuringia. However, exhibitors from other federal states and ten other countries, including the UK, France and the USA, also took the opportunity to present themselves to the region. Satisfaction was high: according to the exhibitor survey, 84 % of the companies are already making firm plans to attend the next event in September 2024. It was not just the 23 companies at the joint Thuringian stand that were very busy: “So many good discussions with new and old contacts in a short space of time at the cradle of industrial optics – a format like this was long overdue in Jena,” confirmed Dr Jörg Wagner, managing director of LEJ Leistungselektronik Jena and new chairman of the board of OptoNet.

The visitors also gave the event top marks. Most of them came from the region. But even guests from abroad, for example from the Netherlands, Lithuania and Switzerland, used the first event to make contact with companies in Thuringia.

The accompanying conference en-tech.talks, which took place at the same time, also got off to a very good start in Jena. High-caliber speakers from Jenoptik, Zeiss, ASML, the Fraunhofer Society and many more gave talks over two days in front of a packed audience. The interest was great. In addition to the EPIC TechWatch, the Federal Agency for Leap Innovations Sprind sent four start-ups with new ideas to pitch on stage. Silicon Saxony also brought a far-sighted perspective to the podium: closer technological cooperation for Central Germany in terms of skilled labor, projects and financing.

The Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences presented eight of its current university research projects in the Campus Area. Offers and support for foreign co-operation projects were provided by the Europe Enterprise Network EEN, among others.

Overall, the W3+ Fair was supported by many professional associations and numerous partners from the region, including the Thuringian Cluster Management LEG Thüringen, the Metropolitan Region of Central Germany, the East Thuringia Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Gera, the Tridelta Campus Hermsdorf, the Centre for Mechanical Engineering ThZM, Enterprise Europe Network EEN and the medical technology network medways. The latter organized a LifeScience Day specifically for the W3+ Fair.

“The new W3+ Fair Jena was a complete success. It is based on the strong photonics sector, the leading photonics location of Jena/Thuringia, our highly motivated partners and the established trade fair concept. This combination enabled us to create real added value for all participants. The W3+ Fair is the perfect marketplace for the entire value chain of enabling technologies – this is where partnerships and ideas for future innovations are born,” says Jörg Brück, project director of the W3+ Fair.

The upcoming W3+ Fair Jena will take place on 25 – 26 September 2024. In spring, on 13 – 14 March 2024, the trade fair will celebrate its tenth anniversary at its home venue in Wetzlar.