The trade show is the absolute highlight within the industry. Exhibiting companies, from start-ups to key players, and highly qualified visitors have been meeting here for over 30 years to exchange ideas in person, maintain business relationships and enter into new collaborations. 87% of exhibitors have taken part in SPS more than once, and 94% describe the event as either important or very important to their company.
"We see the SPS as the jewel in the crown among trade shows in the field of automation. The entire industry keeps a keen eye on the event, and everyone is there. As Felix Kranert, head of Offer Marketing Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric GmbH, remarked: "That makes it the perfect event for presenting products and talking to customers and partners."
Philip Privalov, from Business Development at STIWA AMS GmbH, also confirmed the positive results: "We regard the SPS as an annual highlight, where we can present innovative solutions in the field of shopfloor software and production digitization while also establishing valuable contacts. This is where the best minds in the industry come together to shape the future of manufacturing."
Julia Gieseler, head of Marketing at eks Engel FOS GmbH & Co. KG added: “The SPS is, and will remain, the industry's highlight of the year. Despite the currently challenging economic situation, the trade show made a fantastic impression – with great organization, innovative exhibitors and a wonderful opportunity for engaging with other players in the sector. For us as exhibitors, it was once again an excellent platform for promoting pioneering solutions and partnerships."
International participation at a consistently high level
International participation among exhibitors was 40%, slightly higher than in the previous year. Following Germany, the top five exhibitor countries were China, Italy and the USA, with 4th place being shared by Switzerland and Austria. Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom came in fifth. There was also an increase in visitors compared to the SPS 2023, with the largest number of international attendees coming from Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
Visitor satisfaction an important indicator for the success of the trade show
A poll among visitors revealed that 92% would attend a future SPS, and 95% would recommend it to colleagues and customers. 91% rated the SPS as either important or very important to their company, and a total of 98% were satisfied or very satisfied with their visit. The following visitor testimonials underline these results:
Franz Reither, Managing Director | PLC programmer from Reither Automation GmbH looks to the future: "The SPS gave me an impression of what we automation engineers will be facing in the coming years. And I was also able to expand my network."
"This year's SPS showed that the industry is on the right track, and I saw some fantastic digital products. Machinery and plant construction is gearing up for the future," summarized Dirk Scherer, a manager at HAHN Automation Group GmbH.
Markus Gabler, a team leader in Product Development at Krones AG, put it in a nutshell: "A 'must' for everyone in the automation industry."
Strong demand for specialist information
The figures for the 2024 presentation program clearly show that exchanging know-how plays an important role at the trade show: A total of 5,610 participants attended 172 presentations at the trade show forums. At the four trade show forums, attendees were able to expand their knowledge and find out about current trends and innovations during fascinating presentations, innovative product presentations and practice-oriented podium discussions.
The analysis we have included provides further detailed information on the structure of our exhibitors and attendees in 2024.
SPS
Smart Production Solutions – 34th international trade fair for industrial automation
The SPS will be held from 25 - 27 November 2025.
Background information on Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH
Mesago, founded in 1982 and located in Stuttgart, specializes in exhibitions and conferences on various topics of technology. The company belongs to the Messe Frankfurt Group. Mesago operates internationally and is not tied to a specific venue. With around 160 members of staff Mesago organizes events for the benefit of more than 3,300 exhibitors and over 110,000 trade visitors, conference delegates and speakers from all over the world. Numerous trade associations, publishing houses, scientific institutes and universities work with Mesago closely as advisers, co-organizers and partners. (mesago.com)
Background information on Messe Frankfurt
www.messefrankfurt.com/background-information