Christian Wolf became chairman of the board in 2017 and has chaired it for the past five years. Having completed his five-year term, he is now handing over the rotational post to Steffen Winkler.
The Exhibitor Advisory Board advises the automation exhibition’s organizer Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH on the strategy and further conceptual development of the SPS and its operational implementation. All members are voluntary and the majority have been on the Exhibitor Advisory Board for many years. “Christian Wolf has chaired the SPS ABR for the past five years. He was instrumental in the brand strategy and the SPS – Smart Production Solutions rebranding in the 2019 anniversary year and has thus accompanied the exhibition on its journey into a digital future and through the Corona period. We would like to expressly thank him for his commitment,” stated Martin Roschkowski, President of Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. “We are also delighted that he will continue to serve on the Exhibitor Advisory Board and contribute his valued ideas and thoughts.”
“It has been a pleasure to chair the Exhibitor Advisory Board over the past five years and I would like to convey my sincere thanks to everyone involved for their support and trust," said Christian Wolf. "The time was interesting and enriching, also during the last two challenging years. In the close cooperation of the Exhibitor Advisory Board with the trade show team, we were able to move forward and change a great deal - especially the expansion of the brand core in terms of digitalization and internationalization. This, in turn, resulted in the creation of a new name. I look forward to continuing to work with the Exhibitor Advisory Board and wish Steffen Winkler every success in his new role. And we can all hardly wait to experience the next SPS again together with our customers live on site in Nuremberg at the beginning of November.”
Steffen Winkler takes over as chairman
“I have been a visitor, exhibitor and fan of SPS, the world’s most important automation exhibition, for 26 years now. I therefore consider it both a great honor and a duty to take over the baton from Christian Wolf,” said Steffen Winkler about his new role as chairman. “After two years, it is finally time to experience the SPS in person again. We in the Exhibitor Advisory Board are therefore discussing with Mesago the most important topics and developments to ensure a successful exhibition for all participants.”
Steffen Winkler is CSO of the Automation Business Unit at Bosch Rexroth AG. Following his electrical engineering degree, he initially worked as a development engineer, then a product manager, and later as head of product management before moving into sales. In addition to his main duties, the focus of his activities was on the development of functional areas (product management, industry sales), cooperation management and the development of product areas, sales regions, and sales channels. After heading corporate strategy at Bosch Rexroth, focusing on company-wide strategy development, business area and location planning, strategic projects, or mergers & acquisitions, he headed the factory automation market segment, which includes the automotive, machine tool, printing, packaging, semiconductor and electronics, plastics machinery, and aerospace industries. With over twenty years of professional experience and active involvement in various industry associations, Mr. Winkler is an expert in the global automation market.
Expansion of the Exhibitor Advisory Board
As of this year, the Exhibitor Advisory Board has also welcomed the following new members: Manfred Werner, Managing Partner at CODESYS GmbH, and Sebastian Seitz, Chairman of the Management Board of EPLAN GmbH & Co. KG as well as Dr. Volker Lindenau, Lead Business Area Manager for Motion Germany at ABB AG.
Background information
The SPS Exhibitor Advisory Board was founded in 1997 in order to align the event with market demands. The advisory board members represent the SPS exhibitors and contribute to the future development and focus of the event. A list of the current members is available at sps-exhibition.com.
About Mesago Messe Frankfurt
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 150 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
The Messe Frankfurt Group is one of the world’s leading trade fair, congress and event organisers with their own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of 2,200 people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. As in the previous year, annual sales for 2021 were significantly lower owing to the COVID-19 pandemic: approximately €154 million compared with Group sales as high as €736 million in pre-pandemic 2019. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. Sustainable business practices are a central pillar in our corporate strategy and strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity. Another of Messe Frankfurt’s strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.
With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com