Wind Power Asia-Wind Power Asia

It was a busy three days at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing for key players of the wind energy industry who converge here every year since its debut in 2003 for Wind Power Asia (WPA).

WPA 2009, held from 8 to 10 July 2009, concluded with a blast. A total of 15,065 professional visitors calling from 43 countries worldwide thronged the packed aisles to meet with some 445 exhibitors featured at the trade fair - an increase of 50% in exhibiting companies compared to 2008. Participating brands were well-represented from all over the world; more than 60% came from abroad. Attendees this year found themselves navigating through a larger area and meeting more prospective business partners, as WPA has grown by 40% in net exhibition space against 2008 to cover close to 11,000 sqm. WPA 2009’s stellar performance proves that there is an overwhelming interest in the vibrant Chinese wind power market as well as demand for international technology to satisfy the growth in this market.

The participation of leading domestic players was one of the highlights and unique features of WPA 2009. Local manufacturers increased by 20% from last year to 178. This was made possible by the strong and authoritative representation of the Chinese industry led by the China Machinery Enterprises Management Association (CMMA), and it’s Wind Energy Machinery Manufacturers Center (members including leaders in wind turbine production, DEC, Goldwind and Sinovel), which co-organized WPA for the first time this year.

Mr. Wang Ruixiang, President of CMMA commented, “Wind Power Asia remains as the event of choice for Chinese manufactures. Our association members value the vast opportunities offered at this highly professional event. Wind Power Asia directly benefits the development of wind energy in China by enabling us as a national association to further enhance the use of wind power with research and development, improving management methods and industry policies, and play a positive role in connecting government and enterprises, and promote international cooperation”.

“We are delighted by the positive response and tremendous growth of Wind Power Asia this year. It truly reflects the increasing importance of renewable energies in China. Just recently, it was reported that in total terms, China has now become the largest producer of renewable energy worldwide, and the success of Wind Power Asia is an indicator of things to come”, added Mr. Michael Dreyer, Vice President Asia-Pacific of Koelnmesse.

WPA’s extensive exhibit profile represented the entire product range. Exhibitors hailed from the fields of machinery manufacturing, supplies and accessories, scientific research, wind farm development, certification and consultation. The event brought together domestic and international wind energy market leaders, such as DHI·DCW Group (parent company of Sinovel), Dongfang Electric Group of China, Luoyang Bearing Corporation, Dalian Metallurgy and Bearing Group, China National Materials Group Corporation, ABB, Bosch Rexroth, Bonfiglioli, Danobat Group, as well as many first-time exhibitors at the trade fair, like, OCV (composite), Rossi (power transmission), Stanley and Gedore (tools), Glual (hydraulic) and many more.

Exhibitors were very satisfied with their participation. Many agreed that the event has become the pivotal platform for communication, interaction and trade within the wind power industry in China.

“WPA is one of the most important events for us because here you can see the entire range of display offered in the industry. In addition to information on new products, it is also an ideal industry meeting place,” declared Mr. Ping Feng, Marketing Department, Dongfang Electric.

"As a first-time exhibitor at WPA, DHI·DCW Group is very pleased with both the number of people who visited our booth and with the quality of those visitors. We saw technical and managerial people from all over the world, many of whom we might never have otherwise met," said Mr. Zuxue Peng, Marketing Department, DHI·DCW Group.

“We are very satisfied with how things went at the trade show and couldn't detect any indication of the general economic downturn at our stand. WPA has proven itself to be the ideal platform for exchanging information and for building a network of business contacts,” observed Mr. Hongbing Yan, Commercial Manager, Glual Hydraulics China Co., Ltd.

Ms. Rikke Berg from the Danish Wind Energy Group, a returning exhibitor for the fourth year running gave recognition to WPA, “Yet again, Wind Power Asia has proven to be an excellent place to meet the players in the Chinese market. Since our first participation with the Danish Pavilion, WPA has grown in size and professionalism year by year.”

85% of the exhibitors confirmed that they have met relevant customers and that the objectives of their participation have been fully achieved. The attendees comprised of machinery manufacturers, wind farm owners, investors, technicians, engineers, and trading companies, who were all on the look-out for the latest trends and product innovations as well as to establish contacts and networking opportunities.

Thrilled at the strong turnout for this year’s WPA, its Project Director Mr. Mathias Kuepper commented, "The initial feedback from our formal exhibitor questionnaire registered visitors’ interest in the product on display as exceptionally high. Around 90% of the exhibitors rated the quality of this year’s audience as good or very good. The excellent response to our exhibitors coupled with the attendance figures sets the tone for next year’s event."

The WPA conference was an assembly of a unique mix of speakers from the public and private sectors. Keynote speeches were delivered by officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, the China Bureau of Energy of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Germany Federal Environment Agency, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and many other organizations.

Industry perspectives concerning Chinese wind market and technology innovation were also contributed by Mr. Gang Wu, President of Goldwind Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Mr. Shugang Wen, President of Dongfang Electric, and Mr. Jiajing Song, President/General Manager of DHI.DCW Group Co., Ltd. respectively.

With crowded forums and conference rooms, the organizers were overwhelmed by the optimistic response of the delegates to the new conference and event program structure. The three-day conference was organized in co-location with the Clean Energy Expo China (CEEC) forum, and in partnership with ADB and CMMA. The involvement of CMMA enhanced the participation of key government policy makers, leading manufacturers, power companies and industry experts at a local level, while ADB’s long history of promoting greater investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy contributed a regional perspective.

Registering a total attendance of 786 delegates and topics ranging from project finance and risk management, integration of wind power plants into the grid, to wind power technology discussed, it was truly a successful year for the WPA conference.

WPA is organized by Koelnmesse Co., Ltd. in cooperation with CMMA and Unique International Exhibition Limited. The trade fair features the entire wind power industrial value chain. Wind power professionals meet at WPA annually to do business, conduct market research, learn about the latest developments and procure products.

The next WPA will take place from 23 to 25 June 2010 at the China National Convention Center (CNCC) in Beijing, the largest and newest international conference center with prime location and world-class facilities.

As a world-renowned trade fair organizer, Koelnmesse has an excellent track record for organizing some of the world’s most successful trade events, such as the accomplished Entsorga-Enteco – an international trade fair on waste management and environmental technology – and Carbon Expo – the world’s leading platform for emissions trading and CO₂ reduction projects – in Cologne, Germany. With over 80 years experience in organizing large-scale commercial events connecting buyers and sellers, Koelnmesse brings forth an unrivaled skill-set and expertise needed to develop Wind Power Asia into one of the premier international trade shows in Asia.