And the networking continues: An interview with Anja Diete regarding Cleanzone Digital Edition

07 dicembre 2020

Time has a new meaning for digital events. Even after two trade fair days full of
high-quality presentations and dialogue on 18 and 19 November, Cleanzone Digital
Edition remains active online. Anyone who missed the event or would like the
chance to view some of the presentations again can still do so through 18
December. Free tickets are still available from Messe Frankfurt’s online ticket shop
and all existing tickets continue to be valid. In our interview, Anja Diete, Show
Director Cleanzone, reveals more facts and figures for Cleanzone Digital Edition.

A one-time-only all-online event: Cleanzone 2020. What was it like for you to
organise a digital format like this?

Anja Diete, Messe Frankfurt: “It was late in September when we decided to put
Cleanzone entirely online, and I can tell you that getting an event with entirely new
structures up and running in a little less than two months is no small achievement. My
team and I learned a great deal during this time, so I am particularly pleased by the
results. Two days full of trade fair activity with top speakers, top topics, top innovations
and top dialogue. And it is still not over: the platform will be open until 18 December so
that participants can continue to register, take advantage of networking opportunities and
view the recorded presentations and panel discussions. This ensures that those who were
unable to take part during the trade fair itself, perhaps because they were in different time
zones, can still benefit from the event.”

What sort of feedback have you been getting from exhibitors and visitors?

Anja Diete: “Exhibitor feedback has been uniformly positive. By creating Cleanzone Digital
Edition, we were able to provide exhibitors with a platform that allowed them to present
their innovations to an international audience even in the current situation. During the
pandemic in particular, the cleanroom industry has a social responsibility because its
practical solutions for combating viral contamination can also be beneficial in everyday
situations. Visitors also made extensive use of the platform – and they are continuing to
do so. Over 1,500 viewers have already followed the live streams. AI designed to
recognise suitable profiles generated approx. 3,000 contact recommendations. 80 percent
of these recommendations resulted in mutual interest. Exhibitors are extremely happy with
the quality of participants, who came from companies such as BioNTech, Boehringer
Ingelheim, DuPont, Rentschler Biopharma, Merck, Novartis, Infineon Technologies and
MAN Truck not to mention numerous hospitals, pharmacies and universities.

Were you able to expand the international reach?

Anja Diete: “This was the first time that more than 50 percent of participants have come
from outside Germany. Visitors from 49 countries took part, including such far-flung
destinations as Ghana, Iraq, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Saudi- Arabia and
Egypt. This was certainly also due in no small part to the support of the International
Confederation of Contamination Control Societies (ICCCS). The ICCCS offered
presentations on the current status of guidelines that offer the certainty that is essential for
international production.

The Cleanzone Award has firmly established itself in the industry. What was it like
organising this digitally?

Anja Diete: “The award has become a driver of innovation in the industry and it is a core
component of Cleanzone. This year we received more outstanding submissions than ever
before, and our panel selected seven finalists as a result. With such dynamism, we are
delighted that we were able to present the award digitally. The winner was an outstanding
innovation featuring a coating for textile surfaces that photodynamically kills microorganisms.
It is the result of a joint project undertaken by Ortner Reinraumtechnik,
Textilforschungsinstitut Thüringen-Vogtland and Humboldt University of Berlin.”

What other topics were in focus at Cleanzone Digital Edition 2020?

Anja Diete: “Be it from BioNTech, Curevac, Moderna or Astra Zeneca, there has been a
lot of good news on possible vaccines recently. Yet what can be done to quickly increase
production capacities for these vaccines? The Cleanzone Digital Edition programme
featured two top-notch speakers on this topic: David Lindholm from Keyplants and Martin
Birch from G-Con.

Battery production is another highly topical issue and one that is an essential component
of the fight against climate change. Germany hopes to be producing over 170 gigawatt
hours of battery capacity by 2025. Experts discussed the battery factory of the future as
part of a high-quality panel discussion. We also played host to some highly scientific
discussions at Cleanzone Digital Edition. Here, the crème de la crème of European
metrology got together within the framework of the EU-supported MetAMC project to talk
about the latest findings in the measurement of chemical contamination in cleanrooms.”

What are your expectations for Cleanzone 2021?

Anja Diete: “I will be delighted if we are able to see one another here in person in
Frankfurt am Main next year on 24 and 25 November. The latest developments on the
vaccine front have made me very optimistic in this regard. Naturally we will also be using
the coming months to evaluate which digital functions we should continue to offer – we
want to take the best parts of the digital experience and combine these with the physical
event to deliver the greatest possible benefit to the cleanroom industry. There’s a lot to
look forward to. Stay healthy!”

The next Cleanzone will take place on 24 and 25 November 2021 in Hall 1.2 on the
Frankfurt exhibition grounds.

More information on Cleanzone can be found at:
www.cleanzone.messefrankfurt.com 
www.cleanzone.messefrankfurt.com/facebook 
www.cleanzone.messefrankfurt.com/twitter 
www.cleanzone.messefrankfurt.com/linkedin 

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