Six worlds, two halls, one trade fair – preparations for viscom 2014 are in full swing. The new structure with six theme words in Halls 3.0 and 3.1 at the Exhibition Centre Frankfurt serves to comprehensively cover all visual communications sectors. Ther has been a change in the days of the week: For the first time, viscom will take place from Wednesday (5 November) to Friday (7 November).

It will be bigger and more differentiated: For the first time ever, itt will take place in two halls. “Two years ago, viscom frankfurt was bursting at the seams,” says viscom Director Petra Lassahn. “The expansion this year to include the upper floor doesn’t just mean we’re keeping pace with the steady growth, it also affords us an opportunity to better structure the trade fair with our target groups in mind.” In the “Technology and Materials” segment, viscom will aim at equipment and materials buyers, advertising technicians, print service providers, and furniture and equipment suppliers, while the “Application and Marketing” segment will target brand manufacturers and distributors, manufacturing and retail marketing decision-makers, agencies, creative talent and designers.

Accordingly, Hall 3.0 on the ground floor will be dominated by new technology and manufacturing processes, latest-generation equipment, plus accessories and materials. Exhibitors here will represent large-format printing, signmaking including advertising technology and illuminated advertising, and object design. Hall 3.1 on the upper level will be the place to be mainly for visitors in search of complete package solutions and inspiration. The hall will be home to exhibitors from the areas digital signage, POS display, POS packaging and object design, as well as a cross-section of all the core segments represented at the viscom World of Inspiration. That event’s theme this year will be “Multisense,” and it will showcase current developments, highlights and new products on about 800 m².

Momentum generated by the new segments is responsible for a particularly large share of first-time exhibitors. The positive development of visitor numbers in recent years is another reason to be optimistic. “The trade fair has become widely established as a must-attend event for our industry,” says Petra Lassahn. “That’s true not just for the German market. The international dialogue taking place at the trade fair is another one of our strong points.” In 2013, about 20% of a total of 13,578 trade visitors came from outside Germany.