November 23, 2024
Out of passion, for the profession or in search of the next adventure at heights: The fourth edition of the Vertical Pro from November 22nd to 23rd, 2024 attracted over 2,618 climbing enthusiasts from the fields of rope access technology, working and rescuing at heights, climbing gyms and bouldering halls as well as high and forest rope courses to the exhibition grounds in Friedrichshafen despite the onset of winter (2023: 2,269). The trade fair recorded an increase in visitors and exhibitors compared to the previous year. The diverse lecture and live program as well as the high-quality expert discussions at the companies' and associations' booths focused on interdisciplinary exchange.
"The great interest in Vertical Pro as an internationally renowned industry platform was not only demonstrated by the high number of exhibitor registrations and by expanding the space to three halls, but also confirmed by an increase in visitors," as Klaus Wellmann, CEO of the trade fair, and Sharon Kommer, project manager, announce. They are pleased about the special community spirit in the trade fair halls. The project manager adds: "The new formats were also convincing. The response to the "Women at height" networking event was positive throughout and the Future Wall was in great demand among the exhibitors."
Expanded exhibition space for successful format "Halls & Walls"
For the first time, the international climbing trade fair in Friedrichshafen occupied three exhibition halls and the Foyer East. The "Halls & Walls" platform for the climbing gym industry found its home in Halls A6 and A7. As a partner, the German Alpine Club (DAV) focused on creative routesetting and the topic of artificial intelligence in the supporting programme and gave us a positive Scenesummary for this year's edition. "This year once again the Vertical Pro was the ideal meeting place to talk to contact persons from climbing gyms and bouldering halls. The atmosphere at the trade fair was great and characterised by professional discussions at the booths. After extending the "Halls & Walls" to two exhibition halls, the offer for climbing gym and bouldering hall operators has become even more diverse. We would be delighted if the trade fair continued to grow," is the resumé of Jennifer Lönz, responsible at the DAV for Marketing artificial climbing facilities. Already before the event started, the trade fair organisers were able to extend the existing partnership with the German Alpine Club by another two years.
International platform for exchange and knowledge transfer
At Vertical Pro, around 200 exhibitors from 30 nations presented their latest products, services and trends in the sports climbing and professional segments. Mark Englisch, Managing Director of the British company Rockcity Industries, underlines how important the internationality of the trade fair is for companies: "Visitors from Asia, the USA and Australia come to Vertical Pro. We see this as a great advantage. Being here is also an ideal opportunity for us to meet our customers in person and not just communicate digitally."
In addition to the supraregional appeal, the trade professionals also ensure lively exchange and contacts beyond the duration of the trade fair. "Above all, good discussions with customers from various industries are crucial for us, as they will probably have a positive impact on the post-trade fair business – and this is what we had this year," explains Buffi Gollhardt, Sales Manager DACH at Béal SAS.
New exhibitors and those who have returned also draw a positive conclusion after the two days of the fair. "We had a lot of interesting discussions and were able to successfully present our test shoes. People tried the products and then wanted to learn more about our brands," says Nina Lang, Commercial Manager Climbing Brands EU from Wildcountry and Evolv. Maurice Schlößer from yourBeez GmbH felt the interest in the latest software: "As a start-up company, we were represented at the trade fair for the first time. Previously, we had only been to Friedrichshafen as visitors and therefore found it exciting to get to know the other side as well. Especially for us as a software service provider, it is very important to get talking to operators of smaller and larger climbing gyms and to find out their different focuses and interests. Our new product will be launched in 2025. That's why we're planning to also be at the trade fair next year."
The fifth edition of Vertical Pro will take place in Friedrichshafen on November 21 and 22, 2025.