Cristina Campo (BEC): “The various +Industry trade shows can provide solutions to the needs of OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2"

With the ambition of bringing together the main players in the industrial world, +Industry, which brings together the Subcontratación 2025, AdditD, BeDIGITAL, Maintenance, and Pumps & Valves trade shows, and the launch of weAR, is about to open its doors to BEC from June 3 to 5. This is what  tells us.

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Interview published in AutoRevista 2.401

AutoRevista: “"The entire industry, here." What value does +Industry aim to contribute to a European industry in need of greater competitiveness?

Cristina Campo.-  On a geopolitical level, we have been through years of complexity, and recent months have seen a scenario of great instability. However, in these types of situations, opportunities also arise. The fact that the European Commission has also reacted to this situation and relaxed its measures regarding the 2025-2027 decarbonization targets must be seen as an opportunity. Therefore, at +Industry, with the motto "All industry, here," we want to be allies for our client companies, both at the exhibition and visitor levels, and serve as a point of reference to help them face these new challenges. A few weeks ago, José López-Tafall, CEO of ANFAC, highlighted at an ACICAE event the importance of reducing the innovation gap with respect to the United States and China and the need for a joint roadmap for decarbonization and competitiveness. This goal of becoming more competitive is where we at BEC also participate with industrial fairs, in this case with +Industry, from June 3 to 5. We're helping to support factories in the automotive sector by connecting with their digitalization, automation, and robotics needs, for which our event will be a point of reference. We continue to work closely with the sectors to stay constantly up-to-date on trends.

AR.- weAR is the big new feature of this edition. How did the idea come about, and what has been the response from the world of robotics and automation to this initiative?

C.C.- It's the result of an evolution that has been taking place at our trade shows in recent years, such as the last edition of BIEMH, with a separate exhibition space and the Automation and Robotics Talks. This interest in digitalization, automation, and robotics is not new and has been evident at other trade shows such as BeDigital, an annual event where we focus on digital transformation applied to the industry. Returning to the need to seek more competitive solutions not only in the automotive industry, but also in other industries, we have considered that we need a fair with its own entity. We'll have leading companies and benchmarks like Danobat and Fanuc. The expectations for exhibitors and purchasing companies are very good.

AR.- What are the expectations for visitors and decision-making executives from the automotive world?

C.C.- We have several independent trade shows that can provide solutions to the needs of OEMs, Tier 1, and Tier 2 companies in terms of exhibition and content areas. We're talking about more cross-cutting trade shows like BeDigital and weAR, but also more niche trade shows like AdditƐD for additive manufacturing. We have many options to offer solutions to the challenges that the automotive sector faces and will face in the coming years. In the case of Subcontracting, we will have European B2B meetings, with 21 editions under our belt, where the automotive sector is one of the major purchasing sectors. Furthermore, at BeDigital and AdditƐD, in addition to the respective exhibition areas, there will be a series of Talks that we know can address and help address the sector's new challenges. 

AR.- How has the fair been designed to seek synergies between the different fairs that make up + Industry?

C.C.-  With + Industry, we aim to ensure that, at any given time and in a specific space, our exhibiting and purchasing companies have the widest range of options, at all levels, to meet their daily challenges. We seek answers for our natural clients at each of the fairs, but also for those who interact with them indirectly or tangentially, because competitiveness takes on more complex aspects in a more global and competitive environment.

AR.- How is the event evolving in terms of internationalization?

C.C.-  Internationalization is part of the Bilbao Exhibition Centre. It's an aspect we've been working on conscientiously for many years, both on the sales and visitor sides. For weeks now, we've had confirmation from multinationals from Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the United States, India, China, and so on. In the case of purchasing companies, we count on them as key players both nationally and internationally. At the trade shows that comprise + Industry, we work on internationalization through the Visitors Department, but also through initiatives such as the European industrial subcontracting meetings, which provide opportunities to meet primarily with international buyers from different countries. An average of 1,000 meetings are held with between 90 and 100 purchasing companies from the automotive, aeronautical, and defense sectors, from countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Morocco, Switzerland, and more.

AR.- Startup Village and WorkiNN address entrepreneurship and training. How can +Industry promote new projects and the generation of new talent for the industry?

C.C.- Based on our commitment to being allies of companies, entrepreneurship and talent are two important topics. Startup Village was previously part of BeDigital, but with the addition of weAR, we aimed to provide emerging companies in sectors that are constantly changing and highly innovative with their own space to connect supply and demand. In the case of WorkInn, talent is one of the greatest challenges, not only in terms of attraction but also in terms of retention. This fair, which has been running for nine years, began as a job portal offering vacancies, but over the course of its evolution, it has been given more resources, adding content through talks and activities. We want to offer options to companies that need this talent, as well as to students and professionals looking for new opportunities.

AR: What aspects will the Digital Talks focus on?

C.C.- They will be held on the first day of the fair, June 3rd, with full-time sessions, always in collaboration with leading entities in the sectors and scientific committees that guide us in conducting the Talks within the framework of BeDigital. We'll open with a keynote address from the European Commission, offering an overview of the new EC Framework Programme for Cloud Computing and IT. Then, on the 3rd, we'll discuss intelligent systems and digital technologies for present and future industry, as well as industrial cybersecurity, through two sessions. All of this will be presented by leading companies and leading professionals through various presentations and panel discussions.