The first WindEnergy Hamburg Digital opened 1 December and gathers the market after the in-person tradefair had been postponed, despite organisers making an initial move from September to December. Hamburg Messe und Congress later developed a new digital concept to provide a business platform for the industry despite the adversities.
Organisers say that WindEnergy Hamburg Digital, which runs 1-4 December 2020, lays down a foundation stone for a permanent digital industry marketplace to be further developed over the coming years. “Our goals are ambitious. However, within the short time available to us, we did not succeed in generating online exhibitor profiles at a quality level that satisfied our own expectations and those of our customers right from the beginning of the event,” said Bernd Aufderheide, president and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress. “But we are learning from our current experiences and working hard on the development of a digital presence for our exhibitors.”
The focus of WindEnergy Hamburg Digital for 2020 is on two online live streams: The WindTV Premium Stream, an updated edition of WindEurope's Premium Conference, and the WindTV Open Stream which will feature a free programme put together jointly by the European wind energy association WindEurope, the Global Wind Energy Council, GWEC, and Hamburg Messe und Congress.
The WindTV Premium Stream broadcasts the annual WindEurope conference to the digital world along with a wide range of other programmes such as videos, interviews and discussion panels. The roster of speakers includes top experts from industry, government, finance and technology and from other walks of life including music and sport. Participants include IEA executive director Fatih Birol, the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, the chairman of BASF SE, Dr. Martin Brudermüller, as well as Fridays for Future activists.
The free-of-charge WindTV Open Stream will likewise broadcast for four days from three studios in Brussels, Shoreham Port (UK) and Hamburg. The programming will include news and reports on the latest developments in business, policy-making and technology: daily Live Business News, GWEC Global Wind Briefs, Exhibitor Talks, VDMA Industry Talks, panel discussions about hydrogen, electrification and system integration, sessions on technologies and community as well as the viewer forum ‘What people ask’.