The inaugural BUILDINX – Innovations for Logistics Properties – show at Messe Dortmund between 19 and 21 November 2024 proved a great hit. With a clear focus on the entire logistics and industrial property value chain, the show impressed visitors as a leading-edge buyer-meets-seller forum for manufacturing industry, logistics, retail and for investors. Over the three days of the show, the event met with a broad favourable response from the industry and high levels of satisfaction among exhibitors and visitors.

Dortmund, 27 November 2024 – BUILDINX 2024 featured a comprehensive line-up of participants ranging from the industry's big names to innovative start-ups. As a meeting place for the “who's who” of the logistics and industrial property sector, the show brought premier exhibitors and decision-makers together under one roof. The combination of Conference Area, Network Area and Innovation Arena created an environment for engagement on key subject matter, knowledge transfer and developing leading-edge ideas.

Sabine Loos, Managing Director of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe which owns and operates the Messe Dortmund venue, drew a positive conclusion, saying: “With BUILDINX, we've created a platform that acts as a driving force for the future of logistics and industrial property. The successful inaugural show highlights the need for a holistic approach to networking between all relevant players in the industry. Our aim is to establish not just a trade show, but a strategic hub for interacting, engaging and developing technologically advanced solutions. BUILDINX is further proof of Messe Dortmund's innovative power, and we look forward to building on this success.”

With a clear focus on Real Estate & Finance, New-Build & Refurbishment, Fixtures & Fittings, as well as Equipment and Construction Elements, BUILDINX set specific priorities. Supplemented by the Industry, Logistics & Trade segment, it thus covered the full span of the sector. Kuno Neumeier, spokesman for the logistics property focus group of the German Federal Logistics Association (BVL), which is the conceptual sponsor behind the show and designed the accompanying conference programme, confirmed this, saying: “Indepth technical discussions, varied panels and innovative formats – the first BUILDINX was a runaway success and has made the event a real industry get-together with exciting new players. BUILDINX is sending out a clear signal for quality and depth of content.”

BUILDINX inspiring exhibitors and trade visitors alike

Accordingly, the very first BUILDINX was able to impress everyone with pretty convincing figures. The vast majority of trade visitors were extremely happy with the show and praised in particular the strong presence of leading market players. Around 80% of respondents are directly involved in purchasing and procurement decisions in their businesses, underlining the high relevance of the show to decision-makers in the industry. People's desire to return is particularly worthy of note, with an independent survey during the show revealing that the majority of participants signalled their intention to visit BUILDINX again in the future.

The exhibitors were impressed by the quality of the trade visitors, which included project developers, logistics service providers, representatives from trade and industry, investors, academics and policy-makers. The 80+ exhibitors – including many major players in the logistics and industrial property world – particularly emphasised the successful networking of stakeholders throughout the value chain.

Innovative conference offerings

Even at the inaugural show, BUILDINX succeeded in setting standards with its conference programme. Under the direction of Kuno Neumeier and the dual leadership of Dagmar Wolf and Richard Schneider, the BUILDINX Focus Group put together a high-calibre accompanying programme of events. The result was a programme developed in conjunction with leading experts in the logistics real estate sector including Logivest, JLL, CBRE Group, Colliers International Germany and wdp that focused on the main topics covered by the show. Dagmar Wolf, Head of Corporate Communications at WAGNER Group GmbH, explained: “We succeeded in establishing a top-rate conference programme with leading-edge topics and great speakers at the heart of BUILDINX, really encouraging engagement and interaction. The exhibitors, with their pioneering technologies and solutions, and the quality of visitors have created an ideal foundation from which to take the show forward to even greater successes.” As a result, the conference programme has succeeded in including a wide range of topics covering the entire life cycle of a logistics property. Kuno Neumeier continued: “Never before has there been a comparable show in Germany concentrating on logistics property in such a focussed and detailed way. We're addressing not just developers, investors and building contractors, but users and component manufacturers as well.”

Richard Schneider, Managing Director of fabrikon, added: “BUILDINX is a highly specialised trade show with a clear focus on logistics and industrial real estate. It brings together the leading minds and businesses in the industry and offers a unique platform for trends, innovations and fresh opportunities for collaboration. One particularly impressive aspect is the deliberate integration of modern technologies and leading-edge concepts providing decisive impetus for the way the entire industry is set to develop. The comprehensive supporting programme and inspiring presentations create special added value for exhibitors and visitors. We're excited at the huge growth potential we see for the years ahead, and look forward to the follow-up shows.”

Innovation Arena with start-ups engaging in eloquent duels

The Innovation Arena was another of the programme highlights at the 2024 show. In collaboration with the Founders Fight Club, it offered start-ups a platform for presenting pioneering solutions. At the same time, the Founders Fight Night on the first evening of the show delivered rousing pitch duels. Inspired by the battle rap format, this saw young entrepreneurs competing against each other and attempting to convince the panel of expert judges and the audience of the merits of their various business models. At the end of an exciting event, the start-up SLAPStack finally emerged on top, impressing people with the development of a pioneering operating system for autonomous floor block storage systems using driverless forklift trucks.

Outlook for 2025 – next BUILDINX already being planned

Following the successful début of BUILDINX in 2024, exhibitors and visitors are looking forward to the follow-up show. Between 18 and 20 November 2025, Dortmund will again be the central meeting place for the logistics and industrial real estate sector, offering opportunities for innovation and networking at the highest level.