Messe Düsseldorf’s growth strategy in the mobility sector is taking shape: XPONENTIAL, the leading U.S. trade show for uncrewed vehicles and robotic technology will open its doors at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver from May 8 to 11, 2023, celebrating its 50th anniversary. On board as co-organizer is the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), which founded XPONENTIAL and hosts it annually at rotating locations across the U.S. The joint event is part of a new, comprehensive partnership between Messe Düsseldorf North America and AUVSI, with MDNA acquiring a 60 percent stake in the XPONENTIAL trademark rights in 2022. “With this event acquisition – the largest in the history of Messe Düsseldorf – we’re seizing a key emerging topic with excellent growth potential,” says Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. “The technology offers promising opportunities, which we’ll make accessible to the exhibitors of our world-leading trade shows in Düsseldorf. At the same time, we’re developing new target groups for the uncrewed systems industry. These synergies along with our global network will serve to expand the thematic range covered at XPONENTIAL, take it to new markets and bolster its leading position.”
For MDNA, the first joint XPONENTIAL is a special event also because it represents the starting point for further growth on the American continent. To date, MDNA organizes one trade show on its own, VALVE WORLD AMERICAS in Houston, Texas, and is involved in the plastics trade show COLOMBIAPLAST and the medical-technology trade show MEDITECH in Colombia. Moreover, the company organizes “USA Pavilions” at trade shows in Düsseldorf and is the international link for U.S. companies, assisting with everything necessary to attend or exhibit at trade shows organized by Messe Düsseldorf worldwide. “In the future, we want to play an even bigger role as an organizer of our own shows. XPONENTIAL is a major milestone on our growth path,” says Tom Mitchell, MDNA’s President. “This high-profile show is not only a perfect stage for exhibitors, but also a testament to our expertise as an organizer.”
