Instrumentation & Control and Process Automation New International Venues for Meorga MSR-Spezialmessen

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Meorga goes international: With new exhibition venues in Vienna and Tarragona, exhibitors gain new opportunities to reach target audiences more efficiently and to expand their market presence in a targeted way. Bernd Weinig, Director Trade Fair Solutions & Partnerships at Vogel Communications Group, is driving this forward and offers insight into the further development.

Bernd, the Meorga MSR-Spezialmessen — specialist trade fairs for I&C (instrumentation & control) and process automation — have been part of the Vogel Communications Group for almost two years now and complement the successful regional trade fair business. How did the integration into the Vogel family go?

Bernd Weinig: The integration was collaborative and focused. It was important to us to retain the experienced Meorga team and its know-how. The previous management quite deliberately chose Vogel as the new shareholder because they saw in the group the ideal foundations for the further development of the MSR-Spezialmessen — in particular thanks to strengths in specialist communication, event management and digital reach. Particular assets here are our specialist media PROCESS, PROCESS Worldwide, Schüttgut and elektrotechnik Automatisierung, which reach Meorga’s core target audiences. This enables us to place content in a targeted way through thematic content marketing and storytelling — to build a Meorga community continuously throughout the year. Together with Vogel Event Solutions, we can now pool our capabilities across the group to best effect.

What sets the MSR-Spezialmessen apart, and how have they developed under your leadership?

The fairs stand for proximity, practical relevance and efficiency. Trade visitors benefit from short journeys, direct access to manufacturers, hands-on solutions, and a concise programme of talks delivering up-to-date technical expertise. Under my leadership, we have sharpened the profile, added new locations, and introduced digital services such as lead tracking and cross-media reach — real added value for exhibitors and visitors.

And now the decision to take the step beyond Germany’s borders. What motivated this move?

Good ideas know no bounds! The demand for regional specialist trade fairs offering practical solutions for efficient plant and process operations is not confined to Germany — especially when it comes to delivering operational advantages in process-engineering production and processing environments. Many exhibitors signalled interest in new markets. With Vogel as a strong partner, internationalisation was the next logical step.

The two international venues next year are Vienna on 15 April and Tarragona on 18 November. Let’s first look to our immediate neighbour, beautiful Austria. Why Vienna, the city of music?

Vienna is not only a culturally fascinating city, but also an important industrial location with a strong process industry. The Vienna/Bratislava metropolitan region offers numerous dynamic and growing application scenarios for I&C technology and process automation, encompassing both industrial and commercial applications. The combination of technological innovation and international reach makes this region particularly attractive for the use of I&C technology. Bratislava’s proximity to Vienna provides additional advantages through access to a broader market and international connections. Many of our exhibitors are already active in Austria. In addition, with the Austria Center Vienna we have found an excellent venue that fits our trade fair concept perfectly. Vienna is the ideal starting point for our international expansion.

ChemMed in Tarragona is considered the largest chemicals cluster in Southern Europe and the third-largest chemicals location in Europe — so it’s only logical to base the Meorga MSR-Spezialmessen here. But perhaps you could further substantiate the “Spanish” decision and highlight the specific advantages.

‘firaReus’, our new international venue for the MSR-Spezialmessen in the province of ES-Tarragona, is located in an economically strong region with a high density of specialist audiences and decision-makers for I&C and process automation. The venue enjoys a prime location, just twenty minutes from the ChemMed cluster. The application landscape for the use of I&C technology and process automation in the greater Tarragona/Barcelona/Catalonia area is generally promising and diverse. The new international venue in Spain is embedded in a dynamic innovation environment with strong, highly attractive industry clusters — ChemMed Cluster, Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, Smart Port initiatives, Clúster de la Industria de la Automoció de Catalunya (CIAC), and more.

Will there be any changes to the trade fair concept compared with the German venues?

The proven concept remains: compact one-day events focused on trade visitors. We will adapt details such as language and the supporting programme to the local context — the Meorga experience will remain unchanged.

Will there be specific focus topics in Vienna and Tarragona?

Yes. For the Vienna/Bratislava metropolitan region, the focus is on process automation in the chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food industries. In Tarragona, key themes include plant safety, digitalisation and sustainability — with a particular emphasis on I&C for explosion-protected areas, precise flow and level measurement, process analytics and integrated control systems. These technologies are essential for the highly automated production processes within the ChemMed cluster.

What has the initial response to the two new venues been?

The response has been consistently positive. Many of our long-standing exhibitors immediately signalled their interest in joining us internationally. I am confident we will also see strong interest on site — both from potential exhibitors and from trade associations and industry partners.

Your expectations for the two new venues will be met when …

… our exhibitors go home with qualified contacts and concrete leads — and say, ‘That was worth it.’ If we succeed in delivering the Meorga experience internationally as well, then we’ve achieved our goal.

Is further internationalisation of the MSR-Spezialmessen planned?

We take a long-term view. If Vienna and Tarragona develop as we expect, we do not rule out additional locations. What matters to us is that every new trade fair meets the same standard of quality as our established formats in Germany.

To conclude: Which of the two trade fairs are you personally looking forward to more?

That’s like asking which child you prefer — impossible to answer! Vienna is the perfect starting point for me because it is very familiar to us geographically and culturally. Tarragona, by contrast, is an exciting step into a new market with great potential. I’m looking forward to both — and to the many conversations with exhibitors and visitors on site.

Bernd, thank you for the interview!

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