This is the new ALUMINIUM

The world's leading trade fair has undergone a comprehensive rebranding. With a new focus, new target groups, new corporate design – and a high standard: this is how the trade fair becomes the center of gravity for the community.

"The world around us is permanently changing," says Malte Seifert, "so we have to do the same." Even before the Corona pandemic, ALUMINIUM's Product Manager and his team were thinking fundamentally about how they wanted to lead the world's leading trade fair into the future.

In-depth stakeholder surveys were used to gather internal and external perspectives and bring them into alignment. Two aspects, says Malte Seifert, quickly became clear: "On the one hand, ALUMINIUM is and remains the most important industry event in the world for the stakeholders. But at the same time, the desire to further develop the trade fair platform became clear – in order to continue to meet the demands of the growing community and the challenges of the future."

A mouthpiece for the material

What became clear in the discussions was the requirement to focus on the topics of sustainability and circular economy as a top priority – after all, the material is better suited than almost any other to make a significant contribution here.

The desire to break down existing barriers in the direction of OEMs and the application industries through targeted communication was also frequently expressed. Likewise, to make the trade fair, together with the associations and partners, a "mouthpiece to the outside world" for the material.

Sharing a vision

All this called for more than just optimization. "We quickly realized that a real change of perspective was needed," Seifert recounts. A transformation that is reflected not least in the new claim: "Sharing a vision."

The vision: to position ALUMINIUM as the central market platform for the global aluminum industry. As a platform that provides orientation, delivers information and serves the exchange to position the material as a solution for many challenges and application industries of tomorrow - as a sustainable and future-proof material.

Sustainability as a guiding theme

The most visible sign of the transformation is the new corporate design, which adopts the theme of sustainability as the overriding guiding theme by means of the color scheme and the claim.

The blue of the previous CD, the color of anodized aluminum and the green are combined with the stylized rays of the industry lighthouse that the world's leading trade fair sees itself as.

365-day debate forum

A radiance that will not only emanate from the world's leading trade fair itself. With the trade fair as the center of gravity, a 365-day debate forum is currently being created for the community. In the future, content and various physical and digital platforms will act as touchpoints for the community here 365 days a year.

"By means of joint actions with our partners Aluminium Deutschland, European Aluminium and the CRU Group, we will position the material as the solution of the future and clarify the shared visions of the entire aluminum industry", says Product Manager Malte Seifert.

New formats, new target groups

In order to stage a successful world-leading trade fair, topics such as infotainment, networking, lead generation and also entertainment must be taken into account in the future – "and we will do all of that," promises Seifert. "With new formats such as the Digital Talk and the Business Summit, we have already shown how to implement such things in a high-quality manner."

Special concepts and formats will also increasingly address the application industries. The communication will be designed in such a way that it also reaches target groups that previously had neither the trade show nor the material on their radar.

Setting the course

"With its new orientation and communication, ALUMINIUM aims to assume the central orientation, information and exchange function of the global market, and in doing so, together with our exhibitors, industry leaders and our partners, to offer a platform on which the aluminum industry can set the course for the future," summarizes Malte Seifert.