HANNOVER MESSE is 60 years old in 2007

Visitor Jan Piet de Vries was there right from the start! This year, HANNOVER MESSE is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The trade fair premiered from 18 August to 7 September 1947 under the name "Exportmesse Hannover". Today, HANNOVER MESSE is the world's leading annual technology event.

Jan Piet de Vries is one of the visitors who have experienced the development of HANNOVER MESSE throughout the years:

"I have been coming to HANNOVER MESSE for 60 years now. The first time I came, I was 13 years old, and held tightly onto my father's hand. I remember being impressed by the size of the halls and the great number of machines on display. Visiting the trade fair often helped me when I had to make important decisions. For example, when I had to buy a hydraulic press, a lathe suitable for large diameters, or a 4m-long workbench with special cutters and a number of special tools.

My fields of interest have changed over the years. When I was younger, I owned a production company and was mainly interested in technical machinery and equipment for fast and cheap production, such as presses, milling machines, lathes and rollers. Later, this led to an interest in semifinished products such as cast-iron parts, hydraulic systems, and welded and rolled parts for assembly. Then automation and PLC control came onto the market. Nevertheless, I remained interested in pneumatic and hydraulic engineering, and even did a lot of work as a consultant in these fields later in life, e.g. as a member of the American "Fluid Power Society".

HANNOVER MESSE has got much bigger during the course of the years. A great many new halls have been added to the exhibition so that you have to train for weeks before visiting the fair each year to make sure you are fit for the week-long visit!

It goes without saying that I intend to visit HANNOVER MESSE this year too. I'll see you there."