German Water Partnership e.V. (GWP) once again presented the internationally active German water industry at the world’s leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management in Munich from May 13 to 17, 2024. Numerous international delegations, thematic sessions in the trade fair’s supporting program and innovative expert presentations by GWP members and partners: the GWP joint booth once again offered the network an important forum for presenting its own services and products, for personal encounters and for expanding international contacts.
The GWP Joint Booth
The GWP joint booth was once again centrally located in Hall B2 and in the immediate proximity of the central stage, the Blue Stage. Together with 32 members and partners, GWP united the expertise of the German water industry and research on 390 m². With the forum and lounge area at the heart of the stand, the exhibition stand offered the perfect place for networking and discussions. The exhibiting companies gave national and international trade fair visitors a comprehensive insight into the network’s expertise.
Focusing on sustainability
The sustainably constructed, modular exhibition stand, which celebrated its premiere in 2022 and was also used again in 2024, was specially designed so that it can be used several times, which conserves resources and minimizes the ecological footprint. The stand will also be reused for IFAT Munich 2026, underlining the consistent implementation of GWP’s own sustainability standards.
A diverse supporting program
A varied supporting program extended over the entire week of the trade fair – both at the GWP joint stand and at the Blue Stage and the Spotlight Area Hydrogen. Over a dozen delegations ensured a constant stream of foreign partners and potential customers at the stand. GWP organized and accompanied two information trips from Brazil and Romania and Moldova, which were organized as activities within the framework of the BMWK’s Market Development Programme (MEP). The network also welcomed delegations from South Africa, China, Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Georgia, Poland, Oman and two pan-African delegations from the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA). Presentations and talks by partners and members in the GWP Speakers Corner offered insights into the latest technologies, practical applications, markets and global business opportunities.
Networking with policy makers
On the morning of the first day of the trade fair, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke and Bavarian State Minister for the Environment Thorsten Glauber visited the GWP stand right at the start of their tour of the trade fair. This provided an opportunity for a brief exchange on the current challenges in the water sector. In conversation with GWP board members Ingo Hannemann and Alexandra Ervenich and Managing Director Boris Greifender, the Minister signaled her great interest in staying in touch with the international issues and concerns of companies in the German water industry.
One association, many topics
Another highlight was the presentation of the recovery plans for the Ukrainian water and wastewater industry. The session “ Recovery of the Ukrainian Water and Wastewater Sector – Opportunities, Challenges and Best Practices” on the Blue Stage was met with great interest and underlined the commitment of GWP and its members to support and rebuild crisis-ridden regions.
Other key topics in the supporting program were:
The session of the PartnerAfrica project AGITWAS between GWP and AfWASA Improved Management through Improved Capacity Building Structures (AGITWAS) emphasized the importance of education and training structures for improved water management. Find out more about the development of the African Water and Sanitation Academy (AWASA) in a guest article by AfWASA.
The chamber and association partnership German African Partnership for Water and Sanitation (GAPWAS) of GWP and AfWASA also organized a session. Representatives of the associations discussed the need to strengthen the role of women and young professionals in the sector and to promote climate resilience in fast-growing cities in order to achieve SDG6.
The issue of urban water resilience was explored in greater depth in a panel discussion on the Blue Stage. The focus was on experiences from Germany and the question of the applicability of the concepts in other regions of the world.
At the Spotlight Area Hydrogen, two program points highlighted the role of water in relation to green hydrogen and solutions “Made in Germany” as a global market advantage in the competition for partnerships.
Networking as the key to the operational capability
“Networking is our business” – GWP has been using this slogan for years and it still is on point. IFAT Munich once again showed how important personal contact remains. Participation in joint networking evenings, which were supported by partners such as the Utility Platform and GTAI as well as members Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. and DEHOUST GmbH, provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen existing contacts and forge new partnerships.
Exhibiting companies at the GWP joint booth
The companies represented at the GWP joint stand included: Aerzener Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Aqseptence Group GmbH, Binder GmbH, Brentwood Europe GmbH, CDM Smith Consult GmbH, CONSULAQUA Hamburg Beratungsgesellschaft mbH, DAS Environmental Expert GmbH, decon International GmbH, DEHOUST GmbH, Deutsche Wasser International GmbH, Dorsch International Consultants GmbH, expotec GmbH, GKW Consult GmbH, GUS LAB GmbH, HAMBURG WASSER, Hammann GmbH, Hermann Sewerin GmbH, INTEWA GmbH, JUMO GmbH & Co. KG, Leibniz-Institut für Plasma-Forschung und Technologie e.V., LIPP GmbH, Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. – Niederlassung Deutschland, Mösslein Products GmbH, p2m berlin GmbH, PPU Umwelttechnik GmbH, RelineEurope GmbH, Sachsen Wasser GmbH, Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe, THE GREEN BRIDGE GmbH (TGB), Tilia GmbH und Water-i.d. GmbH. In addition, as in 2022, the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) had a stand at the joint booth.