Unnoticed by all but one of the small clutch of businessmen enjoying the light breeze pushing along the veranda of Hall 11, the bells of a distinctive Roman church to the West rang out to mark midday. AirPods and laptops left most of them oblivious. But to me, it was a brief moment of serene calm at odds with what I normally find in the centre of such a thriving industrial city.
Visually, it was a reassuring sight, if only for the sheer contrast of the views. In one direction, the calmness of a residential sprawl as far back as the distant hills; in the other a skyline that reminds us why the financial hub that is Frankfurt is widely known as Germany’s skyscraper capital.
There were only a dozen, maybe two, of the 100,000-plus visitors, on that veranda, which was a shame, given that a stroll of the entire perimeter – one that reminded me of the promenade deck of a luxury liner – would have given a glimpse into what the Fairgrounds, this city within a city, are all about: a vast and eclectic mix of architectural styles encompassing a rather fabulous array of individuality rarely showcased in such an impressive and functional setting.
From the Festhalle, with its historic dome, to the traditional and the futuristic, anyone finding themselves here, having taken a wrong turn perhaps, would be forgiven for thinking they were among anything from concert halls to football stadia to shopping arcades. Then again, it only needs a turn of a corner and to spot one of those oncoming mini-trucks to imagine you’re on a typical Hollywood film lot.
And that analogy was not as far-fetched as it may seem, given the number of cinematic explosions that punctuated the air in one of the squares below. That was all down to Rembe who had promised – and delivered something of a world premier of their own. Amid a mess of white powder, the explosion protection team had been setting them off and, at one point, sought the help of the Olympic track cyclist Robert Förstemann who had stopped-off on his way to the 24-hour Le Man race.
Quadzilla, as he is known, thanks to his bulging 80cm thighs, was persuaded to put his considerable strength to good use by pedalling for a full minute and generating more than 600 watts on an ergometer. The energy generated was enough to cause a bursting disc to erupt – all to the delight of hundreds watching from the sidelines, egged-on by a highly animated Rembo, the company’s popular white bear mascot.
Another crowd, this time up high and lining the walkway next to Hall 9, watched from the floor-to-ceiling windows whose fanlights were helpfully open to let in the sound, as if any assistance were needed, given the ferocity of the explosions. Quite a contrast. And only at Achema.
Back inside, it was business as usual as thousands of exhibitors – 2,842 to be precise – from a record 56 countries made use of more than 400,000ft of floorspace, setting up home in booths as small and functional as railway station heel bars to those as vast and spectacular as luxury car showrooms.
Much of what was on show was comfortingly familiar: the technology they brought, the hardware, the buzz, the pleasantries, the demonstrations, the handshakes.
But as ever, there was, all in plain sight, the sort of innovation you might arguably expect from companies who are working at the cutting edge of process engineering technology.
To read the full review, see the Winter 2024 edition below.