After the partial lifting of restrictions on flights April 20, the first aircraft landed in Munich and Frankfurt am Main bringing overseas exhibitors and visitors to Bauma 2010.

The tour groups were brought by coaches organized by Messe München direct to the exhibition centre and Bauma.

Further exhibitors and visitors from China, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Egypt, Canada and the United States are currently making their way to Germany.

Messe München´s representative in Turkey had organized seven coaches to bring exhibitors from Turkey to Munich. They arrived this the morning of April 20.

At midday April 19, 80 of the 3,150 registered exhibition stands were not staffed. By midday April 20 approximately one-third of this number were able to be staffed by the exhibitors´ own personnel. Further exhibitors who were affected by the restrictions on international flights have announced they will be arriving in Munich soon.

The stands where the exhibitors´ personnel had not been able to get to Munich in time for the first day of the fair were staffed temporarily by Messe München with trained personnel. This circumstance was made clear at the affected stands.

“Thanks to the concerted effort by Messe München and its international sales and association partners the reaction to the situation was very quick. We are expecting that in the course of the next two days business at the trade fair can continue without restrictions for the most part. We are offering delayed exhibitors support such as help with any equipment they still need for their stands,” said Klaus Dittrich, Chairman & CEO of Messe München GmbH.

No forecast of the final figures was at present possible.

"The weekend of Bauma has always traditionally been the one with highest visitor attendance. We are expecting that as flights resume more international visitors will arrive in the second half of bauma,” Dittrich continued.

For comparison: At the last event in 2007, which took place during a boom period in the building industry worldwide, Bauma counted more than 500,000 visitors, of which 345,000 came from Germany, and 155,000 from abroad. In that group of non-German visitors, 78 percent came from other European countries, 11 percent from Asia, 7 percent from America, 2 percent from Africa and 2 percent from Australia and Oceania.

Bauma continues as planned up to and including April 25 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.

Today's top stories

Growing Interest in Construction Careers Among Younger People Means Jobs Filled, Deadlines Met

Larry Young Paving Tackles Grade-Separated Interchange in Texas

Caltrans, Crews Working to Repair Highway Landslides

FIRSTGREEN Industries Launches ROCKEAT Electric Skid Steer Loader

'Tiltrotator Effect' Increases as Energy Consumption Goes Down

VIDEO: Birmingham, Ala., Awarded $14.5M Fed Grant to Revitalize Its 'Black Main Street'

Pettibone Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Cary-Lift

Fay Preps Way for Pittsburgh International Airport Modernization Project