EIC innovators head to HANNOVER MESSE 2023 as organisers stress breadth of industrial transformation
- ›The European Innovation Council will host a pavilion at HANNOVER MESSE 2023 from 17 to 21 April featuring 20 EIC-funded startups and scaleups.
- ›Ulrike Hammer, Senior Project Director at HANNOVER MESSE, says the show brings together multiple industrial verticals under the theme of industrial transformation and highlights Industry 4.0, energy and climate-neutral production.
- ›EIC organised a preparatory workshop for the delegation and advises exhibitors to prepare profiles, use tickets and treat the fair as a networking marathon.
- ›While trade fairs can amplify visibility and lead generation, converting attention into commercial deals requires follow-up, market fit and intellectual property planning.
EIC innovators head to HANNOVER MESSE 2023
The European Innovation Council Pavilion will showcase 20 EIC-funded companies at HANNOVER MESSE in Hannover, Germany from 17 to 21 April 2023. Ahead of the event, Ulrike Hammer, Senior Project Director Trade Fair and Product Management at HANNOVER MESSE, spoke with the EIC about what visitors should expect, why the EIC Pavilion is a strategic fit, and practical advice for exhibiting startups and scaleups.
What to expect on the trade show floors
She pointed visitors toward the main conference stages in Halls 2, 3, 8, 12 and 14. Partner Country Night on Monday is also flagged as an important networking opportunity. For context, organisers report the flagship fair annually attracts more than 66,400 onsite attendees, over 650 speakers and around 2,500 exhibitors. Hammer also noted that thousands of companies from mechanical and electrical engineering as well as digital and energy industries will present solutions aimed at manufacturing innovation and future energy supply.
Why the EIC Pavilion matters to the fair
That diversity matters because HANNOVER MESSE aims to show how connected industrial technologies combine to drive transformation. In practice, the EIC Pavilion provides a concentrated place for buyers, corporate scouts and investors to discover higher risk higher reward technologies that have passed selection criteria for EIC support.
Practical advice for EIC exhibitors
Hammer offered straightforward, experience based guidance to first time exhibitors. She emphasised that HANNOVER MESSE is larger than most trade shows and that success depends on active outreach rather than passively waiting for visitors.
She also gave the familiar practical tip to bring comfortable shoes. Beyond logistics, startups should be prepared to turn contacts into follow up actions, for example by scheduling post show meetings, having concise commercial materials, and protecting intellectual property where relevant.
Who is in the EIC delegation
The EIC Pavilion will include 20 companies selected to represent a range of industrial technologies. The list below was published by the EIC in advance of HANNOVER MESSE 2023.
| Company | Country |
| 1oT | Estonia |
| Ambeent | Turkey |
| AMORPH SYSTEMS | Germany |
| Cemecon Scandinavia | Denmark |
| DRONE HOPPER | Spain |
| Eco-Tech Ceram | France |
| Elliptic Labs | Norway |
| Galgus | Spain |
| Hydronit | Italy |
| Intrinsic ID | Netherlands |
| Mcule | Hungary |
| Mirmex Motor | Belgium |
| MITIS | Belgium |
| Multiverse Computing | Spain |
| Nuwiel | Germany |
| Plasmics | Austria |
| ROSI | France |
| STREAM ANALYSE | Sweden |
| TERRACOM | Greece |
| Xnext | Italy |
Preparations, training and the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme
Ahead of the fair the EIC organised a virtual preparatory workshop on 22 February 2023 for companies participating under the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0. The session aimed to support commercial readiness and give a preview of networking and partnering opportunities at the show.
The EIC International Trade Fairs programme in context
The EIC runs an International Trade Fairs Programme designed to help EIC beneficiaries internationalise. The initiative offers exhibitor support, coaching, matchmaking and market briefings. Across successive iterations the programme has aimed to place EIC backed companies at strategic fairs in Europe and beyond and to provide post event follow up support to increase the odds of converting introductions into contracts or pilots.
Reality check for trade fair impact
Trade shows remain one of the fastest ways for deep technology SMEs to reach corporate buyers, procurement teams and investors. They can accelerate lead generation and raise profile quickly. At the same time, organisers and participants often characterise outcomes in optimistic terms. Converting attention into paying customers depends on factors beyond presence at the fair. These include product market fit, pricing and regulatory preparedness, the quality of follow up, local partnerships, and intellectual property strategy.
Organisers can improve the return on participation by offering measurable follow up support and by collecting verification of concrete business outcomes. Startups that treat trade fairs as the first step in a sequence of outreach and validation activities will have better chances of turning booth visits into revenue, pilots or longer term contracts.
Practical details and next steps
The EIC Pavilion is located in Hall 12 at Booth B04. Participants and visitors can find additional information on the EIC Overseas Trade Fairs Programme pages and on the EIC Community platform. For startups considering future participation, the EIC runs open calls for trade fair cohorts and provides guidance through its community helpdesk.