Basel, 28 September 2023 – After three eventful days, Ilmac 2023 closed its doors today allowing the organisers to look back on a successful event. From 26 to 28 September 2023, the exhibition halls in Basel once again set the stage for the largest meeting place for the chemical and life science industry in Switzerland. The expected number of 10,000 participants was exceeded and so around 12,000 participants were able to visit the 400 renowned exhibitors from over 20 countries and many other highlights. This year, Ilmac presented numerous new formats and digital offers in addition to its well-established features.

Ilmac | 26–28 September 2023 | Messe Basel | Inspiring the Future of Chemistry and Life Sciences. www.ilmac.ch |  

Over the course of three days, leading industry providers such as Agilent, Endress+Hauser, Integra, Mettler Toledo, Metrohm, Siemens, and Skan, as well as 30 innovative startups, came together in the Basel exhibition halls to present their innovations and new products to around 12,000 participants. ‘With the new Ilmac format, we were able to respond even better to the needs of the industry and thusattract a large number of exhibitors and visitors. We will maintain this strategy in future to ensure a strong and successful Ilmac,’ says Céline Futterknecht (Brand Director, Ilmac). New highlights like the Startup Area, the Laboratory of the Future exhibition, the Job Connect area and our Speakers’ Corner complemented our well-established formats such as the Ilmac Conference and the Pharma Logistics Days, which took place in parallel for the third time. A special experience for all exhibitors and visitors was the Networking Apéro. There’s no other place where one can mingle with so many colleagues, experts and service providers under one roof. Kaspar Sutter (Head of the Department of Economic, Social and Environmental Affairs of the Canton of Basel-Stadt) said a few words to welcome everyone.

"Our conclusion is very good. We were able to welcome many new customers at our stand and start interesting projects. For us as an innovative company, Ilmac is the most important trade fair to be able to present our new products to a broad professional audience," says Ricardo Da Costa, General Manager of Anton Paar Switzerland AG after Ilmac. Guiseppe Cirillo, Head Sales & Marketing, SKAN AG, formulated his positive conclusion as follows: "We had a lot to do and that's what we want at a trade fair! We were visited by many people - existing and new customers. For me it is nice to see how Ilmac has recovered. Because Ilmac is our trade fair." Paula Winter, Global Marketing Programme Manager of Beckman Coulter GmbH is also satisfied: "It went very well for us. We had many interesting discussions with our customers. Ilmac is very important for us because it is the leading trade fair for the life and sciences market in Switzerland and we can present our entire product range here."

An efficient transfer of know-how at the Ilmac Conference, organized by the SCS

The science-oriented Ilmac Conference impressed the participants with a wide range of topics and high-profile speakers. This year’s focus was on important industry topics such as Lab Digitisation, Chemical Technologies and New Biotech Methods. The Ilmac Conference was organised in cooperation with the Swiss Chemical Society, the Swiss Biotech Association and the Swiss Association of Graduate Chemists FH (SVC) and ensured an efficient transfer of knowledge between experts and visitors.

With welcome coffees in the morning, during lunch breaks and after the last talks, SCS offers networking opportunities at its booth. Hundred of Ilmac and Ilmac Conference visitors profited from this offer and appreciated the opportunity to connect to others and exchange ideas and thoughts.

"Our experience at Ilmac has been thoroughly positive. We had a lot of visitors at the conference. Our programme of national and international speakers was well received by people and our three themes are exactly what people are concerned about today," says David Spichiger, Executive Director, Swiss Chemical Society

Swiss Women in Chemistry Networking event

On Tuesday evening, September 26, 2023, the Swiss Women in Chemistry Network organized a session with inputs from senior community members about their career paths. Dr. Martina Ribar Hestericová, Associate Director of Science Communications, Lonza, Prof. Helma Wennemers, Professor of Organic Chemistry, ETH Zurich, and Dr. Hayley Binch, Head of Medicinal Chemistry, F. Hofmann-La Roche Ltd. talked about their experiences during their careers and answers questions from the audience. After the session there was plenty of opportunities to network during the aperitif riche. 

Sustainability and digitalisation in the Laboratory of the Future

In our new special exhibit, the Laboratory of the Future, participants had the opportunity to experience future-oriented systems and infrastructures for laboratories interactively. They were able to get a comprehensive view of what the laboratory of the future will look like in view of growing digitalisation and the demand for greater sustainability. They also had the opportunity to exchange best practice examples and network with each other at the Innostage workshops and symposia. For example, the Green Lab Symposium, which is hosted each year by Green Building Schweiz, was held for the first time this year on the Innostage in cooperation with Ilmac.

Jens Feddern, Head Vertical Market Life Science at Siemens Switzerland, was satisfied with the visitor numbers: "The fact that Ilmac dared to do something new with the Laboratory of the Future and set new impulses, and that it then worked, is a highlight for us."

Efficient transport solutions at the Pharma Logistics Days

The Pharma Logistics Days on 27 and 28 September set the scene for visitors to learn about current trends and innovations in Pharma Logistics. Around 30 leading service providers in the industry presented their current logistics solutions and allowed visitors to experience trucks, containers and passive packaging live and in person. The Pharma Logistics Days Conference, which was opened by Lukas Engelberger (Cantonal Councillor of Basel/Head of the Department of Health/President of the GDK), featured a number of guest speakers from the life science industry, universities and the logistics sector. ‘In principle, the entire pharmaceutical logistics supply chain came together in one place,’ says Gian Carlo Alessi from Lamprecht Pharma Logistics.

Media Contact
Céline Futterknecht Exhibition Director
Tel.: +41 58 206 23 70
 

Anne Klipfel, Marketing & Communications Manager
Tel.: +41 58 206 31 06

Felicia Schlegel, Marketing & Communications Specialist
Tel.: +41 58 206 59 59

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