As a countermeasure to the strike, Deutsche Messe AG had organised a shuttle bus service and announced an additional bicycle day with admission discounts.

Trade fair boss Dr Jochen Köckler was therefore also satisfied: "We people want travel, leisure, exercise and lots of information about building and gardening. The ABF and the B.I.G. hit the nerve of the times and are a fixed date in the still young trade fair year for many people in Hanover and the region."

Regional President Steffen Krach, who visited the ABF and B.I.G. on Friday together with Köckler and Klaudia Kohl, Head of the B2C Trade Fairs Department, was also able to see this for himself. Kohl: "During our tour, the exhibitors confirmed that both trade fairs are inspiring at a high level and represent an important platform for them to present their products and services to a large audience. They made it clear to us that trade fairs are still an indispensable marketing tool."

This year's ABF highlights included the appearance of this year's partner country USA in the travel area, northern Germany's largest caravan and motorhome exhibition, the Outdoor & Fitness area with the fully booked bellicon JUMPING event and the greatly expanded presentation of the latest cars. All models could be test-driven by visitors. Over 600 visitors took advantage of this opportunity and set off directly from the exhibition centre for a test drive.

The bicycle area and the associated test tracks were also very popular. Parallel to the ABF, the official preliminary decision for the WORLD HIP HOP DANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS and the qualification for the German Hip Hop National Team with over 500 participants took place at the weekend in the Hip Hop International Germany conference area.

At the B.I.G., the presentation of Tiny and modular houses was a real crowd-puller, as were the various contact points for energy and renovation issues.

The numerous forums at both events attracted a great deal of attention and were very well attended throughout - whether it was the USA Travel Forum, Vanlife Stage, Garden Forum, Barbecue Show or the Living & Energy Forum.

Satisfaction also among most exhibitors. Michael Kraft, Knaus Tabbert: "The trade fair was consistently positive." Timo Kohlenberg, America Unlimited: "The ABF was a really big success for us. The partner country USA was a huge draw and we received a lot of enquiries." Dirk Hanne, Tischlerei Hanne: "I am very satisfied with our presence at the B.I.G. We had many discussions with customers and were able to build up a lot of trust with them. We even sold a house to an American who is going to build it in Miami."

According to an opinion survey conducted by the independent market research institute Gelszus, overall visitor satisfaction rose to 92.8 per cent compared to 86.1 per cent in the previous year. The same applies to the recommendation rate. It climbed from 85.9 per cent to 92.7 per cent.

We would like to thank you for the numerous and fair reports. The next ABF and BIG will take place from 12 to 16 February 2025.