LASYS 2012 wrap-up: Statistics prove record crowds' interest in industrial lasers

LASYS closed on an upbeat note on its final day (Friday June 15), as a not-unexpectedly-large morning crowd drove the total attendance figure to more than 5200, an increase of 34% over the 2010 show. Pointing up the show's expanding international presence, they logged in visitors from 31 countries. And as further evidence of LASYS' appeal to potential buyers of industrial laser systems, 76% of show attendees came from industry (up 5% from 2010), substantiating the crowds we saw in most exhibits over two of the three days.

Read more of ILS live coverage of LASYS 2012:
- Live from LASYS 2012, Day 3: Confidence in Europe, questions about China
- Live from LASYS 2012, Day 2: Savvy crowds return
- Live from LASYS 2012, Day 1: An encouraging start despite EU sogginess

An unscientific survey of some of the exhibitors indicated satisfaction with this year's event, with several comments on the continuing growth pattern as LASYS establishes itself among the industry's trade-show lineup. Gerhard Hein, director of the VDMA Working Group of Laser & Laser Systems, a promotional supporter of LASYS noted that "the term 'laser material processing' has been successfully popularized, and market participants have adopted the focus of LASYS."

Of the 178 exhibits at this year's event, 28% came from abroad traveling from 17 countries, most of which were in Europe. One-third of the visitors to the show came from the mechanical engineering sector, and 20% from the automotive sector -- not unexpected as the Stuttgart area is home to Mercedes Benz, Porsche, and Audi.

Among the visitors, 90% said they were involved in their companies' purchasing decisions, with 34% planning an investment of over $125,000. Forty-three percent wanted to see macroprocessing laser systems, with 38% interested in microprocessing systems. Nearly all visitors (95%) are planning to return to visit LASYS 2014.

"For us as a rapidly growing but still rather small company, the show provided an ideal platform for us to present ourselves to top-quality specialists as a market and technology leader for high-power diode lasers," stated Dr.-Ing. Andre Eltze (Laserline).

On balance, LASYS delivered as promised to exhibitors and visitors, and the record attendance left all with warm feelings as the show closed on Thursday.