LEARNTEC: the place to be for digital education

LEARNTEC, the international trade fair and convention for digital education in schools, universities and the workplace, continued its success, recording an increase in visitor numbers of more than 20 per cent. Around 13,500 participants came together at Messe Karlsruhe from 23 to 25 May 2023 to network with each other and discover the latest trends in digital learning from 437 exhibitors across 21 nations. The use of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning was a common thread running through LEARNTEC, and the offerings were highly appreciated by all those in attendance. LEARNTEC thus continues to consolidate its position as the leading event for digital education in Europe.

"For three decades, LEARNTEC has been the central meeting point for everyone involved with the latest technologies and forward-looking trends in learning. LEARNTEC and the TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe as an important digital centre in Germany thus create the ideal framework for innovation in the education landscape," says Britta Wirtz, CEO of Messe Karlsruhe.

Exhibitors enjoy high proportion of decision-makers

More exhibitors than ever before, a total of 437 companies, including many long-time friends of the fair, showcased the latest trends in digital learning. "At LEARNTEC there is the perfect mix of learning offers and technologies. We have been at LEARNTEC for over 15 years and offer exactly what the visitor target group is looking for. We meet customers who are interested in buying and have good questions about our online communication platform, and are specifically looking for individual solutions," says Marlene Aßfalg, Head of Marketing at vitero. For Thorsten Unger, Managing Director of Wegesrand, LEARNTEC is an important opportunity for industry to get together, and strengthen the education sector network. "It is also a successful marketplace for acquiring new customers," says Unger. Hannah Dannereder, Marketing Manager at Haufe Akademie, adds: "We were able to make exciting contacts because visitors to LEARNTEC are exactly our target group. This year we used the trade fair as an opportunity to launch a new product family."

School technologies continue to advance

Around 120 exhibitors presented the latest technologies for schools in the dm-arena. They were particularly impressed by the high number of decision-makers among the visitors. Matthias Geenen, founder of M&A Lernsoftware, was part of the new StartUp Valley and notes: "We wanted to meet new customers here and mainly met decision-makers on an administrative and municipal level, such as school boards, who supply schools with our learning software." The school@LEARNTEC forum scored points with participants for its diverse programme on different key topics. "Discussions focused primarily on the teaching of future competences, including a great panel with Sandra Boser, State Secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs in Baden-Württemberg," says Micha Pallesche, member of the convention committee. The Karlsruhe City Media Centre again used LEARNTEC as the setting for its Media Competence Day, which was very well received by approximately 300 participants.

LEARNTEC is a valued platform for networking and trend-setting

Visitors to LEARNTEC travelled from all over Germany and Europe to the Karlsruhe trade fair centre with the aim of networking, learning about the latest market trends, obtaining answers to their questions and also doing business. The desire for professional exchange is greater than ever. The many interactive offers at the exhibition stands were therefore particularly appreciated. "For time4you, LEARNTEC is our most important trade fair. Here we generate a great deal of interest from the trade audience. That's why this year, in addition to the classic trade fair stand, we also focused on interactive formats. Our workshops at the stand were particularly well received and offered interesting exchanges," says Dr. Hartwig Holzapfel, Managing Director at the Karlsruhe exhibitor time4you. "We are always a few years ahead of the users in terms of development, so we use direct feedback from the fair to see what is already in practice and what is on the horizon." Daniel Stöckel works for a service provider for education and training topics, and has been visiting LEARNTEC for many years: "It's always worth coming because the fair represents the entire industry. You have a perfect cross-section of all areas and get to see new developments. That's why it’s vital to be here."

LEARNTEC Future Lab is a visitor magnet

The LEARNTEC Future Lab, in particular, again attracted numerous visitors to Hall 2 to experience future technologies such as Metaverse or AI. Christian Steiner let visitors create works of art with artificial intelligence and organised ChatGPT workshops. His conclusion: "Overwhelming. The visitors formed a cluster all the way down the aisle to listen to me. They had an enormous need to exchange ideas with experts and look at the topic on a neutral level. That's exactly what the Future Lab did to perfection." Lisa Klein, Learning Consultant at Hays AG, was highly satisfied with her visit too: "Curiosity about new trends and current events drove me to LEARNTEC. I was able to take away a few things for my own company and for my own learning culture."

LEARNTEC Convention unites participants and speakers

The top-class specialist congress at LEARNTEC presented groundbreaking developments in digital education over three days. Around 110 speakers from business and science shared their expertise with the participants in more than 60 practical lecture and workshop slots. "We are delighted that the new workshop area was so well received by the participants," emphasised Sünne Eichler and Prof. Dr. Peter A. Henning from the LEARNTEC Convention Committee. Located in Hall 2, the special area offered participants an ideal setting for an even more intensive exchange of ideas. The participants gave top marks for this additional offer. Irene Scherer took part in the workshop on education and training for AI, and says: "There were profound discussions, many questions and networking among the participants afterwards. It couldn't have gone any better."

The next LEARNTEC will take place from 4 to 6 June 2023 at Messe Karlsruhe. René Naumann, Team Lead Technology at Messe Karlsruhe, sums up the event: "Together with the community, we celebrated three days of digital education and would like to thank our exhibitors in particular for their long-standing partnership. We are already looking to the future with them and are pleased that more than 73 per cent of the available space has already been booked for LEARNTEC 2024.“