The mood was still there on the first day of the fair: Although the parts2clean halls in Stuttgart had to remain empty this year, part of the community met virtually at the parts2clean Online Day. The fact that 530 interested parties had registered, and more than 500 were present online, speaks to the great need for information and exchange. The proportion of international guests was 15 percent.

“I had high expectations, but even these have been exceeded," summarized Frank-Holm Rögner, Cleaning Group Manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP and spokesperson for Fraunhofer Reinigung. He and his team were responsible for technical management of the parts2clean Online Day. “Seven hours online cannot replace three days of expert forums, but it was very good to see that such a format works," said Rögner.

Olaf Daebler, Global Director parts2clean at Deutsche Messe AG, also drew a positive conclusion: "Trade fairs will have to offer hybrid formats in the future. That is why I'm very pleased about this successful start, and I'm also very pleased that we were able to be present with parts2clean in October 2020 despite Corona."

Fourteen speakers from the fields of science and industry passed on their knowledge regarding cleaning processes, digitalization and automation as well as analytics and technical cleanliness. The average number of participants per lecture was just over 100, and 20 presented their products between the two lecture blocks. There was also an opportunity for exchange among the participants: the Speakers Corner featured in-depth discussions and there was time for networking in the foyer.