Editorial m+a report No. 3 / 2006 from April 28, 2006

Laureates and awards deserve the most prominent platform an exhibition company has to confer - the opening event. The company's clients are placed in the limelight, and the media is interested in its product. A win-win situation, in other words. An exhibition's brand value is enhanced when important awards are presented at the show, and the award-winning exhibiting company is delighted with the added publicity. This is why event organisers have increasingly focused their marketing strategies on awards in recent years. Gradually, though, they must take care not to overshoot the mark. An inflationary trend could have precisely the opposite effect to the one desired ...
Awards are not the only hot topic, with attention also turning to North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Whereas German exhibitors and organisers are only just gearing up to Algeria, Libya or Sudan, interest in the Gulf States is already quite marked. The economy is humming, and with it platforms are emerging on which companies can showcase themselves. Our Focus feature begins on page 22.
Beginning on page 64, we take you on a journey into the wonderful world of materials. New technologies are opening up quite novel possibilities in design and functionality. Plastics are being given new properties such as greater hardness or flame resistance. Ceramics with nanoparticles are now harder, lighter and more durable than metal. Innovative materials and their project-based use promise to be an exciting subject not only for architects, designers and product developers.

m+a report Nr.3 / 2006 vom 28.04.2006
m+a report vom 28. April 2006