What had an area of more than 22 American football fields (including the end zones)? Yes, the SPS/IPC/Drives Fair. [Some more nomenclature: SPS is German for PLC. In German: Speicherprogrammierbare Steuerung.]
The statistics:
Exhibition space 117,800 square meters (over a million and a quarter square feet in 14 sprawling buildings)
Exhibitors 1,602 (one third from outside Germany; 42 countries represented)
Visitors 56,787 (down about 4,000 from 2013)
SPS East Entrance
The fair was larger this year in terms of area and some of the major players changed halls for 2014. For the first time 14 halls were occupied. Siemens took over all of Hall 11. And PI was moved to Hall 2 where the theme was Industrial Communication. There were no major vendors in Hall 2 which was a bit of a traffic inhibitor, but we were right at the entrance.
The Fair was celebrating its 25th year. PI had a star on the walk of fame (or at least at the fair entrance). We have been exhibiting there a long time if not quite all 25 years.
–Carl Henning