FSB 2023 trade fair to focus on sustainability in global sport and recreation

July 26, 2023

With preparations in full swing for FSB - the global industry event for public space, sport and recreation facilities - the halls of Koelnmesse in the Cologne trade fair grounds are being prepared to once again display the latest developments in playground equipment, outdoor fitness, ice sports, sports equipment, sports surfaces and stadium infrastructure.

Being held from 24th to 27th October 2023, parallel to aquanale, the International Trade Fair for Saunas and Pools, this year’s trade fair will have a focus on sustainability, provide impetus for the industry’s future orientation and sustainable transformation.

Introducing the 2023 edition of FSB at a recent press event, representatives from Koelnmesse and the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS), which acts as FSB’s conceptual sponsor, discussed the current challenges facing the global sport industry.

Experts presented sustainable solutions and placed FSB as the sector’s leading trade fair in the context of the sustainability debate.

Advising of the organisers’ satisfaction with the current level of registrations, Matthias Pollmann, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse, stated “we are seeing very high demand in all segments.

“FSB is virtually fully booked(with) 450 exhibitors from 40 countries ready to present an almost complete picture of the sector.”

The list of companies that have already registered includes names such as Berliner Seilfabrik, CONICA AG, Eurotramp, W.M, HARO Hamberger Flooring GmbH & Co. KG, Kaiser & Kühne, Polytan GmbH, REGUPOL und SMG Sportplatzmaschinenbau GmbH.

Pollmann added “or target on the visitor side is 25,000 national and international visitors at the co-located events FSB and aquanale.”

Sports and leisure industry focuses on resilience and sustainability
Explaining that developments in recent years have further consolidated FSB’s importance, IAKS President, Dr Stefan Kannewischer noted “sports and leisure facilities have gone through a difficult time. During the coronavirus crisis, they were closed for long periods, and when they reopened, users didn’t return in the same numbers to all centres.”

Kannewischer also commented that, alongside the pandemic, war in the Ukraine and the energy crisis have been significant in underscoring the immense importance of sustainable action in the sports and leisure industry, who noted “all these crises show that it is crucial that our leisure facilities are resilient. And inherent sustainability is key to achieving that - facilities must be socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.”

Social sustainability
Pollmann went on to explain “leading international trade fairs such as FSB are not merely exhibitions of the global range of products and services.

“We also have a responsibility to identify new issues and challenges and to present the first solutions that meet future requirements - a claim that we have already lived up to in the past.”

Pollmann also stated that for pressing issues such as the environment and resource conservation, energy and climate, the social dimension and participation, economic management and use, FSB will present corresponding solutions.

Here the event is supported by its partners, including the ESTC (EMEA Synthetic Turf Council), the TFI (German Textile and Flooring Institute at RWTH Aachen) and the DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation), who presented new approaches from their segments at the press conference.

Extensive event program provides added value
FSB is also staging an extensive program of events for visitors, with a line-up that includes forums, special events, conferences and award ceremonies.

The prestigious IAKS Congress, which will be hosted at FSB for what is now the 28th time, will form the centrepiece of FSB’s event program, with the Congress this year adopting ‘Building resilient communities through sports and leisure facilities’ as its motto.

Delegates will discuss topics such as the social function and value of sport and exercise, and how sports and leisure facilities can provide social value, as well as examining methods and tools for measuring public value.

Co-located events create powerful synergies
As in previous years, FSB will be co-located with aquanale, with Pollman commenting “the concept of staging two complementary trade fairs simultaneously at the same location has proven itself.

“The co-located events generate important synergies - not just for visitors, but also for exhibitors for whom both events are relevant. In particular in the B2B segment of sports and leisure facilities, FSB and aquanale have established themselves as an indispensable forum for experiencing products first-hand.”

Click here for FSB event details in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Images: FSB will be held at Koelnmesse from 24th to 27th October. Credit: Koelnmesse/FSB.

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