R+T showgrounds fully booked as show makes comeback after six years

Around 80 percent of the exhibiting companies are coming from outside Germany, from a total of 45 countries. National and international industry giants are in the midst of preparations for their participation at the trade fair. Four Australian Companies are set to exhibit at R+T 2024: Aeronaut Automation, Gale Pacific, OzRoll and Ziptrak.

“The signs for a successful R+T are promising. We are delighted that the industry is highly committed to the big reunion in February and looking forward to it – we are also full of anticipation and can hardly wait for it! It will be a very special trade fair experience for all participants with numerous highlights”, says Sebastian Schmid, Vice President of Messe Stuttgart, who is looking forward to the upcoming R+T 2024.

New focus at R+T 2024

R+T 2024 plans to offer all professional visitors a broad range of exhibits as well as a large variety of innovations. In addition to industry innovations, another topic also takes centre stage at the upcoming R+T: “Sustainability is one of the key issues of our times – and is the main theme of R+T”, said Schmid. 

“We are always keeping our eye on the market and are constantly in close contact with our exhibitors. The intensive discussions over the past few months have shown what significance the topics ‘sustainability’ and ‘energy efficiency’ have in day-to-day work and how high the demand for such products is among consumers.”

Under the motto “Create. Sustainable. Future. TogetheR+T”, visitors can look forward to various highlights on site. “Our professional visitors can see a large number of innovative solutions in action, with which they fully meet the high standards of consumers. Our exhibitors’ products are also sustainable per se, due to their durability and energy saving properties. This applies to external and internal sun protection systems as well as outdoor living solutions, drives, control systems as well as doors and gates. In addition, a great deal has been done in recent years in all sectors in order to save resources in production as much as possible – the sustainability concept is thus deeply embedded in all levels”, said Melanie Brenner, Manager Exhibitions and Events at Messe Stuttgart.

To draw attention to its main theme in advance of R+T, organisers created a green motif for R+T – along with a green logo. “With this we want to highlight how important this topic is to us and show that this is the motto of the upcoming trade fair”, said Schmid. Various related measures will also bring the main theme of R+T to life on site. These include a workshop organised by the European Organisation for Sun Shading Systems (ES-SO) as well as campfire sessions on sustainability. 

Sustainability as part of the accompanying programme

“Sustainability not only moves the industry, but is also already at the heart of policy,” said Philipp Götz, Manager Exhibitions and Events at Messe Stuttgart. “Within the framework of the upcoming trade fair, we would like to highlight on a political level how sun shading systems and energy-efficient doors and gates help tackle climate change. For this we are planning a fascinating podium discussion with high-ranking guests from the worlds of politics and business.”

Schmid added: “Furthermore, the Innovation Award will also play an important role in this context. We will also present special awards for sustainability and energy efficiency in 2024 in order to underline the importance. In addition, taking into account sustainability aspects, among other things, the entire application process for the participating companies will be completely digital. We are delighted that over 80 companies from 18 countries have already registered for the R+T Innovation Award 2024. The topic of sustainability will also be reflected in the latest product developments.”

Extensive accompanying programme at R+T 2024: Focus on sustainability and energy efficiency

Alongside the trade fair, the accompanying programme of R+T will also be an opportunity for trade visitors to extend their own technical knowledge and exchange information and ideas directly with industry experts.

“The entire R+T team is really looking forward to this large industry get-together in Stuttgart! After this long period of time we can hardly wait to offer our visitors programme highlights which cover every field of interest,” said Schmid.

The contents of the accompanying programme are strongly oriented towards sustainability and will ensure that visitors will be purposefully able to extend their own technical knowledge in this area. 

“You can look forward to a wide range of innovative solutions and sustainable products from different areas, as well as to an extensive accompanying programme,” said Schmid.

R+T Innovation Award

“In 2024 one special highlight will also again be the R+T Innovation Award,” said Brenner. 

The R+T Innovation Award provides insights into the latest forward-looking technical developments, superb designs or highly sustainable and energy-efficient products from the world of roller shutters, doors/gates and sun shading systems. 

Schmid added: “Over 80 per cent of companies develop their innovations for R+T and present them to a global audience during the trade fair. R+T is and will therefore remain an innovation platform for the entire industry. This has also already been demonstrated: this year, we received the highest number of entries ever for the Innovation Award.” 

Out of a total of 125 products submitted by 79 companies from 17 countries, 41 products were nominated for a R+T Innovation Award by the independent jury. The winners will be determined in the next step. The presentation ceremony for the Innovation Award will be held in the presence of selected guests on the evening before the start of R+T 2024. All told, awards can be presented in eleven categories in the Gold, Silver and Bronze Classes, as well as special awards for sustainability, energy efficiency and design, plus a Craft Youth Award. 

“The excellent innovations can be thoroughly examined live and in colour throughout R+T. Trade visitors will therefore be able to obtain an extensive overview of the products and services which can satisfy the current high demands,” added Brenner.

ES-SO seminar & campfire sessions

R+T 2024 will also include a seminar presented by the European Solar Shading Organisation (ES-SO) which will examine the latest developments in the area of sun shading solutions in relation to the energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings. The topic of the seminar will be ‘Climate resilience through intelligent sun shading systems’. Visitors will be able to gain valuable insights into the key role of sun shading systems in European legislation, especially in regard to the attainment of climate neutrality by the year 2050. The seminar will be held in English from 09:30 to 12:30 on 21 February in the seminar room in the VIP Lounge.

On 22 February and the morning of 23 February, there will also be 20-minute Campfire Sessions on the topic of “Sustainability through intelligent sun shading systems” on selected exhibitor stands. 

“This will be an ideal opportunity to obtain further training and inspiration in regard to the sun shading industry,” said Brenner.

Smart Home Forum

The rapid development of smart home technology has revolutionised living in the last few years. From control of sun shading systems and lights via a smartphone through to voice-controlled assistants providing every-day support, the possibilities appear to be endless. But how will the smart home be developed further in future?

The Smart Home Forum during R+T 2024 will focus on the topics of sustainability and energy efficiency, and will present trends and innovations that will shape the smart home of the future. Daily talks and panel discussions with technical experts will provide interesting insights into an important topic area which contains substantial development potential for the sun shading industry, due to the current political demands regarding energy efficiency and sustainability. The Smart Home Forum will take place daily around midday on the stand of the Federal Association of Manufacturers of Roller Shutters and Sun Shading Systems (Stand EO335) at the East Entrance.

Somfy at R+T Stuttgart 2024

Somfy is looking forward to welcoming attendees to R+T 2024, where it will be exhibiting its latest innovations and home automation solutions, including Zigbee 3.0 and TaHoma suite. 

In 2024, the exhibition is placing an important focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, with its motto “Create. Sustainable. Future. TogetheR+T”. 

The theme ties in with Somfy’s commitment to embracing sustainable growth and reducing the environmental footprint of its products and services.

Somfy’s top priority is, by 2030, to have reduced CO2 emissions by 50% compared to 2019. The initiative is linked to Somfy’s global ambition for 100% of products sold in 2030 to be labelled Act For Green.

Act For Green is Somfy’s suite of eco-designed products, developed to reduce environmental impact through an approach of eco-responsibility to buildings, products, and teams.

As of December 2023, 66% of Somfy’s products carry the Act For Green label.

Attendees can see Somfy’s range of Act For Green products and learn more about Somfy’s commitment to sustainability at R+T 2024 at Stand 5A32 in Hall 5,  

Coulisse promises a mind-blowing MotionBlinds experience at R+T 2024

Coulisse is set to unveil its “grandest showcase” to date at R+T in February 2024. The company said it was pulling out all the stops for the most extraordinary presentation yet. Returning to the stage after the successful debut of MotionBlinds at R+T Stuttgart in 2018, it now returns with its innovative smart technology brand. Located at Booth EO300, right by the entrance, the MotionBlinds booth promises an unparalleled experience with 1100 square metres of eye-catching design, complete with an immersive room, in-house restaurant, and exclusive product launches. 

In a time of ever-advancing smart homes, MotionBlinds smart technology stands at the forefront of window coverings. These pioneering smart motors made their market debut in 2018. Now, with the release of a complete series of Matter-over-Thread motors being developed by Coulisse in collaboration with Munich-based smart home specialist Eve Systems, MotionBlinds will be ready to revolutionise the smart homes landscape. These motors seamlessly integrate with all major platforms including Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings, making them the ultimate addition to any smart home.

MotionBlinds has already captured global acclaim, featured by Samsung at IFA 2023, by Google at CES 2023, and honoured with the prestigious ‘CES 2023 Innovation Award’ in Las Vegas. Since its inaugural appearance at R+T Stuttgart in 2018, MotionBlinds has continued to evolve. This innovative smart motor technology has been embraced by partners worldwide, receiving acclaim for its cutting-edge capabilities and exceptional performance.