Climate adaptation common thread at Infra Relatiedagen 2023

'Climate adaptation' will be the big theme of Infra Relatiedagen 2023. With the commissioning of a large outdoor area, this edition counts a record number of square meters. More than 350 exhibitors will take part in the fair. The event will be held from Tuesday, February 7 to Thursday, February 9, 2023 in Evenementenhal Hardenberg.

For account manager Lambert van Gameren of Easyfairs, responsible for putting on the event, it can't be February soon enough. "We are working on a lot of great things. We spent a long time brainstorming about the right interpretation. When you put all the events together, you see a common thread: climate adaptation. This theme runs right through the exhibition program. From emission-free materials to dike reinforcement to literally channel the rising water. From water storage to sensors in pumping stations and roads."

First the facts and figures. The successful Infra Relatiedagen has never been bigger. All halls plus a large outdoor area provide space for 350 exhibitors. Van Gameren: "Last year we launched the Equipment Park of the Future. Successful, according to our visitors. There were also two comments."

"People missed live demonstrations. We couldn't do that inside, so we're going outside now. There can be plenty of running in the open air. Another comment: only emission-free equipment was shown at the Equipment Park of the Future. We would be doing a disservice to the innovations in fossil-driven equipment. Therefore, the new name Materieelpark van het Heden en de Toekomst. With electric equipment, hydrogen applications, but also hybrid variants and innovations in the diesel field. The focus is on innovations to make equipment energy efficient. Together with exhibitors Anema, Pon Cat, Trimegroup. Fulltank, Engcon, HDW and Broekveldt and Wirtgen we are going to further develop this park. What is already clear: between the Present and the Future we will place a large tent. This will be the Machinists Café."

Government Park 

Special attention on the exhibition floor for governments. Van Gameren: "We see an interesting gap that we want to close at Infra Relatiedagen. Provinces, water boards and governments like to enter into discussion with contractors, contractors in turn are reluctant to enter the stately town hall. Both parties want to engage in conversation, yet there is apparently a barrier. That is what we are setting up the Government Park for." 

Public Lighting Street

You would be selling the sector short if you narrow down public lighting to a lamppost with LED lights in the top. That's why Van Gameren is pleased with the new initiative born at the request of a number of exhibitors. Everything about lighting together. Van Gameren sees the cooperation with TU/e LightHouse | Smart lighting and smart cities as an extra incentive to visit the street. "We are striving for the same thing: to inform the community about the possibilities in the field of public lighting. You can't separate this from sustainable solutions and energy savings. What could be better if the lighting 'walks' with the walker. Only that part of the public space is illuminated that is needed, the rest of the lighting is off. This is one of many examples in the Public Lighting Street." 

Smart City

TU/e LightHouse | Smart lighting and smart cities is also involved in Infra Relatiedagen with the Smart Cities project. Van Gameren explains, "We are explicitly linking this to climate adaptation. Ultimately, we are moving toward an IT infrastructure with millions of sensors that will give the infrastructure sector insight into the state of maintenance of civil engineering structures, pumping stations and roads. We will have to deal with heat, a rising sea level, with drought, but a week later with so much rain that we have to reckon with a repeat of Valkenburg. More important than ever is knowledge about the state of maintenance. In the Smart City project, all that information is available á la minute and the infrastructure sector can act accordingly. How and what we will show at Infra Relatiedagen." 

Infra Relatiedagen will be held from Tuesday, Feb. 7 to Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. The theme of the event is climate adaptation. More info at infrarelatiedagen.nl