SPECIAL EVENTS WETZLAR 2025
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Special Areas
Program Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Official opening
19 March | en-tech.Stage
9.45 am
We look forward to the opening round with our guests.
This will be followed by a business and press tour.
12th UPOB Workshop 2024
Asphere Metrology
- Assembly of Optical Systems
- Free-Form and Space Optics
- Measurements on current HLEM samples
IHK conference: AI in the company - how it works
19 March | Seminar Room 2nd Floor
9.00 AM – 2.30 PM | Admission from 8.00 AM
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers companies – especially SMEs – enormous opportunities for growth and innovation. The use of AI can not only increase product quality and productivity, but also create personalized sales experiences.
sales experiences can be created.
At the IHK Lahn-Dill and IHK Hessen innovativ conference, competence centers and service providers will be presented who will use practical examples to show how companies can benefit from the use of AI and which experts can provide assistance.
The conference will be held in German and is subject to a charge.
Tickets are available directly from the W3+ Fair Ticketshop.
Spring conference of the SPECTARIS Security & Defense specialist group
Seminar Room 2nd Floor
19 March | 13.00 – 17.00 PM
In 2024, the SPECTARIS Security & Defense specialist group was newly formed. It brings together leading German companies from the fields of optics, lasers and optoelectronics that develop and manufacture specialized components and systems for the security and defence industry.
The spring conference in Wetzlar marks the first face-to-face meeting of the specialist group. A varied program offers insights into the activities of the member companies and is dedicated to current topics along the procurement and user side. The focus will be on exchange and networking. You will find the program on the event page from January 2025.
Interested guests are cordially invited to take part in this half-day event. Participation is free of charge and includes access to the W3+ Fair exhibition.
Please register for the conference. Tickets are available from SPECTARIS.
Hessen in Space
Panel Discussion & Get-together
AI-Consulting
in the nele.ai Lounge
Fusion energy - a topic for the future
TeamMit Live
Automotive Network Meeting
19 March | Meeting point Foyer
1.45 – 6.00 PM
Meeting of the TeamMit Automotive Network – open to interested parties
Tour, presentations, workshops and networking
The automotive and supplier industry is undergoing fundamental change. In order to accompany this change, numerous partners have come together in Central Hessen to develop a regional transformation strategy and a network for the automotive and supplier industry. The BMWK-funded “TeamMit” project was launched at the end of 2022.
The second “TeamMit Live – Network Meeting” will take place this year on the 2nd day of the W3+ trade fair. The future of the automotive industry is inconceivable without innovations in optics, photonics, electronics and mechanics. At the same time, these industries have faced similar transformation challenges in the past and met them with a strong network.
Content of the event:
- 1.45 p.m. – Welcome | Meeting point in the foyer of the Buderus Arena
- 2.00 p.m. – Start of the trade fair tour
- 3.00 p.m. – Time for a personal tour/networking
- 4.00 p.m. – From economic slump to growth opportunity: Transformation through diversification and innovation – Lecture and panel | en-tech stage in the hall
- 5.15 p.m. – Conclusion & networking at the W3+ Fair After Work Drink in front of the stage
The event is aimed at: People from companies, universities and educational institutions as well as institutions that are active or would like to become active in the automotive industry.
The network meeting will be held in German and is free of charge.
Tickets are available directly from the W3+ Fair Ticketshop.
Business Angels Mittelhessen
Start-up Matching
March 19 | Seminar room 2nd floor
3 – 5 pm
The Business Angels Mittelhessen invite you to the Start-up Matching Event as part of the W3+ Fair.
Get in touch with innovative start-ups, investors and technology companies. Visit the exhibition area of the fair and then the matching event in separate rooms of the Buderus Arena.
Startup 1: Creation of complete modernization roadmaps for homeowners and procurement of the necessary trades
Startup 2: Software-as-a-Service solution for automated work preparation and programming of CNC machines for the metal industry
Startup 3: Novel high-performance springs made of fiber-plastic composites: up to 80% less weight, corrosion-free & noise-insulating
Startup 4: AI-supported documentation aid for doctors that combines real-time speech recognition with medical decision support
Startup 5: Digital platform for the automation of return logistics & recycling. Reduces costs & increases traceability
The Start-up Matching will be held in German and is free of charge.
Registration is requested.
EPIC C-Level Breakfast
+ EPIC TechWatch
March 19 | 2.15 – 4.30 p.m.
Meeting point Campus Area Stand
EPIC organizes a guided tour for students. During this tour, participants have the opportunity to get to know the technology and culture of various companies at first hand. Who knows? Your future career path could start here!
Guided tours for students:
14:15 – Reception at the Campus Area Stand
14:30 – 15.45 – Guided tours in German and English by EPIC & THM International Office
16:00 – Time for a personal tour/networking
17:15 – Invitation to an after-work drink with exhibitors and speakers
The guided tours are free of charge. Registration is requested.
C-Level Networking
Program Thursday, 20 March 2025
EPIC C-Level Breakfast
+ EPIC TechWatch
March 20
EPIC C-Level Breakfast | From 8.30 a.m. for invited guests
EPIC TechWatch | 10.00 – 11.30 a.m. | en-tech.Stage
Selected members of the European Photonics Industry Consortium EPIC will formulate their needs from a user perspective. There will also be the latest technology and market trends.
The EPIC TechWatch will be held in English and is free of charge.
VDI symposium
Collaborative robotics AI you can touch
20 March | Seminar room 2nd floor
10 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.
The VDI Hessen, together with the VDE Rhein-Main and IHK Hessen innovativ, is organizing the Collaborative Robotics symposium on the topic “AI to touch – Cobot meets human”.
Cobots (collaborative robots) have developed rapidly in recent years. For medium-sized production companies in particular, they have the advantage that they can be used in interaction with humans. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, cobots can be an ideal complement to their human colleagues.
Artificial intelligence (AI), in turn, is one of the prerequisites for making cobots “human-friendly” and equipping them with sufficient intelligence of their own. In the past, humans had to adapt to the machine, but with cobots it’s the other way around: the machine adapts to the human.
Experience an exciting day with presentations from renowned manufacturers and experts from research institutions, including a panel discussion on the topic of “AI and safety”.
The conference will be held in German and is subject to a charge.
Tickets are available directly from the W3+ Fair Ticketshop.
VDI Innovation Area + networking breakfast
+ tour of the trade fair
20 March | VDI Innovation Area | Booth S2
10.00 – 11.00 a.m. | Network breakfast
11.00 – 12.00 a.m. | Guided tour of the trade fair
Find out about the latest developments at the VDI.
Network with our VDI members and supporting members, cooperation partners and interested guests.
Get into conversation over breakfast and exchange ideas on the topics of robotics, 3D printing, virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI).
The guided tour of the trade fair to selected exhibitors will take place afterwards.
Registration is requested.
BME Buyer Network Event
March 20 | Loge 2.OG
11:00 a.m. Get-together | Make new contacts or meet your purchasing colleagues at the cozy coffee talk of the BME region Lahn-Dill.
Closed event of the BME.
11:30 a.m. Exclusive tour of the W3+ Fair to selected exhibitors and special areas
12:00 p.m. BME Keynote | AI in Purchasing: Challenges and Opportunities for Sales.
Location: en-tech.Stage
Achim Rink | Partner | advacon
12:15 p.m. BME keynote| Insight into the procurement of fan merchandise at Eintracht Frankfurt
Location: en-tech.Stage
Martin Schittko | Director Merchandising | Eintracht Frankfurt
from 12:30 p.m. Lunch together and exclusive Q&A session with the two keynote speakers
Registration is requested.
AI day workshop by efec
20 March | Loge 2.OG
9.30 – 12.00 a.m. &
1.00 – 3.30 p.m.
In one day, we will teach you everything you need to get started in the world of generative AI.
We teach the most important terms and procedures step by step, always with reference to implementation in the company. By the end of the workshop, you will have internalized the key concepts and will be able to plan the next steps for yourself and start implementing what you have learned.
Morning
- Introduction to AI: definition and how it works
- Prompts: An essential component of AI technology
- Large Language Models: Which model for which purpose? What do I need to know?
- Chats / assistants / agents
- Data protection: How can AI and data protection be reconciled?
- Image creation with AI
Afternoon
- Working with corporate knowledge: RAG and knowledge bases
- B2B use cases & B2B tools: How AI can be used in different industries and how – companies can benefit from it?
- Application examples: Email automation, chatbot, process integration, AI rollout in the company
- Discussion and Application scenarios of the participants
The AI workshop will be held in German and is subject to a fee.
Tickets are available directly from the W3+ Fair Ticketshop.
LifeScience - future opportunities for Central Hessen
20 March | Meeting point en-tech.Stage open for interested parties
12.45 – 15.00
Presentations and networking: “LifeScience – Future opportunities for Central Hessen” – powered by VDI Hessen & Regionalmanagement Mittelhessen
Education, research, business: Numerous scientific institutions conduct cutting-edge research in Central Hessen. At the same time, internationally successful healthcare and life science companies develop and produce important medical products and medicines here. In order to bundle this top-class profile and make it better known, the Regional Management Mittelhessen has launched the Healthcare Mittelhessen portal.
The VDI initiative “Future Germany 2050” has identified the healthcare industry as a key sector for Germany’s future viability. At the same time, many W3+ Fair exhibitors offer products and services that are necessary in medical technology and life sciences. On the 2nd day of the fair, the Regional Management Mittelhessen and the VDI Hessen invite you to a lecture program and discussion followed by an open get-together. Members and interested parties are invited. Simply click on the free additional ticket in the ticket store.
Schedule of the event:
- 12.45 p.m. – Meeting point at the en-tech.stage and welcome
- 1 p.m. – Keynote speeches and discussion about life science projects from companies and universities – powered by VDI & Regionalmanagement Mittelhessen | en-tech.Stage in the hall
- 2.30 p.m. – Get-together and time for a personal tour of the trade fair
The event is aimed at people from companies, universities and educational institutions as well as institutions that are active in the life science industry or would like to become active.
The event will be held in German and is free of charge.
Registration is requested.
Special Areas
IHK Hessen innovative
- ZuKIPro – Future Center for AI Hessen
- KOMPAKI – Competence Center for Work and Artificial Intelligence GERMAN TECH
- Design to Business
- Cera-3D – Keramik + 3D-Druck
Campus Area
Leading universities present themselves at the Campus Area and show examples of their current research work.
Joint Booth THÜRINGIA
The spectrum presented by the companies ranges from components and assemblies with precision requirements to equipment and services for development, production, in particular clean room environments, processing and surface finishing.
Thuringian companies are looking forward to a professional exchange at their joint stand.
Enterprise Europe Network
Enterprise Europe Network – the world’s largest support network for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with international ambitions presents itself at the partner stand in the foyer with cooperation offers.
The Enterprise Europe Network supports you in opening up new target markets, finding international cooperation partners and networking internationally. The Enterprise Europe Network has an overview of financing and funding opportunities and helps you to make your company more sustainable and resilient.
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