International
© Messe Essen GmbH / ctillmann
15.10.2025

40 years of "wire": A Trade Fair Flagship Celebrates its Anniversary

The success story of wire began back in 1967 with the first wire style exhibition in London. When wire took place for the second time in 1970, it was evident that the fair had growth potential. The number of exhibitors grew rapidly, with visitors coming from Europe as well as the USA and Asia to experience the latest machines and systems for wire and cable manufacturing and processing.

International interest in the wire and cable industry grew and so wire moved again in 1972, from the island to the mainland, to Basel in Switzerland. When the Swiss exhibition centre reached its capacity after twelve years in 1986, the decision was made to move to a new, even more centrally located site: Düsseldorf. Here, at the international hub of Europe, the wire and cable industry found its new permanent home – and developed into a leading global trade fair that it is today.

What began in Düsseldorf in 1986 with 488 visionary exhibitors and 21,000 trade visitors became the driving force for an entire industry. Today, wire hosts more than 1,500 exhibitors across roughly 67,000 m² of exhibition space and attracts 60,000 international visitors to Düsseldorf. They present solutions to the major challenges of our time: sustainable transformation, digitalisation, the mobility revolution, intelligent energy management and resilient supply chains.Together with Tube, which has been held alongside wire in Düsseldorf since 1988, Messe Düsseldorf is expecting over 2,500 exhibitors across 120,000 m2 of concentrated innovation space. 

For innovation-oriented companies and start-ups, wire Düsseldorf represents more than a trade fair. It serves as a platform for new ideas, a hub for partnerships and a showcase for emerging technologies. Through initiatives such as ecoMetals and High Potential Day, the event highlights approaches to resource-efficient production, sustainable materials and strategies for attracting skilled professionals, underscoring its role in supporting the industry’s transition toward greater sustainability.

With the new special area World of Cables, there will be a platform for the first time that puts finished wire and cable products, i.e. end products, in the spotlight demonstrating how these essential components are transforming entire industries.

© Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
© Messe Düsseldorf GmbH

The event is about the energy transition, where intelligent cable systems form the backbone of new energy infrastructures, and about the mobility of the future, which requires new materials, new energy sources and new production processes. And it's about sustainability, which ranges from recyclable materials and CO₂-optimised manufacturing processes to new circular economy models.

(Source: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH)

Schlagworte

DigitalisationDigitisationEnergyFairMaterialsMobilityRecyclingSupply ChainSustainabilityTrade FairTransformation

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