bauma 2001 is expected to be the biggest trade fair ever to be held in Munich, Germany, and confirm its global status as the leading exhibition of its kind when it is staged next month.

The number of registrations received so far indicates that this year's bauma will be truly a superlative event, says its organiser Messe Munchen.

Bauma 2001 will be held at the Munich Trade Fair Centre from April 2 to 8. Around 2,300 exhibitors have already registered, with 48 per cent of them or 1,101 coming from 42 countries around the world, in addition to 71 firms represented.

"bauma 2001, taking up 160,000 sq m of hall space and 285,000 sq m on the open-air site, will be the biggest trade fair ever to take place in Munich, turning an area of nearly half a million sq m into 'bauma land'," says a spokesman for the organiser.

All major manufacturers and market leaders will be present. The range of products and services exhibited will extend from construction machinery, building materials machinery, construction vehicles and equipment to formwork and scaffolding, transmission engineering and fluid technology, miscellaneous equipment, accessories and wearing parts. Products and services will be shown in clearly marked-out product groupings.

To effectively handle the large numbers of visitors and exhibitors, the show's opening times have been changed to ease the pressure on the city's transport and traffic system.

bauma was staged for the first time at the new trade fair centre in Munich-Reim in 1998, when the show celebrated its 25th showing. At the double celebration several records were set: visitors hit an all-time high of 380,000 and the exhibitor profile reached 1,993 exhibitors with 220 additionally represented companies. "99 per of the exhibitors gave a very positive assessment of their participation and mentioned in particular the importance of bauma as a leading fair in the sector,'' the spokesman said.

The German Trade Association of Construction Equipment and Building Material Machines' Manufacturers along with the VDMA (German Machinery and Plant Manufacturers Association) are bauma's conceptual sponsors. They expect bauma's site to be fully occupied as the space booked so far exceeds the record 10,000 sq m set at the previous show.

The 1998 show attracted visitors from 131 countries and at bauma 2001, they are again expected to come from all around the world.

''The visitor profile will cover professionals from all areas of the building and construction industry: civil engineering, road and tunnel construction, track-laying, well-sinking and non-mining deep wells, finishing and auxiliary trades, scaffolding, excavators, transport and crane companies, building materials recycling and renovation, mining, agriculture, forestry and timber industry, landscaping, rental and leasing companies, consulting companies and the building machinery and building materials trade," the spokesman says.

Events that are scheduled to take place at the new International Congress Centre in Munich (ICM) include the sixth International Tunnel Building Symposium (April 4-5), the fifth International Symposium on Microtunnel Building (April 5-6), the fourth International Symposium on the Techniques and Technology of Road Building, the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction and the German Congress for Construction Equipment 2001.

Manufacturers of driving, piling and compaction machines will demonstrate how to reconcile critical ground vibration levels with maximum performance of machinery and present appropriate solutions.

A special show on Computers in Construction will be held in conjunction with bauma 2001. An initiative of GFB (Association to Promote the German Construction Industry) and ZDB (Central Association of the German Construction Industry), the show has been a tradition for many years.

Computers in Construction is sponsored by some 30 leading building materials suppliers who will be on hand to offer visitors advice and provide them with detailed information. The range of available basic materials and demonstrations of construction-related software will give participants a chance to hold technical discussions and exchange ideas.

Research Live, taking up more than 500 sq m of space, will be another attraction at bauma, giving researchers and users an opportunity to exchange experiences. Visitors can expect to find extensive information on completed, ongoing and planned research and development activities.