After several years of disruptions, the SPS trade fair returns to Nuremberg today, bringing renewed energy to the world of smart and digital automation. We spoke with Sylke Schulz-Metzner, Vice President of SPS, about the fair’s comeback, its unique role in a competitive trade show landscape, and the key trends shaping the future of automation. From industrial AI and sustainability to talent development and measurable business outcomes, Schulz-Metzner shares insights on why SPS 2025 is a must-attend event for the global automation community. She also shares some tips.
After some disruptions on the calendar, the SPS 2025 is returning to a familiar range of dates (25–27 November in Nuremberg). How important was this “comeback” for your planning and for the industry at large?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “The SPS 2025’s return to the end of November isn’t just a boon for us in organizational terms; it’s also an emotional highlight. After the postponements of the last three years, it brings back a sense of familiarity. It feels like the industry is coming back to its rightful place. For us as a team, fixed dates in November give us a better chance to plan and enough time to coordinate with partners and customers after the summer break. It’s an ideal time to end the year together, show off innovations, and set an agenda that will take us into 2026. Meanwhile, this return sends a strong message to the industry, as well: Stability, reliability, and recognizability are invaluable, especially in dynamic times like these.”
As the leading event for smart and digital automation in Germany, how would you describe the SPS’s unique role in an increasingly crowded trade fair market?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “For me, the SPS is much more than just a trade fair. It’s a reflection of the industry and a place where the world of automation feels at home. For over 30 years, it has provided a comprehensive overview of smart and digital automation. That kind of breadth is hard to find anywhere else in the world, and it makes the SPS a central point of reference for the entire industry. It’s the result of our efforts to work closely with consultants and partners from the industry to keep improving the event.
The SPS keeps its ear to the ground and picks up on current topics, all while maintaining a practical focus. It’s precisely this proximity to the market and the trust the SPS has established in working with the surrounding industry that make it so valuable. What moves me in particular is the dynamic that arises when so many bright minds come together – and how new impulses for the future of automation emerge every year.”
Looking ahead, do you hope the SPS becomes more international (meaning beyond Europe), and if so, how will you adapt to that audience?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “The SPS in Nuremberg is already internationally oriented. In 2024, around 40% of the exhibitors and almost 30% of the visitors came from outside Germany. These figures show that the trade fair’s international significance is growing, and we’re currently seeing the interest in the SPS increase further, as well. We’re building on these developments in a targeted manner: With the two long-established SPS trade fairs in Guangzhou, China, and Parma, Italy – as well as the SPS Atlanta, which took place for the first time this year – we’re creating additional platforms for in-person interactions in the automation industry. SPS Stages also take place in Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam at industrial events organized by our parent company, Messe Frankfurt.”
One of the major themes of the SPS 2025 will be industrial AI (i.e. artificial intelligence in production). How do you see this manifesting itself in the exhibition and supporting program?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “Visitors can look forward to concrete product solutions at exhibitors’ booths, practical use cases along the entire value chain, and a supporting program that offers both orientation and in-depth content. Whether it’s support in engineering processes, specialized AI models, tools, or AI-based value-added services, this year’s trade fair will show how artificial intelligence is already being used in production today.
There will be exciting presentations on the topic of industrial AI on all three days of the SPS 2025. Particularly noteworthy is the thematic block on the Technology Stage in Hall 3 on Wednesday from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm.
My personal tip is the panel discussion ’Artificial Intelligence – Challenges, Opportunities and Use Cases in Industrial Services’, which is scheduled for 12:45.”
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With industrial sustainability (including energy efficiency, circular economy, and resource optimization) emerging strongly in automation, how will the SPS 2025 highlight those dimensions?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “We’re deliberately focusing on small, but tangible steps that have a real impact. Starting this year, for example, we have done away with the printed exhibition guide entirely, relying instead on our digital app. The carpeting in the halls is made of material that will be recycled after the trade fair. We also promote climate-friendly travel to and from the event, including through cooperations with Deutsche Bahn and the local transport services.
Together with the NürnbergMesse exhibition center, we’re implementing further measures as well, including regional catering, consistent waste separation, and efforts to raise the awareness of everyone involved – from exhibitors to visitors. For us, sustainability isn’t some trend; it’s a continuous process that we’re developing step by step. It’s also something we’re addressing through the subjects covered at the trade fair. Energy efficiency, resource conservation, and circular economy are integral parts of the SPS program, which is reflected by many exhibitors, as well.”
For exhibitors, the business case for trade fairs has come under scrutiny (ROI, time away, costs, and so on). How do you support them in making sure the SPS 2025 delivers tangible business outcomes?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “In conversations with customers, we’ve noticed that they think carefully about whether a trade fair appearance is worthwhile. That’s why we want to provide exhibitors with targeted assistance in achieving concrete results at the SPS.
We offer intensive support right from the start, including personal contacts, service webinars, and practical planning guidance, as well as a wide range of marketing measures. Repeat and early bookers also benefit from attractive booth conditions, which has a direct effect on costs. On site, we make sure attendees can get where they want to go by organizing the halls according to key themes and providing other presentation options, such as our stages. After the trade fair, we provide tools for following up on contacts and tracking leads. We want the SPS to not only create visibility for our exhibitors, but also facilitate measurable results.”
Shortages of talent and skills remain a major challenge for the production and automation industries. How is the SPS addressing the workforce and education dimension of this ecosystem?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “The SPS is specifically focusing on this topic and really getting behind the promotion of young talent. With the SPS Makeathon taking place on all three days and Young Talents Day on the last day of the trade fair, we’re creating formats that get young people excited about the world of automation and give them practical insights into it.
The Makeathon is aimed at school and university students, trainees, and young professionals. In interdisciplinary teams, the participants develop their own ideas and prototypes on-site at the trade fair while interacting with relevant companies.
On the last day of the fair, the focus will then be on the next generation. The Young Talents Day offers guided tours, personalized career advice, and an interactive scavenger hunt with attractive prizes. This offers promising young people not only orientation, but a direct line to potential employers, as well.”
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And finally, if you had to sum up the ambition of the SPS 2025 in one sentence, what would it be?
Sylke Schulz-Metzner: “The SPS 2025 is pursuing the clear goal of creating tangible added value for all participants – through relevant content, valuable interactions, and specific impulses that promote business success.”
