The VISION show in Stuttgart, Germany is changing to a biennial cycle with immediate effect. This means that VISION 2013 will not take place. This decision was taken after extensive analyses by Messe Stuttgart in conjunction with the VDMA Machine Vision Association and key players in the machine vision industry. "The new biennial cycle will extend the leading position of VISION still further and consolidate its importance as a global innovation platform," says Ulrich Kromer, managing director of Messe Stuttgart. "Thanks to this strategic development, VISION will also be adapted to the changed needs of the machine vision industry." 
 
Exhibitors seem to want the extra time, according to Patrick Schwarzkopf, head of the VDMA Machine Vision Association, the professional and promotional supporter of VISION. "Through this decision, VISION is taking account of the request by many exhibitors," Schwarzkopg says. "They want to offer trade visitors a genuine raft of innovations. The biennial cycle provides the best conditions in this respect", explained 
 
In November 2012, VISION celebrated its 25th anniversary and the hitherto largest and most successful edition of the event. It has accompanied the machine vision industry over the last 25 years, and has grown with it. It is now essential to establish a good position for the industry's leading trade fair during the next 25 years and develop it even further.
 
 
With the change to a biennial cycle, VISION can also be permanently staged on the worldwide introduced November date in Hall 1, the L-Bank Forum. This would not have been possible every year with an annual date. It was therefore an ideal opportunity now to change the cycle of the trade fair. As a result, the trade fair calendar will also be spaced out for those exhibitors who are increasingly focusing on specific industry trade fairs with special solutions. This is welcomed in general.
 
"The previous annual cycle was ideal for us and many other exhibitors," says Dr. Klaus-Henning Noffz, managing partner of Silicon Software. "Nevertheless, we support the decision to change to a biennial cycle. We see VISION in a process of strategic further development which will let it play an even more important international role in future than is currently the case."
 
With a broad vote in favour of the new cycle, VISION 2013 will be cancelled and replaced by VISION 2014. The stated joint objective of all participants to adapt the VISION cycle to visitors' information needs and the innovation speed of the machine vision industry will be implemented, as requested, with immediate effect. VISION 2014 will open its doors again in the L-Bank Forum (Hall 1) from 4 to 6 November 2014.