The trade fair PTC ASIA this year could be "a good chance to jumpstart the market" in the power transmission and control industry, said an executive of the high-profile event that opens in Shanghai on Monday.

"Lots of big players have signed up and we expect to see a number of new products from them," said Andreas Gruchow, member of the managing board of Deutsche Messe AG, a global trade fair company and one of the organizers of the event.

He said the exhibition this year will have more than 1,650 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions, an 18 percent increase over a year earlier. Its display area has increased by 19 percent to 100,000 square meters.

Another exhibition organized by the same company on materials handling, automation, transport and logistics, known as the CeMAT ASIA, is opening at the same time in Shanghai.

Covering 37,000 sq m of floor space, the expo will host 480 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions this year, also "good growth", Gruchow said. "Both fairs are great places for companies to meet people who are interested in and qualified to buy their products - in this case, 70,000 visitors from 80 countries, and regions," he said.

"They are also great places to meet industry peers and exchange information, to evaluate industry trends, innovations and competitors, to gather ideas and opinions from industry experts, and to hold talks with trade and business press.

"Trade fairs such as PTC ASIA and CeMAT ASIA are the only place where companies can accomplish all of these things in one place and at one time," he said.

To provide further information for participants, new services and activities this year include PTC ASIA's matchmaking for exhibitors and appropriate buyers.

There are also group visits, technical forums and procurement sessions.

The compressed air sector at PTC ASIA is now a stand-alone event after its size tripled over the past three years.

At CeMAT ASIA two innovation salons will be launched - one for forklifts and one for systems integration - for business, trade associations and the media to exchange information.

Deutsche Messe has been active for more than 25 years in China, which is now one of its most important markets globally.

It partly owns the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre, where most of its events are held, including the two ongoing fairs.

The company mainly organizes exhibitions on industry and manufacturing.

Its events in China also cover automobiles, commercial vehicles, floor covering and woodworking.

When operating in overseas markets, Deutsche Messe's core strategy is exporting topics from fairs that it organizes in Hannover, which has proven to be "quite successful", Gruchow said.

The PTC ASIA is a good example - it is now the second-largest event of its type in the world, second only to the fair on Motion, Drive and Automation in Hannover, he said.

Gruchow added that Chinese companies have a strong market position in the exhibition industry now.

"Most Chinese exhibitors have high-quality exhibits and their presentations are professional."