The Make Munich is Southern Germany's largest maker and DIY festival. The fair will take place in Munich for the fourth time on May 6 and 7. For an entire weekend, makers will present their inventions, projects, and technologies.
The program is colorful and offers plenty of variety: At the exhibition booths and in inspiring presentations, the maker movement will be experienced in all its breadth, from fashion tech and 3D printing to insights into the maker scene in Nepal and China. The robot battle is sure to be well attended again this year.
But simply stopping by this fair isn't enough. After all, it's all about making things yourself and experimenting. Visitors can get creative and inventive themselves in numerous hands-on workshops.
The potential of creative pioneers
Makers are the creative pioneers who use digital tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, or microcontrollers to invent, develop, and produce innovative things. This means that production and product innovation are no longer the exclusive domain of companies.
This open, sharing and community-based innovation culture of makers has the potential to radically change our society and economy.
How a maker becomes a startup
How a maker can become a startup is described Martin Laarmann, Managing Director of Make Germany GmbH and organizer, said:
"The maker movement can essentially be seen as a breeding ground for hardware startups. Not every maker automatically becomes a startup, but we are familiar with the phenomenon of the 'entrepreneur by accident.' That is, when a maker invents a product that so many people like during the crowdfunding check that the maker has no choice but to sell it.
At Make Munich, you can see many of these maker projects that are 'in the starting blocks' to become something bigger."
In addition to 150 exhibitors, more than 10,000 technology-savvy, creative and innovation-enthusiastic visitors and makers from Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria are expected at the trade fair.
For some maker startups, the fair is also a kind of test run, says Martin Laarmann:
"We offer startups the opportunity to present themselves to a large, tech-savvy audience. In keeping with the lean startup method, they come into direct contact with potential customers."
Drone pilot or into virtual reality
In addition to the established themes of the maker movement such as electronics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, robotics, and the FabLab and Makerspace community area, visitors to Make Munich 2017 can expect a number of new things, such as biohacking and food makers, innovative ideas for wearables, and some "green" makers. And in the new quadcopter area, you can try your hand at piloting a drone and immerse yourself in virtual worlds in the new virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) areas.
Anyone who wants to get an insight into what makes Make Munich special can Read here what was on offer in 2016.
