Ilmac 2024 closed its doors on 19 September at Expo Beaulieu Lausanne. Over two days, the chemical and life-science industry had networked at “their” industry meeting place in western Switzerland. 3,335 decision-makers and experts from the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries had managed to find new products, solutions and inspiration during the trade fair, the international conference and in the newly launched Startup Area. The trade-fare management is very positive about the event. The facts and figures for Ilmac Lausanne, which was held at Expo Beaulieu Lausanne for the fifth time from 18 to 19 September 2024, speak for themselves: 3,335 visitors, 5,400 square metres of booked space, 200 exhibiting companies from 20 industries and 20 countries, three stages featuring more than 70 talks and presentations during the conference and in the Speakers and Future Talks Corner. Brand Director Céline Futterknecht is delighted: “I’m getting positive feedback all round. In collaboration with our partners, we’ve managed to take Ilmac Lausanne to the next level in terms of quantity and quality. The market is responding and validating our concept.”

“Inspiring the Future of Chemistry and Life Sciences”
Ilmac’s value proposition was also honoured and shows that Ilmac Lausanne is at the cutting edge of the industry. Its blend of trade fair, international conference, Startup Area and Job Connect was well received among the exhibiting companies and visitors. The daily Networking Lunch and the Networking Aperitif on the first evening of the trade fair were popular opportunities to socialise with business partners, new customers and existing acquaintances. The modern venue at Expo Beaulieu Lausanne provided the ideal setting and was praised for its spacious reception area and light-filled appearance.

Broad showcase with Speakers Corner and Startup Area
The fully booked Ilmac Lausanne reaffirmed its status as the most important platform in western Switzerland. Decision-makers and specialists across the entire value chain were able to find products and solutions tailored to their day-to-day work. The industry event covered eight specialist areas, including lab technology, diagnostics and bioanalysis, biotechnology, process technology, robotics and automation, information technology and pharmaceutical logistics. Exhibitors included leading companies from the chemical and life-science industry, among them Agilent, Bruker, Endress+Hauser, Milian, Thermo Fisher and Siemens. To complement their own stands, a number of companies used the Speakers and Future Talks Corner to present products or conduct experiments under professional moderation. The newly launched Startup Area was fully booked for its premiere. The many newcomers from the biotech, lab tech, software and cybersecurity sectors proved to be a crowd-puller with huge added value. Ilmac Lausanne also served as a job and career platform and was supported interactively with a job wall by Job Connect. “Ilmac 2024 was a resounding success. I’m overwhelmed by the number of visitors and by the large number of exhibitors and speakers. We can report an increase of 67% in participants and an increase of 25% in exhibitors compared to the 2022 edition. Special thanks go to Isabelle Moret, State Councillor and Head of the DEIEP, who extended her best wishes to the attendees during the networking aperitif. Her commitment and support are highly significant to us. It’s inspiring and gratifying to see our event gaining in importance and the community growing. We look forward to hosting more editions of Ilmac in Lausanne and Basel,” said Brand Director Céline Futterknecht.

Ilmac Conference takes on an international dimension
The science-driven conference centred on the current industry topics of Food Chemistry and Laboratory 4.0 impressed participants with a line-up of leading Swiss and international speakers. The first-class programme was developed in close cooperation with partners Swiss Chemical Society (SCS), Bio Alps and Swiss Biotech Association (SBA).
The first day’s symposium was dedicated to the subject of “Food Chemistry & Analytics”. Speakers impressed the audience with their in-depth knowledge gained from practice and research.
The second day focussed on Lab 4.0 in collaboration with Bio Alps and the Swiss Biotech Association and was met with great interest. In addition to the sessions “Future of Labs – Latest innovations and outlook” and “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applied to drug development”, the round-table discussions, networking events and start-up pitch sessions were also well received.

Online networking all year round with Ilmac 365
Thanks to the Ilmac app and the Ilmac 365 community network, the community can stay connected. All those interested can register free of charge at 365.ilmac.ch to keep up to date with news, trends, topics and career opportunities from the chemical and life-science industry, both now and after the live event.

Ilmac will be back in Basel from 16 to 18 September 2025 and in Lausanne from 23 to 24 September 2026.

For details, please visit: www.ilmac.ch