This year's Electronica has been hailed as a success by organiser Messe Munchen, with over 78,000 visitors passing through the turnstiles.

While the number of visitors was up five per cent on 2004, exhibitors said the quality of visitors was also improved, especially from outside of traditional regions.

Ralf Kuhlmann, managing director at Rittal Electronic Systems, said: “We had 20 per cent more traffic at our booth than in 2004. We were able to welcome a very international public, and many visitors from Asian countries.”

“What was new this year was the high percentage of visitors from high-growth emerging markets like Eastern Europe,” said Craig Hunter, director of worldwide sales communications at AVX.

A survey performed by TNS Infratest suggested that 87 per cent of the exhibitors and 94 per cent of the attendees assessed Electronica 2006 as “very good to good”.

Also in evidence was a feeling of good times to come for the industry. The TNS survey said that 89 per cent of the exhibitors and 86 per cent of the attendees expect that the economic upswing will carry on or that the current market situation will continue to hold

Freescale's managing director in Germany, Jürgen Weyer, commented: “At electronica 2006, we experienced the positive mood on the market.”

Other stats from the event show that three-fifths of exhibitors were from outside of Germany - a key indicator of future prospects for the show.

As one executive from a large US firm told Electronics Weekly: "We'll do millions of dollars of business off the back of this show."

Electronica is perhaps the only trade show remaining where sales deals are struck in the booths and meeting rooms: “Electronica is the industry’s meeting place and a genuine decision-maker trade show,” said Lucio Bossi, managing director at STMicroelectronics.

Despite criticism of the format of the chief executive panel, the organiser said the round table was a success, with every seat taken. It's a shame no-one was allowed to ask questions.