Change and transformation are currently characteristic not only of our society and our socio-cultural structures, but also our economic structures and therefore also the exhibition industry: traditional approaches to brand communication no longer appear to take full effect, although the core of the longstanding trade fair business perhaps holds the key to the future of the traditional platform: in real encounters and individual exchanges. In accordance with this, over the forthcoming years it will increasingly be about shaping this discussion, creating spaces for it, enabling especially personal contacts amidst a communication guided by bots, thereby shaping change. Of course, this edition of the Trade Fair Design Yearbook is not oblivious to this either: from October 2018, the publication will be issued in a new, even higher quality design, extending increasingly into digital, as well as real space. Text in English and German.