Messe Düsseldorf back in the black

 

Figures subject to final accounts

High profitability creates new space for action

Future investments in Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre and new business planned

Strong trade fair year 2023 with 71 events in Düsseldorf and worldwide

 

For the trade fair year 2022, Messe Düsseldorf recorded 63 events worldwide – of which 14 trade fairs and eleven guest events took place at the home base in Düsseldorf, Germany. This means Messe Düsseldorf has posted a clear plus over the two previous years: thanks to its re-start, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH generated profits of well over EUR 50 million. It is the only one of the major German trade fair companies that has succeeded in mastering the past couple of years without any financial support from its public shareholders. The company’s financial vitality makes it possible to resume recently suspended, necessary investment in the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre as well as to push national and international event growth. 71 events are scheduled in Düsseldorf and worldwide for 2023. The high demand for trade fairs emphasizes their relevance for export-oriented industries, especially against the backdrop of the current global economic climate.

   For 2022, the Messe Düsseldorf Group posted an increase in turnover to approximately EUR 310 million (previous year: EUR 108.7 million). The revenue of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH increased to about EUR 295 million (previous year: EUR 96.1 million). At the same time, the company posted the first profit since the beginning of the pandemic. Following Covid-induced losses of EUR -43.5 million (2020) and EUR -22.3 million (2021), the annual result will reach over EUR 50 million in 2022 – more than in the pre-pandemic year 2019 with EUR 50.8 million. At 17% the rate of return is as high as it was last in 2016.

 

   ‘Messe Düsseldorf is a strong player in its sector, as the current business figures once again prove,” says Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Düsseldorf: “Our trade fairs are in demand worldwide. They offer companies the platforms they need to drive their business forward, especially in this challenging global economic situation. Although some events had to be postponed at the beginning of last year due to the pandemic, Messe Düsseldorf has been able to open its doors to numerous exhibitors and visitors from all over the world since May. Enormously important for the economy in Düsseldorf and North Rhine-Westphalia. I am pleased to see that the many international guests find their way to our beautiful old town after the trade fairs close and thus also support the local economy.”

 

Necessary investments are possible again

   The positive result for the year makes it possible to resume recently postponed, necessary investments in the future of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre again and increasingly focus on digital transformation and new events. Wolfram N. Diener, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, emphasizes: “Our economic stability has allowed us to successfully drive our new business from our own resources, even during the pandemic years. We have made the largest event acquisition of our corporate history in the middle of the biggest crisis in 2022.” The world’s largest trade show for uncrewed and robotic technology in the USA, XPONENTIAL, will be organized jointly by Messe Düsseldorf North America and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) in Denver from May 8 – 11, 2023. “With XPONENTIAL we cover tomorrow’s themes and secure access to a promising growth market,” says Diener.

 

   Messe Düsseldorf’s international expansion currently focuses on Southeast Asia, North Africa as well as North and South America. In addition, increased activities in Turkey are planned. The new projects initiated in 2022 include wire and Tube Eurasia (premiere: May 24 – 27, 2023 in Istanbul), GIFA, METEC, wire and Tube Middle East Africa (premiere: September 2 – 24, 2023 in Kairo), GIFA / METEC Indonesia (premiere: September 13 – 16, 2023 in Jakarta) as well as ProWine Tokyo, which will initially be held as ‘Wine & Gourmet Japan – powered by ProWein’ this year (12 -14/4/2023). Also, REHACARE SHANGHAI will take place for the first time in 2023 (August 29 – 31). Its launch last year had to be postponed due to China’s zero-covid policy.

 

International growth strengthens Düsseldorf

   In 2022, five new Messe Düsseldorf events made their global debut: MEDICAL FAIR BRASIL (São Paulo, Brazil), COLOMBIAPLAST (Bogotá, Colombia), CorruTec Asia (Bangkok, Thailand), GIFA / METEC Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Thailand) and FoodAfrica Cairo (Cairo, Egypt). Last year, Messe Düsseldorf organized a total of 38 events and official participations, 43 are planned for 2023.

 

 

   Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director Operative Trade Fair Business, underlines the concrete benefits of this commitment: “Our activities abroad strengthen the international thematic leadership of Düsseldorf’s No. 1 trade fairs and win over both new exhibiting companies and visitors for Düsseldorf. On a particularly positive note: the internationality of Düsseldorf’s leading international trade fairs was as high as never before in 2022.” They registered 76% exhibitors from abroad as well as 45% international visitors. 

 

Düsseldorf’s busy trade fair year

   “After the difficult start to the year with the pandemic-related cancellation of boot, we managed to run the complete 2022 trade fair program by postponing dates,” explains Wienkamp. A total of 14 trade fairs (compared to 5 in the previous year), 11 guest events (compared to 3) with 21,657 exhibiting firms (compared to 5,906) and 817,498 visitors (compared to 266,329) took place. In addition, 187,000 participants (previous year: 110,160) attended the 783 congresses, corporate events and meetings (previous year: 318) organized by the subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress

 

 

   Messe Düsseldorf was pleased to welcome four new events at its home base in 2022: decarbXpo, revolving around the currently highly relevant  topics industrial decarbonization and energy efficiency as well as three guest events. Solar Solutions, the leading trade fair for solar professionals in North Rhine-Westphalia, also picks up on the energy and CO2 themes while ‘therapie Düsseldorf’ adds a platform for therapy, fitness and training to REHACARE, the world's largest trade fair for rehabilitation and care, in view of the increasing demographic change. In addition, the vintage car and nostalgia festival Classic Days staged “on the greens” of trade fair parking lot P1 complements the portfolio of leisure trade fairs consisting of boot and CARAVAN SALON. All four events will also be organized this year again in Düsseldorf. In addition, TISSUE WORLD (March 28- 30, 2023) is another new guest event.

 

   This year, a total of 28 trade fairs (of which eleven are guest events) are planned in Düsseldorf. Highlights include the world’s biggest investment goods trade fair for retail, EuroShop (February 26 - March 2), the global No.1 event for the packaging industry, interpack (May 4 - 10) as well as the trade fair quartet of the “Bright World of Metals” consisting of the leading international trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST (June 12 - 16).

 

More and more digital offers

   With a view to further developing trade fairs in a future-oriented manner, the company is increasingly expanding its digital activities. Bernhard J. Stempfle, Managing Director Finance and Infrastructure, underscores the relevance of these investments: “Trade fair content must also be available in digital format these days. This increases the benefit for visitors, the reach for exhibitors and will secure the leading position of Düsseldorf’s No. 1 trade fairs in the future.” The new exhibitor profile introduced in 2022, for example, offers even more attractive presentation possibilities for companies. Like with a search engine, comprehensively edited profiles – with news and product videos, for example – are displayed with preference. This allows companies to be found in a more targeted manner and helps users find better content.

 

Fairgrounds of the future

   While digital activities have recently been further expanded, particularly against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic, the modernization of the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre had to be postponed due to cost-cutting measures. “One success factor of Düsseldorf’s global No.  1 trade fairs is our technically state-of-the-art exhibition center. It has to be developed further and kept attractive so that it also meets requirements of the modern business world tomorrow,” stresses Stempfle. This year, therefore, the first section of an attractive new food court is being built at a cost of EURO 3.8 million; from 2024 to 2028 Hall 9 will be gradually modernized at a cost of EUR 140 million. 

 

Rising overall investment

   The total amount for investment and maintenance will rise to EUR 33.8 million in 2023 (compared to EUR 23.4 million in 2022). In the following years, this sum will continue to increase. For 2024, EUR 52.3 million are planned while for 2025 the figure is EUR 54.7 million. Bernhard J. Stempfle is pleased that these investments are possible again: “After the years of crisis it is now important to leverage our revenue to invest in our future.”

 

   Wolfram N. Diener sees Messe Düsseldorf in good shape overall: “Our business figures show: we have charted the right path with our strategy program and our savings measures. Now it is time to stay the course in order to secure the success of Messe Düsseldorf as well as all of all its service providers.”

 

   For information on visiting or exhibiting at any of the Messe Düsseldorf trade fairs, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago

 

Messe Düsseldorf Group

Messe Düsseldorf is among the most successful trade fair companies worldwide. It hosts around 40 trade fairs including 20 global No. 1 trade fairs at its 613,000 m² exhibition center in Düsseldorf, Germany. In the 18 halls, the international market leaders and top decision-makers of various sectors get together every year in order to present and discover innovations, to exchange and network. The sectors of expertise of Messe Düsseldorf include: “Machinery, Plants and Equipment” (including drupa, K, interpack, glasstec, wire and Tube); “Retail, Trades and Services” (EuroShop, EuroCIS, ProWein); “Health and Medical Technology” (MEDICA, COMPAMED, REHACARE); “Lifestyle and Beauty” (BEAUTY, TOP HAIR) as well as “Leisure” (boot, CARAVAN SALON). In addition, numerous conventions, corporate events, conferences and meetings are organized by its subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress. Abroad, Messe Düsseldorf organizes 65 events and participations. The global network of the group of companies encompasses 76 foreign representatives for 139 countries – including 6 international subsidiaries.

January 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact:

Anne Meerboth-Maltz
Tel. (312)781-5185
Fax (312) 781-5188
E-mail: ameerboth@mdna.com

Messe Düsseldorf North America
150 North Michigan Avenue
Suite 2920
Chicago, IL 60601

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