Messe Düsseldorf recorded a revenue increase of 29.8 percent, while its earnings rose from 260.4 million euros to 338 million euros.
Because of trade fair cycles, all leading global trade fairs between August 2019 and June 2020 were or will be held at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center in Germany. These events ensure major growth figures for Messe Düsseldorf in its domestic business.
“This trade fair season, which started with Caravan Salon in autumn 2019, has had the highest number of visitors so far and will finish in June 2020 with drupa, which is already completely booked,” says Werner Dornscheidt, president and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. “Overall, in only 10 months we will have welcomed around 1.6 million visitors and 35,000 exhibitors at our own events in Düsseldorf alone. Our 2019 earnings have more than tripled compared with the previous year.”
The outlook for the future is also promising, he adds. In 2020, earnings increase substantially again and according to the forecast the revenue is set to grow 40.2 percent, reaching 474 million euros.
Growth in existing and new events
In 2019 Messe Düsseldorf held a total of 29 events at its home base in Düsseldorf (previous year: 27), with 18 own events and 11 partner or guest events. Own events attracted 26,259 exhibitors on nearly 8.9 million square feet of net exhibition space and almost 1.3 million trade visitors. Some of the biggest revenue drivers last year were the No. 1 events K, MEDICA, A+A and ProWein as well as the trade fair quartet The Bright World of Metals.
New in the portfolio will be Saw EXPO. Starting this year, the trade fair on sawing technology will be managed by Messe Düsseldorf as a special pavilion at the wire and Tube trade fair. As of 2021, the event will be held as a stand-alone trade fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany in the uneven years.
Trade fairs as platforms
“We are expanding our portfolios and continue to develop the content of our events,” Dornscheidt says. “Trade fairs are in a state of flux. In addition to specific industry topics, we are seeing an increased focus on environmental, economic and social issues which require answers. With our leading global trade fairs we offer the various industries platforms to present solutions for the current challenges of our time and discuss them with specialists.”
At K 2019, the industry used a range of special exhibitions to highlight the various facets of a future cyclical economy. As part of the Save Food initiative, set up in 2011, Messe Düsseldorf and its packaging trade fairs send clear signals against worldwide food loss and waste. Marine and climate protection will once again be on the agenda at the Düsseldorf boat show.
Expanding the international network
With the opening of its new international office in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2019, Messe Düsseldorf now has 77 such offices—including seven international subsidiaries—in 141 countries.
“We are continuing to expand our international activities for a number of reasons,” Dornscheidt says. “First of all, we want to meet the demands of the market in an increasingly globalized economy. Secondly, we want to attract more international exhibitors and visitors to our leading global trade fairs here at home in Düsseldorf. And thirdly, we’re aiming to improve our ability to cushion cyclical fluctuations through our robust international business.”
Trade fairs as growth stimulants
Messe Düsseldorf organized a total of 57 of its own and joint events outside Germany. Particularly in dynamic future markets with high growth potential, such as Africa, South America and the Middle East, Messe Düsseldorf is continuing to expand its international business under the umbrella of the four major Düsseldorf world-leading trade fairs interpack (Processing & Packaging), MEDICA (Health & Medical Technologies), K (Plastics & Rubber) and wire und Tube (Metals & Flow Technologies).
Globalization strength
The positive impact of internationalization on Düsseldorf as a trade fair venue confirms the company’s globalization strategy. The proportion of international guests has been rising for many years. In 2019, 73.4 percent of all exhibitors at own events in Düsseldorf came from outside Germany, while the share of international visitors was 37.1 percent. This percentage was particularly high for Düsseldorf’s leading global trade fairs in its four global portfolios, which saw nearly 70 percent of trade visitors coming from outside Germany in 2019.
With a revenue of around 369 million euros in 2019, the Messe Düsseldorf Group has maintained its position as one of Germany’s most successful trade fair companies as 29,195 exhibitors presented their products to 1.4 million trade visitors at events in Düsseldorf in 2019. The group runs a global network of 77 international offices, including 7 international subsidiaries. For more info, visit www.mdna.com
