submitted by Anne Meerboth-Maltz, Messe Düsseldorf North America
edited by Marlena Sullivan
Two of Germany’s largest trade fair companies pool their expertise on the Turkish market. Messe Düsseldorf and Deutsche Messe AG will each hold a 50 percent share in “Hannover Messe Ankiros Fuarcılık A.S.” and jointly expand the success of the leading Eurasian metallurgy and foundry trade fairs ANKIROS/TURKCAST and ALUEXPO. ANKIROS/TURKCAST is one of the world’s most important trade fairs for the metallurgy and foundry industries and ALUEXPO is the largest aluminum trade fair for the Eurasian region. The network and industry expertise of Messe Düsseldorf with its world-leading trade fairs as well as the many years of extensive experience of Deutsche Messe AG in the Turkish market, offer the best conditions for this strategic partnership.
The inaugural meeting will take place in February 2024. As part of the partnership, Messe Düsseldorf has acquired 50 percent of the shares in “Hannover Messe Ankiros Fuarcılık A.S.” This makes both German trade fair companies equal business partners. Company founder Ibrahim Anil will retain his role as General Manager of the company.
Wolfram N. Diener, CEO & President of Messe Düsseldorf, underlines the importance of this move: “This partnership not only extends Messe Düsseldorf’s international network with a new subsidiary but also reinforces our global and strategic leadership in metallurgy and foundry trade fairs.” Under the roof of “The Bright World of Metals” Düsseldorf already hosts the world’s biggest trade fairs in the industry – GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST. Add to this, a portfolio of trade fairs abroad in India, Thailand, Indonesia, Egypt and Mexico, which is now growing further with ANKIROS/TURKCAST and ALUEXPO in Istanbul. Diener adds: “We open the attractive Eurasian growth market for our customers and strengthen our company’s international competitive position.”
The expertise and network of Messe Düsseldorf within the metallurgy and foundry industry will contribute to further expanding the already significant importance of ANKIROS/TURKCAST and ALUEXPO. In combination with Deutsche Messe AG’s longstanding experience in Turkey this creates optimal conditions. “This partnership enables us to fully tap into the market potential in the Turkish metallurgy and foundry industry,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe AG. “By leveraging our strengths, resources, and expertise in the Turkish market, we are consistently evolving our foundry events, creating the best possible platform for our customers from Turkey and around the world.”
High market potential
Ibrahim Anil, Founder and General Manager of “Hannover Messe Ankiros Fuarcılık A.S.”, emphasizes the advantages of the strategic partnership: “To ensure the continuity of the success stories of ANKIROS/TURKCAST and ALUEXPO and to institutionalize the structure, I am passing on the flag to capable hands. As I continue in my role as the General Manager, I am transferring my partnership rights to Messe Düsseldorf. With Messe Düsseldorf and Deutsche Messe AG, two globally leading trade fair companies will now ensure further growth of these trade shows. The continuously growing Turkish economy and the high demand for metallurgy and foundry products in Turkey, the region and worldwide provide the ideal framework for this.”
Located between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the country has attracted attention with its above-average economic growth over the past decade. Although factors like the pandemic and global economic downturn have slowed this development down, the International Monetary Fund expects the Turkish economy to grow by approximately 3 percent annually by 2028. Thanks to its large domestic market and strong industrial base, Turkey has long been an important trading partner for Germany and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). In 2022, the trading volume between Germany and Turkey amounted to EUR 27 billion, with NRW accounting for 42.6 percent at EUR 11.5 billion.
In addition, Turkey has over the past few years invested heavily in the building of housing, streets, bridges and railways, among other things. Other major projects are under preparation. This means metallurgy and foundry products will be in great demand and Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and Deutsche Messe AG’s joint venture will organize the central marketplaces in the region for this purpose. ANKIROS/TURKCAST was last held in 2022 and posted a 2.7 percent increase in exhibitors (1,048), 8 percent more net exhibition area (23,582 sqm) and 9.2 percent more visitors (18,786). This year’s ALUEXPO recorded 15.8 percent more exhibiting companies (403), a 37.8 percent increase in net exhibition space (15,191 square meters) and a 12.8 percent increase in visitors (12,401).
Turkey as a focal region
Messe Düsseldorf has been operating in Turkey for some time. Starting 1996, it was initially represented by the German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and since 2009 by the current Turkish foreign representation, Tezulas Fuar Danismanlik Hizmetleri Ltd. Sti. With its support, Messe Düsseldorf has organized Turkish Occupational Safety & Health Expo (TOS+H) since 2014 as a satellite event of the world’s largest trade fair for Safety, Security and Health at Work – A+A in Düsseldorf. This event has grown by 24.7 percent in terms of exhibitors (2022: 111 exhibiting companies) and by 28.3 percent in terms of visitors (2022: 4,309 visitors) since its debut. Starting this year, Messe Düsseldorf has also been organizing local events of the Düsseldorf’s world leading trade fairs wire and Tube in Turkey in cooperation with its partner Tüyap Fairs Istanbul. More than 200 exhibitors as well as 10,500 visitors attended the debut event of wire Eurasia and Tube Eurasia, held concurrently with TUBE & STEEL Istanbul and WIRE TECH Istanbul.
Alongside North Africa, Southeast Asia as well as North and South America, Turkey is another market for Messe Düsseldorf’s new business strategy. Other new international events in 2023 included the world’s largest trade show for uncrewed systems and robotic systems, XPONENTIAL, in Denver, Colorado (USA), in May, which is the largest event acquisition in Messe Düsseldorf’s history. In addition, there are GIFA / METEC Indonesia, wire, Tube, GIFA and METEC Middle East Africa in New Cairo (Egypt), REHACARE CHINA in Shanghai as well as “Wine & Gourmet Japan – powered by ProWein,” to kick off as ProWine Tokyo from April 2024.
Deutsche Messe AG
Deutsche Messe AG is one of the leading trade fair companies worldwide. Annually, the company organizes around 150 trade fairs and events both domestically and internationally. The aim of Deutsche Messe AG is to bring together people from all nations, who advance the speed of innovation, sustainability, and prosperity through their solutions and collaboration. The company’s own event portfolio includes international leading trade fairs such as DOMOTEX (carpets and floor coverings), HANNOVER MESSE (industrial technologies), INTERSCHUTZ (firefighting, rescue services, civil protection, and security), LABVOLUTION (laboratory technology), and LIGNA (tools, machinery, and plants for wood processing). Moreover, the Hannover exhibition grounds regularly host other guest events, which are leading trade fairs in their respective sectors: AGRITECHNICA (agricultural technology), EMO (machine tools), EuroBLECH (sheet metal working), and IAA Transportation (transport, logistics, mobility). Deutsche Messe’s portfolio also includes events in Australia, China, Italy, Canada, Mexico, Turkey, and the USA.
