Evian Gu Succeeds Marius Berlemann
submitted by Anne Meerboth-Maltz, Messe Düsseldorf North America
Evian Gu (42) will become General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf in China as of August 1, 2024, and thus head the subsidiaries Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai and Messe Düsseldorf China. In this position she succeeds Marius Berlemann (38), who will start his new position as Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH on August 1, 2024. He will also continue to be Regional Head of “Messe Düsseldorf for Asia” (MDfA).
Evian Gu has been working for Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai for nine years. She joined the company from NürnbergMesse in 2015. At Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai she was initially responsible as Project Director and Senior Project Director for “All in Print China” and “swop” as well as for the China business of Düsseldorf’s leading global trade fairs drupa and K. After a promotion to Division Director in 2021, she was responsible for the trade fairs All in Print China, swop, wire China, Tube China and Medical Fair China, among others. Together with her team, she also supported the expansion of the China business of the trade fairs in Düsseldorf (Germany) and achieved the highest Chinese exhibitor numbers to date at drupa 2024, “The Bright World of Metals” (GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST) 2023, interpack 2023, MEDICA 2023 and K 2022.
Evian Gu is now taking over the responsibilities in her home city from Marius Berlemann, who is returning to Germany as the new Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. However, as Regional Head of “Messe Düsseldorf for Asia” (MDfA), the network of Messe Düsseldorf’s Asian subsidiaries, he will remain responsible for Messe Düsseldorf’s entire Asian business. Evian Gu commented: “I am very pleased about the trust and the new challenge as General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf in China. Together with my team, I will continue to work on strengthening and expanding our leading position. China is playing an increasingly important role for Messe Düsseldorf’s international trade fair business, and I am convinced that we can continue to drive this momentum forward.”
Messe Düsseldorf’s business in China still growing
Under the management of Marius Berlemann, Messe Düsseldorf has grown vastly in China. In 2023, the company’s 13 Chinese trade fairs far exceeded the pre-Covid level and attracted 10,047 exhibitors (128.7% of the 2019 figure) on 776,500 square meters (162.4%). In addition, there were 573,771 visitors (188.7%). The trade fairs for the plastics and rubber industry, CHINAPLAS, and for occupational safety and health, CIOSH, were particularly successful. The expansion of CIOSH to Thailand in the direction of Southeast Asia and the founding of MDfA underline the strategic importance of these markets. With 3,436 exhibitors and a share of 14%, China was the largest foreign exhibitor nation at Messe Düsseldorf in 2023 and ranked second in terms of net exhibition space. China also played a significant role in terms of visitor numbers and ranked ninth worldwide.
Marius Berlemann stated: “I have already worked successfully with Evian Gu and I am pleased that this will also be the case in the future, both in my new function as Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and as Regional Head of MDfA. Evian Gu has excellent leadership skills and strong intercultural competence – strategically and operationally she is extremely well connected in China as well as in Germany. Evian Gu and Messe Düsseldorf in China will particularly benefit from the synergies of the new MDfA network. Asia’s prospering growth markets and increasing intra-Asian trade offer attractive regional exhibitor and visitor groups for trade fairs in China. MDfA will help to make the best possible use of this potential and contribute to the further growth of our trade fairs in China. At the same time, the other Asian markets will also benefit from a strong Messe Düsseldorf in China.”
Marius Berlemann has been working for Messe Düsseldorf in China for more than five years. In China he was responsible for 63 employees, three offices and thirteen international trade fairs as General Manager. This responsibility will now go to Evian Gu. In 2021, Marius Berlemann also took over as Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf China, leading the company through the Covid-19 crisis and experiencing its most successful business year since its foundation in 2023.
Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Düsseldorf China and Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai, remarked: “We are very pleased that Evian Gu, a proven trade fair expert, is taking over the management in China. Over the past years, Ms. Gu has made a significant contribution in China and at our homebase. With her industry and business experience, Evian Gu will further expand this role. China is playing an increasingly important part in Düsseldorf’s leading global trade fairs, and Mrs. Gu’s work will help to further strengthen this position.”
The Messe Düsseldorf Group
Messe Düsseldorf is among the most successful trade show organizers worldwide. It hosts around 40 trade shows, including 20 leading international events, at its 613,000-m² exhibition center in Düsseldorf, Germany. In 18 halls, international market leaders and top decision-makers of various sectors get together every year in order to present and discover innovations, exchange ideas and network. Messe Düsseldorf’s sectors of expertise include: “Machinery, Plants and Equipment,” including metallurgy and foundry technology (inter alia drupa, K, interpack, glasstec, wire and Tube); “Retail, Trades and Services” (EuroShop, EuroCIS, ProWein); “Health and Medical Technology” (MEDICA, COMPAMED, REHACARE, A+A); “Lifestyle and Beauty” (BEAUTY, TOP HAIR); “Leisure” (boot, CARAVAN SALON); and “Mobility” (XPONENTIAL, Flotte!). Completing this lineup are numerous conventions, corporate events, conferences and meetings by subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress. Abroad, Messe Düsseldorf organizes more than 70 events. The corporate group’s global network consists of 77 foreign representatives for 141 countries – including seven international subsidiaries.
