News about Holding Messe Duesseldorf GmbH

Date: 24.05.2007

Strong feedback effect from global activities – more than one in two exhibitors from outside Germany

“The 2006 results show that our strategies are bearing fruit both nationally and internationally, that we have a good position on the market and are making good progress – even in a year which, because of staging cycles, was fairly sparse in terms of events.” This was how Werner M. Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Duesseldorf GmbH, summed up the situation at the annual press conference on the financial statements.

Consolidated sales for 2006 amounted to nearly EUR 304 million (2005: EUR 316 million). This figure includes:

Messe Duesseldorf GmbH with over EUR 212 million (2005: EUR 236 million).
Of which proprietary trade fair projects at the Duesseldorf site accounted for EUR 152.4 million (2005: EUR 179.2 million), while guest events and other sales accounted for over EUR 20.5 million (2005: EUR 20.7 million).
Excluding foreign subsidiaries, the company’s international trade fair business generated sales of around EUR 39.5 million (2005: EUR 36.6 million), thereby exceeding its targets.
Approximately EUR 92 million was generated by consolidated subsidiaries (2005: around EUR 80 million).
The Group made a net loss of EUR 7.4 million in 2006, compared with a net income of EUR 4.3 million in 2005.

The sales and results figures for Messe Duesseldorf GmbH in 2006 were considerably above the target estimates for this generally sparse events year and the company continued to grow in stature.

The Messe Duesseldorf Group’s subsidiaries and associated companies managed to increase their sales, or achieved roughly the same figures as the previous year.

The international contribution to consolidated sales rose from 34 percent in 2005 to over 40 percent in the 2006 financial year, of which the majority was generated in the Czech Republic, Russia and China.

Messe Duesseldorf GmbH staged over 80 events and more than 100 sales promotion events outside Germany in 2006. In Russia, China and India alone, there were 32 events with total sales of nearly EUR 30 million. CPM, SHK MOSCOW, METALLOOBRABOTKA, PLASTINDIA and CHINAPLAS were significant sales generators.

In the past three years, Messe Duesseldorf GmbH has seen sales growth of 38 percent in its international business – excluding its international subsidiaries.

Last year, there were 22 proprietary events, 15 joint events and over 2,460 congress events in Duesseldorf. A total of 26,222 exhibitors presented their products and services on a net exhibition space of 985,420 square metres. Almost three million trade visitors from all over the world came to Duesseldorf’s trade fair and congress centers in 2006 (Messe Duesseldorf: 1,297,026, DuesseldorfCongress overall: 1,473,137).

Despite 2006 being a year of lower sales, the events held in Germany in 2006 were more successful than last time around: MEDICA, boot, glasstec, CARAVAN SALON DueSSELDORF and wire & Tube were key sales motors, contributing 45 percent to the overall sales figure. Growth was achieved in all aspects of the proprietary events. For instance, wire & Tube in particular registered a steep increase in the number of exhibitors and visitors, the net hall space rented and net sales.

Overall, we are performing better than the national German average: Visitor numbers for the Duesseldorf events went up by 3.5 percent in 2006, while the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) registered an increase of 2.5 percent for Germany as a whole. In terms of exhibitor numbers, too, the company is slightly above the German zero-growth trend, with an increase of 0.4 percent.

The results for guest events were also positive, with increases both in the net space rented (up 2 percent) – PSI saw an increase of 8,500 square metres compared with its previous staging – and in the number of exhibitors (up 14 percent). The online-marketing-duesseldorf event saw the highest growth, with 32 percent more visitors and 67 percent more exhibitors. TrauDich!, the new wedding exhibition, got off to a very good start in 2006.

Once again in 2006, Messe Duesseldorf’s international activities broadened the international reach of its own events in Duesseldorf: The proportion of foreign exhibitors was 53 percent (2005: 56 percent), and that of foreign visitors was 25 percent on average (2005: 29 percent).

As 2006, the coming financial year is also one of the leaner years for trade fairs in terms of sales and results, with 36 proprietary and joint events at the Duesseldorf Trade Fair Center. Messe Duesseldorf is expecting around 26,000 exhibitors and 1.3 million visitors from all over the world at its 21 proprietary events. The months with fewer events will be used, among other things, to carry out further maintenance activities, renovations and new building projects. The major project in 2007 will be the completion of Hall 8 b.

Events for 2007 include (by product segment) GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST, the K plastics trade fair, EuroCIS, IAM, ProWein, A+A, COMPAMED, MEDICA, REHACARE INTERNATIONAL, GDS, GLS, Global Shoes, BEAUTY INTERNATIONAL DueSSELDORF, TOP HAIR INTERNATIONAL, CPD COLLECTIONS PREMIEREN DueSSELDORF, BODY LOOK, Global Fashion, HMD Herrenmode Duesseldorf, boot-Duesseldorf, CARAVAN SALON DueSSELDORF and TourNatur.

2007 will be another varied year for guest events. Three new events have already taken place in the first four months of the year: IMA (International Trade Fair for Amusement and Vending Machines), REMAX (international remanufacturing trade fair) and dc (fair for contemporary art). And in September, EXPOPHARM will be returning to Duesseldorf after an absence of ten years.

In order to continue playing a leading role in the trade fair industry over the long term, the Messe Duesseldorf Group is pursuing a strategy of safeguarding Duesseldorf as a trade fair location – strengthening its events at its home base in Duesseldorf by

pushing guest and rotating-events business (e.g. IMA, EXPOPHARM, RemaX)
acquiring new business through spin-offs (EuroCIS from EuroShop)
expanding the events and congress business (more events through additional locations in Duesseldorf)
pushing international exhibitor and visitor marketing through cross-marketing activities within product families (e.g. MEDICA, K, wire/Tube)

For 2008, Messe Duesseldorf is expecting sales and results to once again increase substantially as a result of a significantly higher density of events.

Text length: 6,652 characters (incl. spaces)
Reprint free of charge
Two sample copies requested

Download of this Press Release and the Statement by Mr. Dornscheidt as well as of an information about the new Managing Director of Messe Duesseldorf India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Udo Schuertzmann