From 12 to 21 March 2010 Messe Düsseldorf GmbH will be organising and running the “Deutsches Haus” at the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, where the German Disabled Sports Association DBS will receive guests and business partners demonstrating the increasing commitment to disabled sports. This news was announced today at a press round of DSM – Deutsches Sport-Marketing (DSM) in Munich.

With this representation the DBS wishes to give its partners a professional setting for their own activities. At the same time, this institution reflects the public’s increasing appreciation of disabled sport and its athletes. Over the ten days of the Paralympics approximately 1,700 active participants and officials representing more than 40 countries are expected.                

The “Deutsches Haus” has traditionally been the central meeting point at the Olympic Games where the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) wel-comes the Olympic family comprising members from sporting, political and business spheres. Like at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City there will be once again two “Deutsche Häuser”: the “Deutsches Haus” in Vancouver (Simon Fraser University) and a satellite in the mountain region Whistler (Nicklaus North Golf Club). The “Deutsches Haus Vancouver 2010” will be officially opened in the run-up to the Paralympics on 11 February 2010.

The conception of two locations reflects the special circumstances governing the Games in Canada. The official DOSB representation in Vancouver is primarily focused on the athletes competing in ice-related competitions and will be the stage for exchange on issues relating to sports policy. Up to 400 guests are expected each day. In the immediate vicinity a marquee (German Fan Fest) will serve as the central access point for about 600 German and international sports fans. In contrast to this the concentration of ski, bob and bobsleigh contestants in the mountains makes Whistler the ideal location for the second German House. Even the cooperation partners ARD and ZDF (the first and second German TV channels) will use this facility to produce broadcasts like the morning magazine programme “Morgenmagazin”. Every day up to 250 guests are expected. All in all some 110 staff will keep the “Deutsche Häuser” in operation.

In charge of the “Deutsche Häuser” as the official marketing agency of DOSB, Deutsche Sport-Marketing (DSM) has been cooperating with the Düsseldorf trade fair organisers since the Sydney 2000 Olympics. They are organising the German House for Winter Olympics for the third time now – after Salt Lake City and Turin.

“Building upon the decades of expertise gained in the organisation and holding of exhibition projects abroad, the organisation of sports fairs in Düsseldorf (e.g.: boot-Düsseldorf) and the experience gained at various world ex-positions (we are currently preparing the presentation of the North Rhine Westphalian capital Düsseldorf at EXPO 2010 Shanghai as the general con-tractor) we can guarantee the successful realisation of this the central meet-ing point for the German Olympic family,” says Werner M. Dornscheidt, CEO and President of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH.

Dornscheidt adds that the “sporting” message here becomes an encompass-ing brand generating crucial “feedback” that will impact the international posi-tion of Düsseldorf as a business and sports city. He says he looks forward to making the “Deutsches Haus” at the Paralympics a popular meeting point for sportspeople, business partners and media representatives thereby strengthening disabled sports: “Here we will particularly leverage our experi-ence gained organising REHACARE INTERNATIONAL – the leading Inter-ernational Trade Fair and Congress Rehabilitation, Care, Prevention, Inte-gration.”

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Contact:

Messe Düsseldorf GmbH
Messeplatz, 40474 Düsseldorf

Special Events
Urban Kiss
Phone: +49 (0)211 4560-7717
Fax: +49 (0)211 4560-877717
E-Mail: KissU@messe-duesseldorf.de

Corporate Communications
Dr. Andrea Gränzdörffer
Phone: +49 (0)211 4560-555
Fax: +49 (0)211 4560-8548
E-Mail: GraenzdoerfferA@messe-duesseldorf.de

Düsseldorf, 13 January 2010

Data and facts for the Messe Düsseldorf Group:

With sales of 496 million euros in 2008, the Messe Düsseldorf Group is the most successful German trade fair company and the most successful trade fair company with their own site in the world. In this exceptional year, 32,488 exhibitors have presented their products to almost two million visitors. With over 50 trade fairs, including 23 of the world’s leading trade fairs, in the five areas of expertise machinery, plants and equipment, commerce, trades and services, medicine and health, fashion and lifestyle, and leisure at the Düsseldorf location and some 120 of its own events and participations abroad, the Messe Düsseldorf Group is one of the world’s leading export platforms. Messe Düsseldorf GmbH ranks first in terms of internationality by capital goods measurements: almost 60 percent of exhibitors and over 50 percent of visitors in Düsseldorf come from abroad, with customers from 151 countries visiting our trade fairs in Düsseldorf. Sales bases in 117 countries (over 66 agencies abroad) and competence centres in nine countries form the global network of the corporate group. The company employs 1503 people on average annually.

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