Interview: MDNA – Building Bridges Between the U.S. and Germany

Messe Düsseldorf: Dear Tom, dear Eva, you’ve lived in the U.S. for years now. What’s your relationship with Germany like?

Tom Mitchell: I spent some of my college years in Germany and have been speaking German since I was 14.

Eva Rowe: I’m from Germany originally. I was born in the city of Kassel and grew up near Stuttgart in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

In your opinion, what are the most important reasons why Messe Düsseldorf set up shop in the U.S.?

Tom Mitchell: Since its founding in the 1980s, MDNA has had one main task: to sell, advertise, market and promote Messe Düsseldorf’s various trade shows – in Germany and worldwide – on the U.S. market. Today, MDNA continues to fulfill this mission by, for example, organizing the U.S. pavilions in Düsseldorf and by referring exhibiting companies and visitors to MD trade shows worldwide. Messe Düsseldorf North America sees itself as a link for U.S. companies, helping them with any questions on how to participate in our trade shows. Our knowledge of the American trade show market makes us the first and most important point of contact for these companies.

Eva Rowe: Since 2011, MDNA has also taken on the additional role of trade show organizer in the U.S., starting with Valve World Americas. Subsequently, MDNA has either launched or acquired nine different events, including two in Bogotá, Colombia, and one in Mexico. From a strategic standpoint, this move has not only strengthened MDNA’s position as a company, both financially and as a player in the North and South American markets, it has also empowered Messe Düsseldorf Group to expand its presence in these key markets.

How does Messe Düsseldorf North America support American companies interested in participating in events in Düsseldorf?

Eva Rowe: We offer a comprehensive service to enable a seamless participation in Düsseldorf trade shows. Besides administrative services, we support our customers with advice and hands-on assistance regarding booth design, transportation and marketing activities. In addition, we collaborate with a travel agency and U.S. embassies and consulates, who help with finding distribution partners. The U.S. and North American Pavilions offered by MDNA at several trade shows are a popular option for first-time exhibitors. There, they can rent a turnkey booth, have access to a lounge for meetings, get lunches and snacks, have access to translation services, and receive on-site support from the MDNA team.

How has Messe Düsseldorf’s presence in the U.S. contributed to raising the profile and boost the reputation of trade shows in Düsseldorf?

Eva Rowe: Face-to-face marketing is the tool that makes trade shows so important in the marketing mix. MDNA regularly participates in trade shows and other events in the U.S. with information booths aimed at increasing the brand awareness of the group of companies and the individual trade show brands while promoting personal interactions.

Tom Mitchell: We also maintain long-standing and close relationships with the U.S. trade press and the respective industry associations. The fact that we’re directly on-site ensures that we’re visible to the various stakeholders.

What role does Messe Düsseldorf play in promoting trade relations between the U.S. and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)?

Tom Mitchell: Messe Düsseldorf works with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to promote the city and the region as a business location. MDNA supports this role by, for example, working closely on various projects with the Chicago office of the state’s own foreign trade promotion organization NRW.Global Business, which creates synergies.

Eva Rowe: In some cases, the MDNA acts as an informal “office” for the City of Düsseldorf by helping to plan various delegation visits to the U.S. and organizing pavilions for the city or the state of NRW at trade shows and conferences in the U.S. We’re also a member of the German American Chamber of Commerce and participate in their events in order to drive our mission in the U.S.

What industries do you see as particularly promising when it comes to increasing the cooperation between the U.S. and North Rhine-Westphalia?

Tom Mitchell: Autonomous technology! The Messe Düsseldorf Group and the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) have entered into a strategic partnership in 2022 to jointly develop XPONENTIAL, the leading trade show for uncrewed systems and robotics, starting in 2023, with MDNA taking a 60% stake. XPONENTIAL takes place in different cities in the U.S. every year. This move strengthens Messe Düsseldorf’s position in the North American market and opens up an area of potential future growth. The next logical step was to bring this trade show to the European market to further promote the exchange between American and German companies.

Eva Rowe: XPONENTIAL Europe will make its debut in Düsseldorf from February 18 to 20, 2025, with a  focus on systems and vehicles with autonomous navigation in the air, on land and at sea, as well as on the necessary components in sensor technology, image processing and cyber security, plus software and manufacturing materials. Among other things, the trade show will be exploring the challenges and prospects of full automation in road traffic, positioning North Rhine-Westphalia as the center of uncrewed locomotion in Europe. Not only is the German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ) – a national center of excellence for the development of future robotic systems to relieve rescue and emergency services in dangerous situations and hostile environments – being established in NRW, automated and networked mobility is also being specifically promoted by the NRW Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport through the innocam.NRW competence network. All that makes North Rhine-Westphalia a pioneer in the fields of robotics and autonomous mobility – the ideal location for XPONENTIAL Europe.

What are your future plans for the continued development of Messe Düsseldorf North America? 

Tom Mitchell: The Messe Düsseldorf Group is active in about 30 industries, which means there are always interesting opportunities in the U.S. to get involved in existing trade shows or develop new events with partners. We’ll continue to grow and offer our customers new platforms in the U.S. and other locations in North and South America.