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Leaving no one behind

Innovation leads to participation. And trade shows pave the way there. For Messe Düsseldorf’s President & CEO Wolfram Diener, that means a lot of responsibility. The industry can make an integral contribution to a more equitable and livable world for all people – right in line with the promise contained in the UN’s 2030 Agenda to 'leave no one behind'. Here’s his plea.

from Wolfram N. Diener

Innovation means progress, and there’s no place like a trade show to experience that connection consolidated all in one place. Whether it’s new industrial developments, autonomous technologies, medical devices or occupational safety, they all contribute to making our world more energy-efficient, resource-conserving and eco-friendly while helping people to lead a better, healthier and safer life overall – together. As trade fair organizers, we create stages and forums for innovations from a wide range of industries that have an impact far beyond the respective communities. Representatives from business, science, politics and the media engage in a lively and open discourse to evaluate ideas in the context of society as a whole, actively driving their further evolution and laying the groundwork for their positive effects to flourish.

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Living Corporate Social Responsibility

For us as trade show organizers, this entails a great responsibility, which we take very seriously. At all our trade fairs, we aim to put a spotlight on the social, economic and ecological challenges of our time. Our compass is the global pledge contained in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda: ‘Leave no one behind’. Working towards a world worth living in isn’t just in line with our – and my own personal – values, it’s also in the interest of our customers. Corporate responsibility is a key economic factor, one that we address with our actions. Our innovative and critical approach to the major challenges of our time reflects our economic foresight. Our customers are the ones who develop solutions to these challenges and our platforms help them to bring those to the wider market. Last but not least, as their partner, they also expect us to act as a responsible corporate citizen.

"Our compass is the global pledge contained in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda: ‘Leave no one behind’."

Stages for the challenges of our time

To live up to our responsibility, we organize the world's leading trade shows in socially relevant areas: REHACARE for rehabilitation, prevention, integration and care; MEDICA for medical technology; and A+A for health and safety at work. Depending on the sector, we have woven CSR into all our events, in a variety of ways. The circular economy, for example, plays a major role at our industrial trade shows – including at K, the world's largest plastics show; at interpack, the No. 1 global event for the packaging industry; and at drupa, the leading international trade show for printing technologies. Having explicitly made the circular economy the focus at all of these trade shows, we bring the topic to life in concurrent forums, special exhibition areas and dedicated campaigns. Building on this strong foundation, we are organizing the Circular Valley Convention in Düsseldorf for the first time in 2025, which will be dedicated exclusively to this topic across all sectors.

Additionally, we’re using interpack’s reach to tackle a challenge the packaging industry’s competencies are particularly well-suited to address: the fight against food loss and food waste through better packaging, storage and transportation solutions. As part of the SAVE FOOD initiative, we collaborate with the United Nations Environment Programme, give companies with innovative solutions a prominent stage and raise public awareness. We also support studies and projects that promote food safety.

"At all our trade fairs, we focus on the social, economic and ecological challenges of our time."

Trade fairs create public attention

The world's largest watersports fair, boot, shows how trade shows can address a range of environmental and social challenges: Hosted in partnership with the German Ocean Foundation, the special 'love your ocean' area presents solutions for marine and water protection; at the 'blue innovation dock', organized in cooperation with the European Boating Industry (EBI), experts discuss the sustainable transformation of the industry; and at the German Sailing Association’s booth and the accompanying Inclusive Sailing Day, the focus is on inclusiveness and participation in sports and in society.

Far more than just being places that bring people together on-site, our trade shows feature new digital formats that introduce these issues to the world while opening up promising avenues for a balanced dialog and ensuring that every voice is heard. Let’s tackle this challenge together – let’s discover, learn and ask questions. The challenges we face are multifaceted. But that just makes our drive to innovate and our passion for a fairer, healthier and more sustainable world all the more multipronged, too.