2/26/2008

Bavaria’s trade fair centers of Nuremberg and Munich are expanding fast / First and second place in the German ranking for increase in sales since 1997

Müller: “Bavaria is the top location for trade fairs in Germany”

MUNICH  Bavaria is spearheading growth in Germany’s trade fair centers: the Bavarian trade fair centers of Munich and Nuremberg are developing more dynamically than all the large-scale German exhibition centers grouped together in the ‘Gemeinschaft Deutscher Großmessen e.V.’ “The business trend in the Munich and Nuremberg trade fair corporations is impressive. Their dynamic growth shows that our corporations are well placed internationally and managing their affairs successfully. The development of the exhibitions and trade fairs also reflects the undisputed position of the whole Bavarian business location as the engine driving growth in Germany,” Bavaria’s Economics Minister Emilia Müller was delighted to report.

Bavaria was not only the top performer in 2007 in terms of growth in Germany at 2.9%. “During the period from 1997 to 2007, Bavarian industry ranked at the top of the German league well ahead of its nearest contenders: with an increase in GDP of 29.4%, Bavaria was a long way in front of Saarland at 20.8% and Baden-Württemberg with 19.6%. Bavaria’s results were therefore nearly twice as high as the German average of 16.5 %,” commented Müller.

Despite tough competitive pressure in the trade fair market, among other things following the opening of the new Stuttgart Trade Fair Center and the merging of the exhibition centers in Paris to create one of the largest exhibition centers in the world, the Economics Minister still sees great growth potential for the future: “For Bavarian industry, which in the meantime earns one out of every two euros from exports, the Bavarian trade fair centers play a crucial role in international business. Conversely, the Bavarian centers benefit from a highly dynamic economic environment. This sector offers many opportunities for the future.”

A current study by the Messe Institut has compared the sales trends of the trade fair corporations over the period from 1997 to 2007. While the large German fairs have on average succeeded in increasing their sales measured over three-year periods by 50%, the corporations in Nuremberg and Munich reached well above-average growth rates of 155.8% (Nuremberg) and 86.4% (Munich) and thus take 1st and 2nd places in the ranking.

With an exhibition space of roughly 180,000 square meters, Messe München (Munich Trade Fair Corporation) booked provisional record sales of € 266 million in 2007 and closed the year with a result well in the black. This makes it one of the five leading trade fair centers in Germany and one of the 10 most important worldwide. Group results, incorporating those of its foreign subsidiaries, will even top the  € 300 million mark. Close to 34,500 exhibitors and 2.4 million visitors from all over the world came to Munich last year for trade fairs, conventions and exhibitions such as BAUMA and EXPO REAL.

With an exhibition space of roughly 160,000 square meters, NürnbergMesse (Nuremberg Trade Fair Corporation) – the No. 10 in Europe – recorded the second best results in the company’s history with a sales revenue of close to € 123 million. It will reach breakeven point after paying interest on shareholders’ loans. The target for 2010 is a revenue of € 150 million. In 2007, NürnbergMesse attracted over 26,000 exhibitors and 1.2 million visitors and offers a broad spectrum of successful specialized and leading fairs, like ‘BioFach’ and the Nuremberg International Toy Fair.

Source: Invest in Bavaria