As far as its financial position and event portfolio are concerned, the Messe Frankfurt Group claims to remain stronger than ever in 2018. Speaking at the Corporate Press Conference, 19 June, Wolfgang Marzin, president and chief executive officer of Messe Frankfurt, announced: “We are aiming for around €700m [US$810m] in sales.”
After a very dynamic first six months, projections for the second half of the year are also good.
Since 2010, Messe Frankfurt Group sales have increased by around 50 per cent – from €448m to around €669m in 2017. Annual net income is in the region of €41m, which is the second-best figure in the company’s history. Wolfgang Marzin explained: “With our three business fields – Fairs & Events, Locations and Services – we have a well-established business model and a solid foundation for further development.”
Messe Frankfurt has consolidated its worldwide network to 30 subsidiaries with the addition of a new location in the United Kingdom and another one in China. The company is strategically driving forward its new business, with 25 events making their debut this year.
Wolfgang Marzin said: “The synergies that we achieve within our companies around the world are strengths that we can use profitably and sustainably.”
As Detlef Braun, member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH, stresses: “If everything goes according to plan, the exhibitor record of 95,000 companies that we set in financial year 2017 will be broken yet again.”
In the Fairs & Events business field, the company is expanding its sector expertise in key growth regions. With regard to the company’s operating business worldwide, Braun stated: “Our events are growing in depth and breadth, with a high international component and high levels of satisfaction among our customers.” In a generally challenging industry sector and market environment, Messe Frankfurt is there for its customers, investing to great effect in improvements and new developments.
Braun added: “As an event organiser and marketing partner to our customers, linking together different perspectives and industry sectors creates space for new projects, business models, cooperative measures and target groups.”
SPS IPC Drives, the flagship event for smart and digital automation, will continue to be held in Nuremberg. With five events now being held worldwide, the company has extensive expertise in the Electronics & Automation Technologies industry segment. Formnext is the flagship event for additive manufacturing, 3D printing and the next generation of intelligent industrial production processes. Within a very short space of time, it developed into a flagship event in the eyes of its industry sector and will be held again in November with more exhibitors and more exhibition space than ever before.
After two years of construction work, Hall 12 is to join Messe Frankfurt’s network in September with Automechanika, thus further enhancing the range of trade fair services at its Frankfurt base.
Uwe Behm noted: “Thanks to these investments, we can enhance the concepts underlying Group events and open up new possibilities for our guest events.”
Messe Frankfurt plays host to some 240 events every year. The booking situation in the locations business field is very encouraging. Working together with city institutions, the company is aiming to further raise Frankfurt’s profile worldwide as an international congress centre. For instance, one of the six major medical congresses in Europe – EULAR 2020, Annual European Congress of Rheumatology – will be coming to Frankfurt, where some 15,000 participants are expected to attend.
The Hall of the Year award for Germany, Austria and Switzerland was presented to the historic multifunctional Festhalle as part of the Live Entertainment Award 2018. Messe Frankfurt aims to take the services business field to the next level with analogue and digital services.
Wolfgang Marzin: “We are learning more about the needs of our customers and are working with them in developing new ideas and innovations – both physical and digital – to bring out the best in their trade fair activities.”
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