Germany’s NürnbergMesse’s collaboration with the start-up incubator ZOLLHOF in Nuremberg is being expanded: The exhibition company and the start-up hub have agreed to work together for another five years on the development of new digital offerings to complement NürnbergMesse’s in-person events.
In addition to continuous sharing of expertise, targeted mentoring programmes, and screenings at which start-ups present their ideas for innovative exhibition formats, the venture will focus on the future development of trade fairs, including trade fairs to be held in the Metaverse.
“ZOLLHOF is a true power house in Nuremberg, brimming with innovative strength in the collaboration between startups and established enterprises. The same founder spirit drives the transformation of our own business model to the benefit of our exhibitors and visitors,” said Dr Martin Kassubek, member of the senior management team and head of corporate and digital development at NürnbergMesse.
“In order to grow, start-ups need partners whom they can trust. Co-operation between companies like NürnbergMesse and ZOLLHOF is important because opportunities for genuine collaboration and growth well beyond the Nuremberg greater metropolitan area”, said Benjamin Bauer, CEO of ZOLLHOF. Innovative ideas and concepts from ZOLLHOF’s start-up ecosystem are expected to boost the exhibition company’s own business. Conversely, start-ups will benefit from having their solutions tested and refined in NürnbergMesse. An important part of the collaboration venture, joint ‘KnowHow Events’ will be held together with start-up and tech experts to inform NürnbergMesse’s employees about new technology and innovation trends.
There will also be ‘Start-up Screening’ sessions where suitable partners from the start-up network can pitch their products or services. Workshops to be held on the subject of ‘Events of the Future’ will analyse current trends in the event-organising business.
One of the highlights of the previous collaboration between NürnbergMesse and ZOLLHOF, which began in 2018, was the Digital Tech Summit 2019, where more than 800 hackers came together in Nuremberg’s Max Morlock Stadium to jointly devise solutions to actual problems of NürnbergMesse.
The Messe management team says today’s ‘shooting stars’ will often be tomorrow’s exhibitors.
To help start-ups take their first steps, the German federal government organises pavilions at many exhibitions. In the current year, 45 such pavilions will be held in Germany, including 14 in Nuremberg alone. This makes NürnbergMesse the No. 1 exhibition venue for start-ups in Germany.
Founded in 2017, ZOLLHOF has 30 employees at its offices in Nuremberg. More information at: www.zollhof.de
