Hannover. Deutsche Messe AG draws a positive balance for fiscal year 2022. After a pandemic-enforced hiatus which meant that the first trade shows and events were only able to be staged from the second quarter of the year onward, virtually all those held on the Hannover exhibition grounds outpaced the initial expectations. Over the course of the year, around 17,000 exhibiting companies and 1.9 million attendees took part in the 73 trade shows and events organized by Deutsche Messe AG in Germany and abroad. At EUR 202 million, revenue exceeded the budgeted levels by approximately EUR 5 million. There was an even more positive trend on the earnings side: instead of the EUR -52 million forecast at the beginning of the year, the loss is expected to be less than -15 million euros.

"Face-to-face contact and direct dialog are indispensable, especially at a time when businesspeople, politicians and society in general are having to cope with several crises simultaneously," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe AG. "We trade show organizers play a key role in this context: we bring together people who drive innovation, climate protection and prosperity through their collaboration and solutions."

With regard to the 2022 operating result, Köckler adds: "Our trade shows registered a far greater degree of acceptance than was to be anticipated in view of the restart, our optimized cost structure is kicking in, and there is buoyant demand in the market for the new events as well."

In addition, Deutsche Messe has succeeded in extending long-term contracts with important guest-event organizers and attracting new events. EuroBLECH, for example, will continue to be staged at the Hannover exhibition grounds for a further 10 years, and a multi-year partnership has been agreed with the organizers of the DreamHack gaming festival.

Outlook for 2023: Revenue growth to EUR 280 million

2023 will see Deutsche Messe AG present around 90 trade shows and events in Germany and abroad, and increase its revenue to EUR 280 million. In this context too, the prospects are excellent, says Köckler. DOMOTEX in January closed with record levels of satisfaction among the event's exhibitors, and ABF/BIG reported attendee footfall at pre-crisis levels. And the new "besser schlafen" trade show format around the topics of sleep medicine, learning to sleep and sleep environment offers potential for further growth.

Köckler: "With HANNOVER MESSE, LIGNA, EMO AND ARGITECHNICA, we have four major events on the calendar this year, all of which are very much in demand among exhibitors and trade attendees alike. Not only has the trade show format survived the pandemic, it has also put an end to – and indeed won – the years-long debate on the relevance of trade shows in the digital age."

Sustainability is a key issue for the future

Carbon neutral by 2035 – that is Deutsche Messe's goal. Sustainability is thus a cornerstone of the company's strategy and a key issue for the future. With the topic of scaling back CO2 generation and emissions in mind, Deutsche Messe has already put rigorous measures in place over recent years.

The company has, for instance, obtained its entire electricity supply via hydroelectric power since 2018, making for savings of around 40,000 metric tons of CO2 to date. What's more, the use of state-of-the-art LED technology has helped cut electricity consumption for lighting in the halls and outdoor facilities by 40 percent. This year will see an energetic transformation concept drawn up for the exhibition grounds and successively implemented, with the installation of a photovoltaic system on Hall 19/20 also planned for 2023.

Köckler: "We are working on a transparent roadmap to the climate-neutral trade show of the future, backed by concrete measures and milestones. In doing so, we are accepting our social responsibility and securing our attractiveness as a trade show location over the long term."