Hannover, Germany. Deutsche Messe AG is back on track. After a record year in 2023, with sales of 354 million euros and earnings of 46 million euros, the group’s financial figures are also back on track for the current year.

"Our trade fairs in Germany and abroad are extremely popular with exhibiting companies and visitors alike," says Dr Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG. "This will enable us to invest even more in our new business, digitalization and sustainability initiatives in the coming months and years."

Last year, Deutsche Messe organized 76 trade fairs and events in Germany and abroad, welcoming more than 27,000 exhibiting companies and 4.7 million visitors. "We will be organizing fewer trade fairs in 2024 than in the previous year, as some events only take place every two years," says Andrea Aulkemeyer, CFO of Deutsche Messe AG. However, the popularity of trade fairs remains unbroken. "As things stand today, we will achieve our ambitious sales and earnings targets again this year," says Aulkemeyer. In 2024, Deutsche Messe AG will be organizing 67 trade fairs and events worldwide. The sales target is 282 million euros.

At last Friday's Supervisory Board meeting, Lower Saxony's Economics Minister Olaf Lies was elected as the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Messe AG. Köckler: "We are very pleased with the election of Olaf Lies as the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board. With his profound and long-standing knowledge of the German and international trade fair market and his international business expertise, he will give our company the right impetus in the interests of Hannover as a trade fair location".

Köckler thanked the previous Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Belit Onay, Lord Mayor of the City of Hannover: "Mr Onay chaired the Supervisory Board during the coronavirus phase and thus during the company's most serious crisis, and with his foresight he made a decisive contribution to ensuring that we emerged from this crisis stronger as a company."

To ensure the success of the company, Deutsche Messe AG will invest even more heavily in the expansion of new business, digitalization and the attractiveness of the exhibition grounds in Hanover in the coming months and years.

The Fair2Future sustainability project also remains a central pillar of the company's strategy. Deutsche Messe AG aims to become CO2-neutral by 2035. A number of measures have already been implemented, and more will follow in 2024 and 2025. For example, the Supervisory Board has approved the implementation of Deutsche Messe's energy transformation concept. This includes the energy-efficient renovation of the buildings on the exhibition grounds. It was also decided to convert Hall 4 into a CO2-neutral exhibition hall by mid-2025 and to install a photovoltaic system on the roof of Hall 19/20 this year.

Köckler: “After difficult years, we are well on the way to stabilizing our business and returning to growth. Despite these positive signs, it is now more important than ever to invest in our established and new trade fairs in order to create profitable and unique trade fair experiences for our customers.”