Germany
It’ s a Messe model and it’ s looking good
EW looks at some of the key developments and trends in the huge exhibition market that is Germany
ermany’ s events market
G continued to grow in 2025, according to figures from the German Convention Bureau( GCB), with the country also listing No. 3 in the latest ICCA rankings. Globally, 11 % of traditional business trips were to Germany, placing it first worldwide. Also 9 % of global MICE travel in 2025 went to Germany.
“ Around 80 % of international guests come from Europe,” notes Matthias Schultze, managing director of the GCB.
Over 395m people chose to attend an event in Germany in person last year – a 4.6 % increase compared with 2024.
With 31 % returning clients( one to three bookings), German venues have a high proportion of loyal customers.
AUMA answers EW asked Jörn Holtmeier, managing director of the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry( AUMA) and chair of the UFI Associations Committee, for his insights into what’ s trending in Germany in 2026.
He says around two-thirds of trade fair organisers in Germany assess their business situation as‘ stable’ or‘ improved’ on the previous year – more positive than in many other sectors.
“ This is being driven, first and foremost, by successful trade fair projects, new event formats and advances in digitalisation,” says Holtmeier.“ At the same time, plans are in place to invest around one billion euros in infrastructure and digital projects by 2030.” He adds that around 320 trade fairs are scheduled for 2026 in the country.
Key USPs in Germany, Holtmeier says, are tradition, innovative strength and international appeal for organisers. Germany also boasts around 70 trade fair venues and approximately 3.25m sqm of exhibition space and four of the world’ s ten largest exhibition centres.
Trade fair participation is being planned more strategically, the AUMA MD believes. Exhibiting is, he says, increasingly being assessed in terms of its impact and return on investment and trade fair formats are increasingly developing into curated business platforms that integrate physical presence with year-round digital touchpoints.
Technology is becoming an increasingly integral part of the German trade fair experience.“ Artificial intelligence, data ecosystems and immersive formats enable greater personalisation, more targeted networking and more flexible content offerings,” Holtmeier notes.
By 2029, AUMA predicts the industry will have invested several hundred million euros into energy efficiency and sustainable exhibition venues and the association’ s research shows that
Above: Jörn Holtmeier Photo Credit: AUMA / Steffen Kugler trade fair visits themselves contribute to sustainability: international visitors to Germany avoid around seven additional trips on average – and those travelling by air almost eight.
Widening the market How does AUMA see the German trade fair model changing in light of recent co-operation agreements and joint ventures with international organisers?
Holtmeier says German organisers are actively developing new markets and attracting additional target groups to their leading trade fairs. He gives the example of the collaboration between Messe Frankfurt and Messe Friedrichshafen on Eurobike, and YONTEX, a joint venture between Messe München and NürnbergMesse aiming to further develop drinktec and BrauBeviale.“ Efforts are being pooled more strongly in order to increase international reach, efficiency and market access,” he says.
“ At the same time, international organisers are already firmly established in the German market. Operators such as the German subsidiary of RX or the Belgian organiser Easyfairs have been successfully active for several years.”
AI is, of course, affecting business, but cannot replace personal interactions, says Holtmeier,“ but it can help prepare for them and serve as an extension to them”.
“ Around 70 % of trade fair organisers in Germany already use AI in their day-to-day work,” he adds, pointing out that usage tends to focus on areas such as text support, chatbots and virtual assistants.
AI is clearly viewed as an opportunity, with AUMA research highlighting the potential in personalised visitor guidance, intelligent success measurement and marketing automation.
AUMA also plays a key role in informing policymakers about the importance of trade fairs and Holtmeier says the focus here is on three key areas:
40 Issue 3 2026 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk