As Wolfgang Marzin , president and chief executive officer of Messe Frankfurt , reports : “ Even taking into account the current geopolitical climate , we expect sales in the current financial year to increase by more than 25 % year-on-year to € 770m , with a substantial improvement in earnings as well . That would be the highest level of sales in Messe Frankfurt ’ s history . The Group is adhering to its objective of attaining economic profitability while also creating key sustainable macroeconomic benefits for Frankfurt and its surrounding region .”

Messe Frankfurt ’ s strong performance can be seen in the final figures for 2023 , where its operating business was complete and back to full strength again for the first time in three years .

Sales went up faster than expected , rising by as much as a third year-on-year to € 609m ( 2022 : € 454.2m ). Consolidated sales outside Germany were in the region of € 275m ( 2022 : € 140.2m ).

This accounts for 45 % of Group sales ( 2022 : 31 %). Approximately € 334m in sales revenue was generated in Germany ( 2022 : € 313.9m ).

In line with the strong operational performance , this gives rise to an EBITDA of around € 91m ( 2022 : approx . € 41m ).

A total of 349 events took place in the past financial year , with around 86,400 exhibiting companies and over 4.3m visitors . On average , around 81 % of companies exhibiting at Group events in Frankfurt in the financial year 2023 came from outside Germany – a new record .

By the same token , approximately 54 % of buyers travelled to the events from outside Germany . This means that the international component far exceeds the average for German exhibition venues , calculated by AUMA , the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry .

The focus for the 2024 financial year is once again on profitability and faster growth .

Messe Frankfurt ’ s portfolio contains many strong event brands and , owing to the rotation of events , a series of Group flagship shows will be held in close succession this year , both in Frankfurt and throughout the world .

Detlef Braun , a member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt , notes : “ Our events are stronger than ever before and all key parameters are set for growth . Quality , space , internationality , frequent exhibitor growth compared with previous events and visitor satisfaction of over 90 % all demonstrate that our brands are making a strong comeback .”

At present , more than 200 guest events have been booked until the end of the year .

Thanks to its flexible infrastructure , the Frankfurt

Above : Aiming to be carbon neutral by 2040

exhibition grounds are now able to play host to multiple events at the same time .

Over 20 new events have been planned worldwide for 2024 and 2025 . At more than 50 locations around the world , the Group ’ s global portfolio has played an important role in its strategic company orientation for 35 years , together with its global sales network consisting of 28 subsidiaries and over 50 sales partners .

At the same time , Messe Frankfurt is thinking and acting digitally and sustainably and is integrating these two future components within its events and services .

The company is a driving force behind the move towards a more sustainable future for events . As Marzin emphasises : “ In our efforts to report greenhouse gas emissions to precisely record and reduce the CO2 drivers at our Frankfurt base , we will be calculating the carbon footprint there regularly , beginning with the financial year 2023 . This is a further milestone in honing our climate strategy and an important step on the way to our binding environmental target of attaining climate neutrality by 2040 at the latest .” EW