Germany
Fit for the future
Messe München celebrated its 60th anniversary this year and has its sights set on a sustainable future
oday , Messe München
T enjoys an excellent international reputation as a reliable and creative partner that manages major events in Munich and at venues abroad .
For 60 years , the company has been a gateway to the world and an international meeting place for innovation and progress in the Free State of Bavaria .
Munich ’ s recipe for success includes a strong portfolio with 12 worldleading trade fairs ( analytica , automatica , BAU , bauma , ceramitec , electronica , IFAT , LASER World of PHOTONICS , LOPEC , productronica , transport logistic and drinktec ), which are also in great demand abroad .
Almost 1,300 employees work in the global Messe München Group and over 500 of them work abroad . China and India are key markets , with more than 10 cities hosting events organised by the broad-based foreign subsidiaries . One of Messe München ’ s success factors is the strategic establishment of its domestic portfolio in the main global markets . An example includes the environmental technology trade fair IFAT , which has been held at Messe München since 1966 and was held for the first time as IFAT Brasil in Sao Paulo in April 2024 .
This strategy also has a positive impact on the events in Munich : in 2023 , almost 60 % of exhibitors and 35 % of visitors came from abroad .
The numerous guest events are a mainstay in Munich . The Smarter E Europe / Intersolar has become one of the most important . It now occupies all 18 halls , the International Congress Centre and part of the outdoor area .
Together with the City of Munich , the trade fair centre always succeeds in attracting major events . In addition to its ideal infrastructure as well as good connections to the airport and the downtown area , the city of Munich offers a high density of research institutions , which makes it attractive for medical events .
The most recent success is the European Congress of Cardiology ( ESC ), which is returning to Munich in 2026 after an eight-year
Left : Messe München marks 60th anniversary break . With more than 30,000 participants , it is one of the largest European congresses .
In July 2024 , the International AIDS Conference took place at the ICM - International Congress Center Messe München with more than 15,000 participants .
To further strengthen Bavaria ’ s role as a leading congress location , the Free State of Bavaria has set up a € 25m congress fund . This means organisers benefit not only from Bavaria ’ s central location in Europe , state-of-theart infrastructure and a strong network of local partners but also from financial subsidies .
To ensure it is fit for the challenges of the future , Messe München has important topics on its agenda . These include the use of artificial intelligence and digitalisation as well as the development of new markets and strategic co-operations . The topic of sustainability is also extremely important .
The goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 is always top of mind . Messe München is continuously implementing projects and measures as part of a sustainability strategy tailored to the company ’ s needs .
From solar energy and saving electricity to waste avoidance and the use of the recyclable stand system ‘ woodi ’, which was developed by the trade fair subsidiary meplan .
A sustainable concept was already pursued during the construction of the exhibition grounds , which has been continuously optimised through a variety of measures since it opened over 25 years ago .
With 220,000sqm of green space , around 2,500 trees , green hall exterior walls and 35,000sm of green roofs – the Messe München site is literally ‘ green ’ EW
46 Issue 5 2024 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk