Photos : Messe Munchen GmgH

FI ’ s first in-person

While the rest of Europe had something of a head start , the trade show powerhouse that is Germany had found itself frustrated after multiple delays . Sentiment was clearly there , but one can only operate within the rules as they are presented .

Now , Germany can pick up where it left off .

Attending the UFI European Conference was essential for EW , as it presented what has become a rare chance to catch up with people face-to-face and rebuild connections over coffee rather than a computer screen .

Klaus Dittrich has been the chairman and CEO of Messe Munich for the best part of 20 years , and as a leading figure in the German trade show sector , was the obvious spokesman to best outline the nation ’ s event future .

Martin Fullard : How has the German and your region ’ s exhibition and trade show market performed since restrictions were lifted ? Klaus Dittrich : From one day to the other we lost our total revenue . Over the past two years our company has lost € 400m ( US $ 427m ). We had one small period between September and November 2021 where the gate was open , and we had some shows taking place . We even had some very successful shows in 2020 in the first two months before the lockdown . But in general , we lost a tremendous

Above : Klaus Dittrich , chairman and CEO , Messe Munich

“ I say the future

of trade shows

is improved

because

everybody

realised

that digital

communication

is not a 100 %

substitution

for personal

meetings ...”

amount of money and we ’ re happy now that our business is recovering .

MF : How is your relationship with the regional government in Bavaria ; has it changed during the pandemic , and do they appreciate the value of what you do ? KD : In general , especially in the winter , they were cautious in their handling of the pandemic . But we had one show which had a very high level of political sensitivity . It was IAA Mobility , a car show which took place for the first time in Munich , where it moved from Frankfurt . This became somehow the lighthouse for the whole exhibition industry because we received the approval in advance that it would be possible to run a big international show in September . After that , many shows in Germany took place again . So , in general , we couldn ’ t complain about that .