Anniversary
NürnbergMesse turns 50
EW salutes Germany ’ s NürnbergMesse Group on its half century of achievements , although the venue and organiser group is clearly not resting on its laurels
F rom 0 to 100 ; from a regional exhibition startup in 1974 , to a global player with an established position among the top 15 exhibition companies worldwide . That ’ s how Peter Ottmann , CEO NürnbergMesse Group , summarises what he calls “ the success story of the past 50 years ” at the German venue and exhibition organiser , and the development of an exhibition portfolio which now extends to more than 100 in-house and partner events in 12 countries .
Although the serious cuts caused by the Covid pandemic are now history , Ottmann remembers those times when setting records gave way to empty halls and revenues fell far short of breaking even , despite the use of digital services and hybrid formats .
Dr Thomas Koch , responsible for group development within the
Group ’ s Executive Board , adds that it was “ an excellent team spirit ” among the employees that enabled the company to weather the Covid crisis with no forced redundancies . “ Savings and financial support swiftly took effect in line with an emergency plan that had been held in reserve ,” Koch noted .
The spirit to grow NürnbergMesse benefited from the fact that digitalisation had been an increasingly important part of strategic planning for the future even before the pandemic . Opportunities offered by the digital transformation are now being used to build up a powerful technical infrastructure at the venue , digitalise processes and develop new , digital business models for the company .
“ Our future will always take the form of a physical home ,” says
“ The company ' s growth curve is rising sharply , following revenues of € 265m in 2023 and a target of € 340m in its anniversary year ”
Left : Showing off the spirit of growth in Nuremberg business development director Dr Martin Kassubek . “ But we also need a digital ecosystem to share the experience – in other words , a good mix of both worlds .”
The company ’ s growth curve is again rising sharply . Following revenues of € 265m in 2023 ( a relatively weak year in the cycle ), the target for the anniversary year of 2024 is € 340m which , if achieved , would be a new record . “ Our other targets are ambitious but are based on realistic planning ,” says finance director Dirk Blum . That also includes rigorous investment in HR , events , digitalisation and the further sustainable conversion of the exhibition venue during the anniversary year .
Petra Wolf , director with responsibility for product management and thus also all events at the exhibition venue , believes Nuremberg will continue to be an attractive venue in the future : “ Nuremberg has the perfect advantage – a successful mixture of tradition and modernity . Our customers in Germany and abroad appreciate not only our wide range of exhibitions , congresses and corporate events , but also Nuremberg itself as a destination , its mediaeval heart and the state-of-theart city of industry and science .”
Anniversary book Marking its anniversary , NürnbergMesse is publishing a 200- page book that brings together the history of the company and the city ’ s position in the historical context of markets and trading . Entitled ‘ Messe . Stadt . Nürnberg . The Spirit to Grow ’, the book includes interviews , insights and essays , and is packed with facts and figures . Contributors include Bavarian prime minister Dr Markus Söder , Nuremberg ’ s Lord Mayor and company Supervisory Board chair Marcus König , as well as TV entertainer Thomas Gottschalk . EW
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 3 2024 35