History
Over 100 years of the trade fair organisation in Germany
On 1 January 1907, an organisation takes up its work in Berlin, which from then on represents the interests of the exhibiting industry. This "Standing Exhibition Commission of German Industry" is the nucleus from which the "Association of the German Trade Fair Industry" developed in the following years. Today, AUMA is the association for the entire German trade fair industry, having united exhibitors, organisers and visitors since the early 1950s.
In favour of more competition, more transparency and less regulation
The founding of the exhibition commission was triggered by two phenomena: at the beginning of the last century, there was an oversupply of exhibitions in Germany and the quality of events varied greatly. Both made it difficult for the industry to select the "right" participations. When there was even talk of "trade fair inflation" in the mid-1920s, the association formulated its three main tasks: Creating transparency, influencing organisers and limiting the promotion of trade fairs and exhibitions by a wide variety of public bodies. At the urging of AUMA, a Reich Commissioner for Exhibitions and Trade Fairs was created in 1927. It was located in the Ministry of Economics and at least ensured a minimum level of coordination in the trade fair activities of state institutions.
In 1927, the Exhibition Commission was transformed into the private-sector "German Exhibition and Trade Fair Office" and extended to all trade fair customers. From this point onwards, it also represented the interests of exhibitors outside the industry and of buyers. In 1934, the association was given its current name as the "Exhibition and Trade Fair Committee of German Industry".
From industry association to trade fair association
After the Second World War, the trade fair industry in the Federal Republic of Germany was restructured and competition between organisers soon intensified. The West German trade fair centres of Frankfurt, Hanover and Cologne fought over the so-called 'Leipzig legacy', the functions of the once most important German trade fair centre Leipzig, and the term "trade fair war" was coined.
AUMA was re-established in its old structure in 1949. Representing the interests of the industry involved, it worked hard to encourage organisers to moderate their competition. At the beginning of the 1950s, exhibitor advisory boards were set up for the largest trade fairs under the auspices of AUMA. This increasingly close cooperation between trade fair organisers and exhibitors eventually led to the larger trade fair companies and their associations also becoming members of AUMA from 1956. When FAMA, the representative of numerous regional trade fair organisers without their own exhibition grounds, joined AUMA in 1966, the entire spectrum of trade fair organisers was represented. AUMA has thus represented the interests of exhibitors, organisers and visitors for over 50 years. In 1990, even before the official reunification of Germany, Leipziger Messe also became a member of the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry.
The presence of the organisers in AUMA was gradually reflected in the composition of the Board of Directors. Today, it consists of 11 representatives each from the exhibitor and visitor sides and from the organisers. Since 1982, the organisers have also provided one of the two deputy chairmen of AUMA. Today, the Chairman of AUMA is still a representative of the exhibiting industry, as was the case in the founding years.
From 1971, the membership structure of AUMA began to change further. Whereas previously only umbrella organisations of the industry had been members, trade associations of individual sectors could now also join the association. Around 30 of these associations are now organised in AUMA, including the associations of trade fair service providers, above all FAMAB, which represents trade fair construction companies. Today, AUMA brings together all the key groups involved in organising and staging a trade fair: 36 trade fair organisers and implementation companies as well as 38 associations of exhibiting and visiting companies and service providers.
Marketing, information, research and education
One of AUMA's core tasks today is to support the international marketing of trade fair organisers. As early as the beginning of the 1950s, AUMA organised the joint advertising of the most important German trade fairs abroad. This has been continued in various forms since then and today runs under the motto "Trade fairs made in Germany". The term 'Germany as a trade fair centre' has also existed since the end of the 1970s. It is the seal of quality for a system of industry trade fairs that, despite all the competition, has relatively few overlaps.
Since 1949, AUMA has proven its worth in coordinating the German government's foreign trade fair programme in close cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Economics. The programme, which primarily supports SMEs in their participation in trade fairs abroad, is a central component of German foreign trade promotion.
AUMA is also responsible for other important tasks today. Against the background of growing competition between communication instruments, this includes marketing per trade fair as well as supporting foreign trade fairs organised by German organisers. Equally important is AUMA's task of informing exhibitors and visitors from all over the world about trade fairs in Germany and abroad, as well as its strong commitment to research and education.
Representing the interests of the German trade fair industry
Last but not least, AUMA represents the common interests of the entire trade fair industry vis-à-vis politicians. As the importance of the EU Commission for the service industries grew steadily, AUMA opened an office in Brussels in 1990. AUMA's relocation from Cologne to the German capital Berlin in 2001 made it much easier to represent its interests at national level.
On 7 May 2007, AUMA celebrated its centenary with a ceremony in Berlin. At the Theater des Westens, the AUMA Chairman welcomed almost 700 guests from politics and the diplomatic corps, from the exhibiting and visiting industry, from trade fair companies, service providers and the media. On this occasion, Federal President Horst Köhler spoke about the important role of trade fairs for the German economy and about aspects of national and international economic policy.
