Reports

The EU Commission has decided to increase visa fees from 80 to 90 euros. The fees for obtaining a visa for the Schengen area were first increased from 60 to 80 euros in 2020. The reason given for the increase is the EU-wide inflation rate over the last three years.

The trade fair industry in Germany has left the coronavirus crisis behind. For 2023 as a whole, the industry recorded more than just a big increase compared to 2022, according to a recent study by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA).

2.86 million square metres of hall space are currently available at German trade fair venues of national or international importance. This is a slight increase of just under 60,000 square metres (+ 2.1 percent) compared to the previous year.

The global trade fair industry has fully recovered from the pandemic in most markets. On average, sales in 2023 have reached a comparable level to 2019. This is according to the latest survey by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), which was completed in January.

Augsburger Schwabenhallen Messe- und Veranstaltungsgesellschaft mbH and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH are new members of AUMA - Association of the German Trade Fair Industry. The AUMA Executive Board approved the admission at its most recent meeting in Hanover in December.

The German trade fair industry is starting the new year with a tailwind. More than 330 trade fairs are planned. Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main, the PSI trade fair for the promotional products industry in Düsseldorf (photo) and the world's leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings, Domotex, in Hanover will kick off the year.