Berlin, 26 August 2026 – Regional trade fairs remain a cornerstone of Germany’s trade fair industry: in 2025, the number of exhibitors and the amount of exhibition space rented increased slightly. Just under 39,500 companies took part in the 134 regional trade fairs. They occupied around 1.25 million square metres of stand space and attracted 4.35 million visitors.
Compared with their previous editions, regional trade fairs recorded a slight increase in the number of exhibitors (+0.9 per cent) and a 1.3 per cent rise in the amount of stand space let. Visitor numbers, however, declined by an average of 1.7 per cent. The main reason for this is the weaker performance of multi-sector public trade fairs.
When comparing trade fair types, the specialised formats stand out: regional trade fairs for trade visitors performed particularly well. They recorded significant growth in exhibitors (+6.6 per cent), exhibition space (+4.6 per cent) and visitors (+6.0 per cent). This underlines their importance as platforms for business development and professional exchange.
Special-interest consumer trade fairs make up the largest share of regional trade fairs. Despite a slight decline in the number of exhibitors (-1.0 per cent), these events recorded an increase in visitor numbers (+1.9 per cent) and a rise in stand space (+1.4 per cent). In contrast, regional multi-sector consumer trade fairs came under pressure: here, exhibitor numbers (-0.8 per cent), exhibition space (-1.6 per cent) and visitor numbers (-6.4 per cent) all fell. The structural shift observed for years in broad-based consumer trade fairs is thus continuing.
Customer proximity remains the key driver
The AUMA Exhibitor Outlook 2026/2027 illustrates why companies opt for regional trade fairs: When choosing between an international and a regional trade fair, maintaining existing customer relationships is the primary consideration. Other reasons include acquiring new customers in the immediate market environment and the opportunity to reach relevant target groups with comparatively little organisational and financial effort. Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular therefore make targeted use of regional trade fairs for market development and networking. International trade fairs, on the other hand, are chosen primarily to attract new customers in foreign markets.
Trade fair year 2025 shows a slight overall increase
The 304 trade fairs held in Germany in 2025 attracted around 192,000 exhibiting companies, representing a slight increase of 0.7 per cent compared with previous events. Over 6.9 million square metres of stand space was let, a slight increase of 0.4 per cent. More than 12.7 million visitors contributed to a 1.9 per cent increase.
