The latest business travel analysis by the German Association of Travel Management (VDR) shows that the German business travel market is recovering: The German business travel market is recovering - with an increase of 55 per cent to 116.7 million trips compared to the previous year. Even if the figures are still below the pre-corona level, the importance of business travel remains unbroken. However, rising costs and the increasing focus on sustainability require new strategies. Among other things, the necessity of travelling is being questioned. At the same time, it is clear that face-to-face meetings are still seen as the key to success in the business world. A full 97 per cent of managers in the study emphasise the value of business trips as an indispensable tool for the success of their companies. Personal contact is essential for maintaining relationships, building partnerships and driving innovation.
This is where trade fairs come into play. They offer the best opportunity for personal contact and are the linchpin of international business transactions. During the pandemic, many companies realised that virtual formats cannot replace face-to-face trade fairs. More than a third of exhibiting companies were unable to compensate for the benefits of trade fair participation with other marketing measures during the pandemic, as the publication AUMA Exhibitor Outlook 2024/2025 shows. Trade fairs not only offer the opportunity to bundle business contacts, but also high-quality interactions that cannot be replaced digitally.
The increasing presence of decision-makers in particular makes trade fairs so valuable. According to AUMA's latest publication, the Organiser Outlook 2024/2025, the number of these key people at trade fairs has increased. This means for companies: This is where the course for the future is set. The opportunity to meet several important business contacts in one place makes trade fairs a strategically indispensable part of modern business travel planning. There is hardly any other place where so many valuable discussions can be held in such a short space of time and where trends can be experienced at first hand.
This is underlined by the trend towards longer business trips, which is reflected in the VDR study: The average duration rose to 2.6 days in 2023. Many business travellers take the opportunity to combine several events, such as trade fairs, in order to make their travel time more efficient. In this way, numerous contacts can be cultivated, innovations driven forward and important decisions made in a compact period of time - all in one place.
Looking ahead to the coming years, one thing is clear: despite rising costs and changing travel habits, face-to-face dialogue at trade fairs is irreplaceable. They offer a unique platform for economic efficiency through the bundling of personal business contacts. In a business world in which the necessity of business trips is increasingly being questioned, trade fairs offer a suitable answer.
Further information: https://www.vdr-service.de/aktuelles/einzelnews/verband-deutsches-reisemanagement-vdr-veroeffentlicht-aktuelle-daten-und-trends-zum-deutschen-geschaeftsreisemarkt
