Global Exhibitions Day 2020: The German exhibition industry plans a restart

Jörn Holtmeier has been Managing Director of AUMA since 1 January 2020.

"Never before has the international trade fair industry been in such a difficult situation on Global Exhibitions Day," explains Jörn Holtmeier. "Thousands of trade fairs are cancelled worldwide, but the industry does not stand still. In many countries there is a sense of optimism again. The restart of trade fairs is imminent, also in Germany. Exhibitors and visitors are waiting for the first international trade fairs, which will probably take place from September. This is because trade fairs offer numerous functions that cannot be replaced by other instruments. This is why trade fairs are urgently needed for the new start of the entire economy. The German exhibitions are looking forward to welcoming participants from all over the world again soon, at first certainly primarily from Europe, but I am sure that they will again become the industry meeting places for exhibitors and visitors from all continents."

Trade fairs provide impulses for the entire economy

Every year exhibitors and visitors spend a total of 14.5 billion euros on their trade fair commitment in Germany. The overall economic production effects reach 28 billion euros. The German trade fair organisers generate an annual turnover of almost 4 billion euros. Four of the ten trade fair companies with the highest turnover in the world are based in Germany. A total of 231,000 jobs are secured through the organisation of trade fairs. The exhibiting companies employ on average around 2 people per company participating in trade fairs. This results in more than 100,000 full-time jobs in the business-to-business segment of currently around 58,000 companies active in trade fairs.

The economy needs exhibitions!

Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, around 160 trade fairs in Germany have been cancelled or postponed, including many leading international trade fairs. Since March, the exhibiting industry has had to do without important meetings, without communication, for which it allocates almost 50% of its marketing budget each year. There are 58,000 companies in Germany that regularly exhibit at trade fairs for trade visitors. Their reasons for doing so are as varied as the industries they represent. Find out here why the economy in Germany needs trade fairs.

Outlook

On 6 May 2020, the Federal Government of Germany transferred to the federal states the responsibility to decide themselves on the organisation of trade fairs in compliance with the hygiene and distance regulations. Several federal states have already set dates, which lie between June and the beginning of September. The German trade fair industry and AUMA have made proposals for the appropriate framework conditions for the organisation of trade fairs. There is already a roadmap for opening the borders within Europe. Further steps will follow. And international air traffic is also gradually resuming. Thus, many prerequisites for successful trade fairs in autumn 2020 have been created.