Key figures for the trade fair industry
There are so many new topics in business and society, including controversial ones, and there is an urgent need for dialogue and platforms for explanation and discussion. Trade fairs are one of these important meeting places. They are essential for driving change.
Outlook 2024
More than 330 trade fairs are planned in Germany in 2024 - including almost 180 leading national or international trade fairs in the economic sectors. The high importance of trade fairs is confirmed by the first AUMA survey of 400 exhibiting companies since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the AUMA Exhibitor Outlook 2024/25, which shows that respondents are planning to participate in just as many trade fairs this year and next as in the past two years - provided the political framework conditions do not deteriorate. 43 per cent of companies are even planning higher trade fair budgets.
330
Trade fairs
planned in Germany.
180
Leading trade fairs
national or international economic sectors in Germany.
43%
of the companies
have planned a higher trade fair budget for 2024.
Review 2023
The trade fair industry in Germany has left the coronavirus crisis behind. The industry recorded more than just a big increase for 2023 as a whole compared to 2022. 320 trade fairs took place in 2023. Around 183,000 companies exhibited at around 70 trade fair venues in Germany in 2023. This represents an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2022. All trade fairs attracted around 11.4 million visitors, over 3.8 million (+ 50 per cent) more than in 2022. Stand space increased from 5.7 to 6.34 million square metres (+ 11 per cent).
320
Trade fairs
took place in total in 2023.
183.000
The company
exhibited at around 70 exhibition centres in Germany in 2023.
30%
Plus
in exhibitors compared to 2022.
The German trade fair market
Home of the trade fair and centre of attraction for the world: today there are a good 70 trade fair venues between Husum on the North Sea and Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, between Leipzig in the east and Essen in the west. Many of the world's trade fairs take place here. A total of around 2.8 million square metres of hall space is available at 24 German exhibition centres for international and national trade fairs. This hall space will remain largely constant over the next few years. Priority will be given to investing in quality. In addition, around 380,000 square metres of hall space is available at exhibition centres with a regionally oriented trade fair programme.
Gross exhibition capacity in m²
| City | Hall | Open-air site |
| Hanover | 392.453 | 58.000 |
| Frankfurt/M | 392.415 | 64.326 |
| Cologne | 285.000 | 100.000 |
| Düsseldorf | 262.727 | 43.000 |
| Munich | 200.000 | 414.000 |
| Berlin ExpoCenter City with CityCube | 190.000 | 157.000 |
| Nuremberg | 180.000 | 50.000 |
| Stuttgart | 119.800 | 40.000 |
| Leipzig | 111.300 | 70.000 |
| Essen | 110.000 | 20.000 |
| Friedrichshafen | 87.500 | 35.500 |
| Hamburg | 86.465 | 10.000 |
| Bad Salzuflen | 80.000 | 280.000 |
Comparison with the global trade fair market: Germany's role among the top exhibition centres
According to the International Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), there are around 1,360 exhibition centres worldwide and 31,000 trade fairs per year. Four of the world's ten largest exhibition centres are located in Germany: Hanover, Frankfurt/Main, Cologne and Düsseldorf. Of more than 40 million square metres of exhibition hall space worldwide, over three million are in Germany. Several German trade fair organisers are among the top 10 in the international turnover rankings.
The 166 international and national trade fairs compared to 2022
Almost two dozen trade fairs celebrated a premiere in 2023. Topics included the construction and energy industries with a focus on sustainability and digitalisation, as well as the hospitality industry. There were no more purely digital trade fairs.
147,000 exhibiting companies and 7.5 million visitors came together at the 166 trade fairs with international or national significance in Germany. The leading international or national trade fairs in Germany alone accounted for 5.2 million square metres of the total stand area of 6.34 million square metres.
166
Trade fairs
with international or national reach.
Round
147.000
companies exhibited at international or national trade fairs in 2023.
5,21
million
square metres of stand space were occupied at international and national trade fairs.
7,5
million
visitors were guests at international or national trade fairs in 2023.
Foreign shares
Internationality on the exhibitor and visitor side is the most important advantage of German trade fairs in global competition. International visitors returned to Germany as a trade fair venue in 2023 with an impressively large presence. 96,000 exhibiting companies came from abroad; in 2022, this figure was a good third lower. With a share of over 15 per cent, China regained its top position among the exhibitor nations from 2019 (14 per cent), following the coronavirus-related shifts of the two previous years. The second strongest exhibitor country is Italy (12 per cent), ahead of Turkey (5.2 per cent), which is in the top group for the first time.
Regional trade fairs in Germany
A dense network of regional trade and public fairs complements the international and national trade fairs. In recent years, these events have brought together an average of 55,000 exhibitors and around six million visitors.
The 132 trade fairs with a regional catchment area recorded a total of around 35,000 exhibiting companies, around 1.13 million square metres of stand space and 3.9 million visitors in 2023.
132
Trade fairs
with a regional catchment area.
35.000
The company
exhibited at regional trade fairs in 2023.
1,13
million
square metres of stand space were exhibited at regional trade fairs.
3,9
million
visitors attended regional trade fairs in 2023.
Foreign activities of the German economy
In addition to participating in trade fairs in Germany, German companies also make considerable use of trade fairs abroad for their export marketing. On average, German companies take part in ten trade fairs within two years: six of them in Germany and four abroad.
Foreign trade fair programme
German companies that exhibit at trade fairs abroad secure and strengthen the export of German goods and services. With its foreign trade fair programme, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWK) supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular. At trade fairs - primarily outside the EU - the BMWi organises the "German Pavilions" (joint stands of the Federal Government) under its umbrella brand "made in Germany".
Trade fairs abroad organised by German companies
The German trade fair companies, which are members of AUMA and FAMA, organise over 300 trade fairs of their own on all continents every year. In many cases, trade fair concepts that have proved successful in Germany are transferred abroad. All key figures for German trade fairs abroad increased regularly in the years before the coronavirus pandemic - apart from fluctuations due to rotation. AUMA supports these trade fairs abroad with the "German Trade Fair Quality Abroad" quality label.
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