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Messe Frankfurt makes €250 mn in sales in spite of COVID

11 Dec '20

3 min read

Pic: Messe Frankfurt

The coronavirus pandemic has affected the entire trade fair sector at a fundamental level and brought it to a virtual standstill. Thanks to its extensive global presence and longstanding digital expertise, Messe Frankfurt still managed to hold more than 150 events worldwide in 2020. The company has also generated group sales of approximately €250 million.

In spite of its liquidity-oriented business management, the group is continuing to invest in the future viability of its business model. "After ten years of continual growth and an all-time high in financial year 2019, Messe Frankfurt has been forced to hit the emergency brakes owing to the coronavirus pandemic. It was only possible to hold around a third of all events around the globe compared with financial years before the outbreak of the coronavirus. Nonetheless, the company succeeded in generating group sales of approximately €250 million," Messe Frankfurt said in a press release.

Even in the current situation, Messe Frankfurt is benefiting from its strong brands and its diversification. Events can be held in Germany, throughout Europe and throughout the world. Here, having a strong network of 30 subsidiaries and over 50 sales partners is a key competitive advantage. A total of 153 events took place under the Messe Frankfurt umbrella in spite of very difficult conditions, these included 52 trade fairs and exhibitions with more than 33,100 exhibiting companies and around 1.3 million visitors. International business in China recovered impressively, with enormous exhibitor and visitor counts at Messe Frankfurt events there, in many cases on a par with pre-coronavirus years.

Messe Frankfurt has a medium-term bridging strategy that can be adapted to each individual situation. As before, the company is eager to avoid redundancies. A new works agreement has been signed with employee representatives, based on a socially responsible reduction of personnel costs with a view to safeguarding jobs. Due to the continued pandemic restrictions, Messe Frankfurt will be postponing the flagship events scheduled to take place at its Frankfurt base in the first quarter of 2021 until April and May.

The exhibition grounds already have everything that is needed to allow visitors and exhibitors to attend trade fairs safely, complying with all relevant safety and hygiene standards. A whole host of new guest events are scheduled to come to Frankfurt in 2021, including Veggie World, White Label Expo, Chemspec and, a textile industry highlight, Frankfurt Fashion Week. International spine convention Eurospine will be held in the Congress Centre and the new hall 5, in 2023.

"Even in a crisis, Messe Frankfurt remains committed to its basic strategic orientation. In spite of its liquidity-oriented business management, the company is continuing to invest in the future viability of its business model. There are currently more than 20 new events in the Group’s portfolio up to and including 2022," the release said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)

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