Frankfurt, Germany – Messe Frankfurt Group said June 30 that 2008 was its most successful year ever with a new sales record of €440 million and a consolidated net income of €36 million.
The company hosted a total of 102 trade shows worldwide, including 42 domestic events that booked around 1.42 million net square metres of exhibit space.
The sales tally was €16.6 million, or 3.9% over the 2007 sales of approximately €424 million and 8.4% above 2006. Messe Frankfurt said 2008 benefited from the huge bi-annual Light+Building trade show, which drew 2,227 exhibitors and more than 167,000 attendees. Ambiente had the largest number of exhibitors at 4,580. The event with the highest number of attendees held in Frankfurt is generally the IAA Cars show, which was not held in 2008.
Michael von Zitzewitz, chairman of the board, said 2008 was the ninth consecutive year in which Messe Frankfurt increased its sales, and he expressed confidence that the company would emerge from the global recession in good shape. “Over the past years, we have built up a solid cushion that now stands us in good stead,” he said. “We can and will invest counter-cyclically so that we will have an even better market position after the crisis.”
Von Zitzewitz said satisfaction among exhibitors and visitors at the leading fairs in Frankfurt remains high, demonstrating that exhibitors are well aware of the importance of trade fair activities in their marketing mix.
Reach Michael von Zitzewitz at +49 6975 750 or Michael.vonzitzewitz@messefrankfurt.com
TRADE SHOW EXECUTIVE: Snapshot
Messe Frankfurt Group’s 2008 Performance
- Pre-tax earnings: Approximately €52 million with net income of €36 million. Return on sales after tax was 8.2%, while EBITDA was €101.8 million.
- Exhibitor count: The 102 trade shows worldwide drew nearly 69,000 exhibitors. The 42 trade shows held in Germany drew approximately 43,700 exhibitors, of which 70% were from abroad, and booked around 1 million square metres of exhibit space.
- International: Asia hosted 31 Messe Frankfurt events, including 9 new trade shows. Asia accounted for 58% of overseas business; Europe 30%; and the U.S. and Mexico 12%. Total visitor count for events outside Germany was more than 884,000. Messe Frankfurt also organized 17 German pavilions on behalf of the government. Von Zitzewitz said the international shows also served as a marketing vehicle to draw additional attendance to the Frankfurt shows.
- New business: The printer recycling show Remax will be co-located with Paperworld next year; the textile machinery show Texprocess will launch in May 2011, and the Frankfurt Book Fair extended its contract with the company until 2022.
