Leipziger Messe corporate group achieves record result in 2013

 

• Highly successful industry and trade fairs in 2013
• Large number of high-calibre conventions
• Foreign business strengthened – cooperation with environmental trade fair in Russia in 2014
• Large-scale and corporate events contribute to success
• Sustainability in action – construction of a combined heat and power plant

 

Leipziger Messe GmbH with the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) and its five subsidiaries ends the 2013 event year with record sales estimated at over 85 million euros. “This was the best business year for Leipziger Messe since German reunification,â€' says Managing Director, Martin Buhl-Wagner. “For this we would like to thank our clients, partners and employees.â€' In total around 1.2 million guests visited the 37 trade fairs, 97 conventions and 34 events in the areas of business, politics, sport and entertainment. The business of the five subsidiaries also showed very positive development.

 

The record result for the Leipziger Messe corporate group can be explained on the basis of five points:

 

“Firstly, we had a strong industry and trade fair year with highlights such as the supplier and machinery construction trade fairs, Z and Intec, as well as successful fairs open to the public such as the Leipzig Book Fair, HAUS-GARTEN-FREIZEIT (Home-Garden-Leisure) and modell-hobby-spiel (models-hobbies-games). Furthermore, we continued to develop our portfolio by introducing new products such as HIVOLTEC, the Designers' Open and CosmeticBusiness,â€' explains Markus Geisenberger, Managing Director of Leipziger Messe.

“Secondly, our Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) was almost completely booked out,â€' Buhl-Wagner notes. “There is a very broad spectrum of conventions taking place at the CCL, ranging from high-calibre international medical conferences such as the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) Congress with 2,000 international microbiologists including Prof. Dr. Harald zu Hausen, Nobel prize-winner for Medicine, through to one of the few global meetings of Ministers in Germany and the International Transport Forum (ITF), to trade fair side events such as the Antiquarian Book Fair that accompanied the Book Fair.â€'

“Thirdly,â€' Geisenberger adds, “We are increasingly becoming active internationally. This extends from the organisation of joint participation by companies at foreign trade fairs, to collaboration with local partners, through to our own trade fairs. In 2013 these included the new trade fair for forest fire prevention, Forest Fire Fighting and Protection Siberia in Novosibirsk, the second run of denkmal Moscow, and the ISPO World Congress in Hyderabad, India.â€'

“Fourthly, powerful guest events such as the large-scale WorldSkills Leipzig 2013, the annual general meeting of Porsche Automobil Holding SG, the SPD party congress, and the agricultural fair agra all made a major contribution to our commercial success,â€' Buhl-Wagner says. “In future, we will be making a greater effort to attract guest event organisers with our new, highly flexibly grandstand technology that we are using in our HALLE:EINS, for example. With the new grandstand we will be able to respond faster and more flexibly to their wishes.â€'

“Fifthly, customers are making increasing use of the service that we provide as an integrated trade fair organiser. By using the flexible grandstand at HALLE:EINS, guest organisers are also availing of the network's extensive service spectrum. That pays out for us in commercial terms. Our subsidiaries' business is showing very positive development,â€' Buhl-Wagner stated.

 

“The multi-pillar concept we are using as our strategic basis is bearing fruit,â€' says Buhl-Wagner, summing up. “Our exhibitors, visitors and customers are also increasingly expecting us to practise sustainability.  That is why the corporate group is once again undergoing Green Globe certification.â€'

 

 

Strong trade fair year 2013 and new products in 2014

 

The major industrial and trade fairs scheduled for this year helped to define the 2013 trade fair year. The highlights in 2013 included the supplier and machinery construction trade fairs Z and Intec, with a total of 1,352 exhibitors. The strong presence of international market leaders and medium-sized machinery construction and manufacturing technology companies and suppliers with great innovation potential were easily able to fulfil industry expectations. “With the combined trade fairs that produced a highlight at the start of the business year, we placed one of the most important industry gatherings in the European market,â€' Geisenberger explains.

 

In 2013 the new event, HIVOLTEC, for high-voltage and medium-voltage technology, provided a complement to the sanitary and heating trade fair SHKG, and the electrical engineering trade fair, efa. “With HIVOLTEC we have created a new area of specialisation which we intend to expand,â€' Geisenberger announced. The environmental and energy trade fairs TerraTec and enertec recorded a 20 percent increase in visitors. The synergies created out of holding the Biogas annual convention and trade at the same time had a positive effect for the event alliance.

 

The Designers' Open 2013 events, organised for the first time by Leipziger Messe, were new to the portfolio. Here, fashion design and industrial design were given more space, the area of architecture was acquired for the first time, and the DO/locations in Leipzig, Halle and Dresden were expanded. “In 2014 we will continue with our work to make the Designers' Open into Germany's leading design festival,â€' Managing Director Markus Geisenberger forecasts.

 

For the first time, Leipziger Messe successfully staged CosmeticBusiness, the international trade fair for the cosmetics industry, in Munich. “Exhibitors and visitors were very satisfied with the quality of the event, the increased internationality, and the overall organisation of the trade fair which was completely booked out,â€' Geisenberger says. “CosmeticBusiness will be held in Munich again in 2014 and will have a larger exhibition space.â€'

 

During the 2013 trade fair year there were also numerous successful trade fairs in the area of healthcare and medicine so that Leipziger Messe once again had a chance to prove its pioneering role in this segment. Apart from PFLEGE+HOMECARE, the main highlights were significant growth for med.Logistica, and the new visitor record for therapie Leipzig. Great momentum is always created at the medical trade fairs by high-quality convention programmes. “The combination of trade fair and convention is indispensable for success,â€' Buhl-Wagner says. “They pick up on pressing issues in the respective specialist areas, point up trends, and provide further education.â€'

 

The successful fairs that were open to the public such as PARTNER PFERD, HAUS-GARTEN-FREIZEIT, the mitteldeutsche handwerksmesse (Central German Handicrafts Fair), Beach&Boat, modell-hobby-spiel and Die 66 also contributed to the record success of the business year 2013. The flagship Leipzig Book Fair, with Europe's biggest reading festival “Leipzig liestâ€', expands on the subject of education. Thus the international conference to promote reading “Prepare for Lifeâ€' took place for the first time last year. Meanwhile this year's modell-hobby-spiel saw the launch of the first “German Children's Inventor Dayâ€' (Deutscher Kinder-Erfindertag).

 

“2014 will be an exciting trade fair year,â€' Buhl-Wagner predicts. With 34 trade fairs and a large number of conventions and other events, the calendar is well-filled for the coming year.

 

2014 will also see the first Manga Comic Convention (MCC) which takes place in association with the Leipzig Book Fair. “Owing to significant growth amongst publishing houses, manufacturers and traders in the area of manga and comics at the Book Fair, we felt it was time to allocate more space to these many ideas,â€' Buhl-Wagner explains. “The MCC as a dedicated event and the Leipzig Book Fair are linked with one another in terms of running time and event venue, and a combined ticket will make it possible to move from one event to the other without difficulty.â€'

 

The highlights of the trade fair year will include the AMI Auto Mobil International. Germany's biggest motor trade fair in 2014, which runs from 31st May to 8th June, will present more than 400 exhibitors, together with their latest models and innovations. No other motor fair in Europe allows visitors to get so close to the cars – and it features driving tracks, test drives and activities in which visitors can participate. This alliance of trade fairs is continued with AMITEC for the servicing, maintenance and care of cars, utility vehicles and large-scale mobile equipment, and with AMICOM for mobile entertainment, communication and navigation.

 

Major events in the area of medicine can also be expected in 2014. These include the Leipzig Veterinary Congress which has established itself as the national meeting point for the veterinary profession, and the accompanying trade fair vetexpo, which continues to grow. “Furthermore, OTWorld, a world leading trade fair with the highest level of international attendance, will provide a major highlight in 2014,â€' Buhl-Wagner says confidently. This trade fair with world congress is expecting around 300 speakers from 30 countries, and more than 500 exhibitors from 40 nations who will be presenting their innovations in the area of orthopaedic and rehab technology.

 

As the European industry meeting point for conservation, restoration and old building renovation, in 2014 denkmal Leipzig will be focusing on “Historical Façades – Stucco.Plaster.Paint.â€' Parallel to this, the International Trade Fair for Museums, Collections, Restoration and Cultural Projects, MUTEC, will be taking place.

 

The interactivity of the popular consumer fair HAUS-GARTEN-FREIZEIT will ensure that the fair is once again a big hit. Visitors will be able to travel the globe and visit all five continents in the Glass Hall and, with a bit of luck, may even win a round-the-world trip.

 

Convention shines in study of future

 

A total of 97 conventions and conferences took place at the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) in 2013, including 18 convention programmes to accompany trade fairs, and the convention during WorldSkills Leipzig 2013. “With this level of bookings, the CCL has reached the limits of its capacity,â€' Buhl-Wagner says. “In terms of quality it is also a premier league player, as is evident from its numerous awards.â€'

 

To cite the latest example: In 2013 the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC), an annual international convention for vascular specialists, was presented as a Best Practice example for conventions of the future by the German Convention Bureau in its study “Conference and Convention of the Futureâ€'.  The study says: “Forecasts that the industry experts make about the convention of the future have already become a reality at LINC.â€' Special mention was made of the convention's technical standards: operations were transmitted live from all over the world during the event.

 

High-end conventions have been successfully acquired thanks to good cooperation with renowned specialists at Leipzig's scientific and research facilities. In 2013 these successful acquisitions included the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) Congress and the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) Congress, attended by around 2,500 physicians from 82 countries.

 

The high level of satisfaction with CCL's services is also evident from the large number of repeat conferences. Thus the DIVI Congress (German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine) took place for the second time around in 2013 with around 3,000 participants, and CCL even hosted the Annual Convention of the German Diabetes Society with some 7,000 participants for the fourth time running. The International Transport Forum (ITF) which took place at the CCL in 2013 for the seventh time will also be a guest in 2014, when 1,000 transport experts and Ministers from 70 countries are expected. Another repeat event will be the German Anaesthesiology Convention (DAC) in May 2014, while the International Supercomputing Conference will be held at the CCL for the second time in a row. The ISC is Europe's leading trade fair and biggest exhibition for supercomputers.

 

A first at the CCL next year will be the Willow Creek Congress, which several thousand members of this American church are expected to attend. “Successful acquisitions of high-end conventions raise the profile of Leipzig as a conference venue, and make the destination internationally known,â€' Buhl-Wagner says. “Apart from that, the CCL team's performance is a further recommendation for us.â€'

 

 

International business strengthened

 

Together with its subsidiary Leipziger Messe International (LMI), the Leipziger Messe intends to strengthen its international business. Our aim is to establish one new event per year,â€' announces Messe Managing Director, Markus Geisenberger. The premiere in 2013 came in the shape of Forest Fire Fighting and Protection Siberia, the first Russian fire prevention trade fair, which took place in Novosibirsk. In 2013 Leipziger Messe International (LMI) organised a total of 27 German joint participations and ten own events and/or collaborations. These included denkmal Moscow – LMI's own event. As a pendant to the denkmal Leipzig, the second run of Russia's only trade fair for conservation, restoration and old building renovation was very successful. “This shows that we are also enjoying success abroad, thanks to Leipzig's industry expertise,â€' Geisenberger explains. “We are also putting our expertise in the areas of health and medicine to good use internationally.â€' In 2013 LMI organised international exhibitor participation at the leading trade fairs in Russia, China and the USA.

 

Years of close cooperation between the Leipziger Messe corporate group and trade associations such as the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) also paid out in 2013. At the ISPO World Congress 2013 in Hyderabad, India, the performance and resulting quality of Leipziger Messe as an integrated trade fair organiser was fully brought to bear. Thus the project team responsible for the world-leading OTWorld trade fair in Leipzig looked after and acquired exhibitors and sponsors for the accompanying exhibition in India. LMI coordinated stand construction and other services for all exhibitors. The presentation of two international market leaders was handled by Leipziger Messe subsidiary, FAIRNET. “Our quality was convincing. That is why the partnership between the global association and Leipziger Messe is to be continued in 2015 in Lyon, France,â€' Buhl-Wagner says.

 

Apart from this international involvement in conjunction with the corporate group, Leipziger Messe subsidiary FAIRNET also operates alone in international markets whereby this all-round service provider for trade fairs, events and conventions handles contracts for illustrious companies in international locations such as Brussels, Las Vegas, Dubai, Geneva, Milan, Paris or Basle.

 

In 2014 LMI will be working for the first time as a cooperation partner of the environmental trade fair “Ecology of Big Cityâ€' in St. Petersburg, Russia. Apart from that, LMI is organising German joint participation at Monumento, a trade fair for the preservation of monuments, in Salzburg, at nano tech – the world's leading trade fair for nanotechnology – in Tokyo, and at the CIOSP Dental Convention and exhibition in São Paulo.

 

 

Guest organisers avail of corporate group's expertise

“The many high-calibre guest events made a major contribution to 2013's success,â€' says Buhl-Wagner, summing up. Well-known companies took advantage of the flexible space and the customised event service. Their events included the Porsche Automobil Holding SE annual general meeting, a presentation of new Volkswagen models for dealers, an SAP automotive forum, a Deutsche Bahn employee event, and the SPD party congress.

 

“Above and beyond the basic letting of space, our subsidiary Leipziger Messe Gastveranstaltungen also develops event concepts in consultation with the client, which is something that event organisers appreciate,â€' Buhl-Wagner explains. For example, the space concept for a trade fair was revised with the organiser of agra, in order to create more presentation space for large agricultural machines. Furthermore, agra renewed its contract ahead of time, committing itself to staging the fair with Leipziger Messe until 2021. Direct collaboration with the German Kennel Club (VDH) with regard to the strategic realignment of the German Winner Show and International Dog Show (Hund&Katz) already bore fruit in 2013.

 

One of the highlights of the 2013 event year at Leipziger Messe included WorldSkills Leipzig 2013. “Acquiring WorldSkills was an accolade for us and our business model. We brought in our entire service spectrum, and demonstrated our integrated event expertise,â€' Buhl-Wagner emphasises. WorldSkills and the accompanying education conventions took up the entire Messe grounds. Leipziger Messe, the CCL and the subsidiaries FAIRNET, fairgourmet and Leipziger Messe Gastveranstaltungen were important sparring partners for the event organiser, WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 GmbH, and for the national and international sponsoring organisations. Our subsidiary FAIRNET planned all areas of the 46 competition disciplines, built and furnished 50,000 square metres of space in the halls, organised 12 country presentations, and fitted out 100 offices. A pavilion city with beach and chill-out area was created across an open-air space of 10,000 square metres. Catering subsidiary fairgourmet prepared 62,000 meals. In the role of hospitality partner, 40 different customer care packages were put together for over 3,500 participants and experts. Letting of the grounds was organised by our subsidiary Leipziger Messe Gastveranstaltungen. “Flexible specialist and cross-disciplinary teams of the corporate group planned, coordinated and provided all services for this major event, and their dedication turned it into a great success. WorldSkills 2013 showed that the corporate group can be recommended as the perfect partner for large-scale events,â€' says Managing Director Martin Buhl-Wagner.

 

Customer satisfaction thanks to integrated event competence

 

Compact and customised sales approaches are being used to acquire more events for Leipziger Messe. “We respond to the organisers' service wishes and put together a package made up of individual elements that is a perfect fit, whereby the various parts of the company work together like the cogs in a wheel,â€' Buhl-Wagner explains.

 

Just how well the corporate group's integrated event competence works is evident from the marketing of the new multifunctional grandstand system. Acquisition and event management are the responsibility of subsidiary Leipziger Messe Gastveranstaltungen, the operation of the grandstands is handled by FAIRNET, catering by fairgourmet, and convention organisation by the CCL. With the new grandstand system, it is not the space that defines the concept, but rather vice versa. Organisers can set up the halls in keeping with their ideas. “This means that concepts can be developed and individually implemented with the organisers,â€' Buhl-Wagner says. The first events have demonstrated the diversity of the seating arrangements: At the opening and closing ceremonies of WorldSkills, the grandstand elements formed a large arena; for the WBO boxing match, HALLE:EINS was turned into a kind of Colosseum and, for the SPD party congress in Hall 2, the parliament seating was complemented with grandstand elements.

 

The mutual involvement of FAIRNET and fairgourmet at Bach ON AIR and Classic Open in Leipzig reveals how this kind of teamwork also generates business outside the Messe itself. While FAIRNET designs the event space, fairgourmet is on hand to fortify the guests.

 

Apart from business in Leipzig itself, FAIRNET further expanded its interregional activities and continued its consistent growth. In doing so, this all-round service provider for trade fairs, events and conventions acquired over half of its contracts outside Leipzig. The Leipziger Messe subsidiary benefits from a stable customer base. Well-known companies in various sectors such as machine construction, tourism, logistics, orthopaedic and rehab technology, or timepiece manufacture have relied on FAIRNET's competence, creativity and quality for years. The beginning of 2014 will be devoted to Euroshop, the leading international trade fair for retail trade investments, in Düsseldorf. At this industry fair FAIRNET will be demonstrating the excellence of its performance for the fourth time.

 

fairgourmet's business also includes numerous contracts from external customers. In 2013 these included several large-scale events in Leipzig – starting with the Wagner Jubilee and taking in the Opera Ball, the Mendelssohn Gala and the celebrations at the Monument to the Battle of the Nations. The calendar for the 2014 business year is already well filled with New Year receptions, trade fairs, guest events at the trade fair grounds, and events at the Congress Center Leipzig.

 

 

Sustainability in action – from combined heat and power plant to organic certification

 

Leipziger Messe is consistently pursuing its sustainability strategy. It is already undergoing the Green Globe certification process for the third time, in order to obtain this international quality seal again. “This is a demanding process for which 300 criteria have to be met. This kind of procedure is also a valuable control instrument for our own processes,â€' Buhl-Wagner explains.

 

Leizpiger Messe subsidiary FAIRNET has also demonstrated its sustainable management again, and has been awarded a further two-year certification as a “Sustainable Company powered by FAMABâ€' by the industry federation FAMAB Verband Direkte Wirtschaftskommunikation e.V.

 

Furthermore, our subsidiary fairgourmet is currently undergoing certification as well, since “organicâ€' and “Fairtradeâ€' are playing an increasingly important role in its business segment. Fairgourmet is aiming for organic certification. Products such as coffee may then be labelled with an organic seal, and are subject to ongoing checks. In 2013 Fairgourmet added the “LemonAid&ChariTeaâ€' range of drinks to its offering; the ingredients of these sustainably produced lemonades and ice teas are from organic farming and are fairly traded. Since recyclable bottles with a deposit are used, the packaging is also sustainable, and some of the sales revenue is donated worldwide to local projects dedicated to improving social, economic and ecological structures. As part of organic certification, employees are trained, for example, in the proper storage and processing of organic products.

 

From 2014 most of the basic load for electricity and heat at the Leipziger Messe grounds will be covered by our own combined heat and power plant (CHP).  Thanks to the simultaneous generation of heat and electricity in a decentralised CHP, gas is used far more efficiently than is the case for conventional power generation in central power plants. The advantages are fuel conservation and lower emissions of CO₂ and other pollutants. “We are investing around one million euros for this,â€' Geisenberger points out. “In times of rising power prices, this investment makes economic sense – and it's also entirely in keeping with the spirit of the Act on Combined Heat and Power Generation.â€' The purpose of the Act is to increase power production in Germany by means of co-generation to 25 percent by 2020.

 

In addition, Leipziger Messe supports the corporate responsibility initiative “V Faktorâ€' which was founded in November. Central to this initiative is the exchange, communication and development of practical measures for sustainable and responsible corporate activity. The project, jointly initiated by the Industrial Initiative for Central Germany and the Central German Metropolitan Region, is also supported by Papenburg AG, with scientific assistance from the Leipzig Graduate School of Management (HHL).

 

About Leipziger Messe

 

The Leipziger Messe is one of the oldest and most prominent trade fair companies in Germany, as evidenced by the fact that its history stretches back almost 850 years. It organises events in Leipzig and various locations both in Germany and abroad. As an all-round service provider the company operates along the entire event chain. In combination with the Congress Center Leipzig, the Leipzig trade fair grounds are some of the most modern anywhere in the world, with an exhibition area of 111,300 m² and an open-air space of 70,000 m². Leipziger Messe was the first German trade fair company to be certified according to the Green Globe Standard. Sustainability is the leitmotif of the company's corporate dealings.

 

 

Press contact:

 

Lea Mock

Corporate spokeswoman Leipziger Messe

Telephone: +49 (0)341 / 678 81 56

E-mail: l.mock@leipziger-messe.de

 

Internet: www.leipziger-messe.de