Messe München Annual Report

New opportunities for the future

Last year, Messe München continued consistently on its successful course and closed 2019 with record results. This economic success is the result of a long-term strategic orientation that is supported by the shareholders. The cornerstones of this concept—extending internationalization while simultaneously strengthening the home market—have proven their worth once again.

Over and above its economic strength, Messe München has long been among the most modern and innovative trade-fair organizers worldwide. New ideas, especially in the digital area, are continually developed and introduced. The financial scope necessary for this was created by the company itself. At the beginning of this year, for instance, it paid back the loan which the Free State of Bavaria and the City of Munich had granted it in 1996 for the construction of the exhibition center at the location in Riem, Munich. Again and again, this pioneering role as an initiator and innovator brings about a decisive competitive advantage.

The best example of this: after making an impressive application, Messe München won the bid for the new IAA—a prestigious gain that sends a signal all over the world. The shareholders actively supported the application. The Bavarian State Government recognized the IAA’s potential as a beacon for the future of mobility and declared its readiness to invest EUR 15 million in innovative mobility projects in connection with the IAA. For the City of Munich, the new IAA is a welcome opportunity to become a leading “smart city” internationally. The transformation towards promising and ecologically sensible mobility—from 2021 on, the world can experience this in Munich. It is these synergy effects too that further strengthen the shareholders’ confidence in the company. Confidence which is of special importance particularly in the current crisis with the significant effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the exhibition business in Germany and throughout the world.

For the supervisory board

Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger | Chairman
Mayor Dieter Reiter | First Deputy Chairman
Franz Xaver Peteranderl | Additional Deputy Chairman
Ulrike Bauer | Additional Deputy Chairman

Sucess and Responsibility in Practice

It would be easy to line up a multitude of records at this point. After all, we are reporting on the most successful year in the history of Messe München. A year full of superlatives. We could focus on the economic coordinates: with a Group sales volume of around EUR 480 million, the company continued on its growth course with another record result, also the EBITDA of about EUR 140 million has never been as high.

We could put forward outstanding figures with record numbers of visitors and exhibitors from at home and abroad, with even more successful events than ever before in Munich and our locations all over the world. We could report on a bauma that broke all the records in 2019 and lived up to its claim as the world’s leading fair in every respect. And so on and so forth. Milestones that are exceptional not for the Management Board but for all the staff and partners of Messe München.

All of which fills us with pride and confidence. Our long-term success is not by chance. It is the result of a strategy drawn up for years; we have pursued and implemented this systematically, in 2019 as well. We have pressed ahead with internationalization while positioning the home location of Munich even more strongly; we have optimized our IT infrastructure and developed numerous innovative digital formats—alongside the traditional trade-fair business, these create new platforms for networking and exchange independent as to time and place, right around the clock, 365 days a year. We are an attractive employer for around 1,200 highly motivated members of staff in our region and throughout the world. In short, we are outstandingly well placed for the future.

But along with all the joy, there is humility too. Success may be plannable, the tide of events is not. There are no guarantees—the following year has demonstrated that. Especially in situations of crisis, the stability, flexibility and responsibility of a company are put to the test. The safety and health of our members of staff have always had top priority at Messe München. We recognized the potential of New Work at an early stage so that mobile working from the home office with virtual conferences has long been established with us. Digital tools such as our Trusted Targeting continue to allow important business contacts to be maintained from a distance. Because in future too, our claim is to connect our customers globally.