The world looks to Munich (2004–2013)

Construction Section North was dedicated in December 2004: Following the construction of Halls C3 and C4 with the North entrance, Messe München had 180,000 square meters of hall space. The space was desperately needed for the company’s successful events like BAU and ISPO. It was also the prerequisite for the construction of the media center for the FIFA World Cup in 2006.

Messe München served as the home of the International Broadcasting Center (IBC) for the FIFA World Cup 2006: About 90 radio and television stations from all parts of the world reported on the global soccer championship from Halls C2 to C4 with the North entrance. The media center, the largest ever used for a world soccer championship at the time, operated 24/7 during the tournament.

Pope Benedict XVI held a mass attended by 250,000 people on the grounds of Messe München on September 10, 2006. It was a logistical masterpiece—the job of accommodating the worshipers while observing strict security standards and providing an infrastructure for police officers, emergency medical services, firefighters, the media and volunteers—not to mention bus parking.

The international network of Messe München continued to grow: The subsidiary Messe Muenchen India was established in 2007 in Mumbai to organizationally support the company’s expanding business on the subcontinent. One of the first projects of Messe Muenchen India: the launch of electronica India in Bangalore, the center of India’s IT and electronic industry.

Munich became the city of cardiologists: For the second time since 2004, the highly respected European Society of Cardiology (ESC) held a major congress at the end of August 2008 in Munich. More than 30,000 heart specialists from 130 countries attended the congress. The ESC congress highlight filled the entire ICM and eight trade fair halls. Munich impressed the guests with its concentrated destination marketing.

The Poing Construction Center celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009: Bavaria’s largest marketplace for modern and visionary home construction welcomes 75,000 visitors interested in all aspects of construction, modernization and living each year. The events and service offered by the Poing Construction Center have made a name for themselves that extends well beyond Munich.

On January 1, 2010, Klaus Dittrich will take over as Chairman of the Board of Management. Under his leadership, Messe München is sustainably expanding its competitiveness. Efficiency and growth programs help to strengthen the domestic market and grow abroad. The exhibition center in its current form is completed during his term of office and the IAA MOBILITY comes to Munich in 2021.

2010 was the best year in the Group’s history with record sales (€301.8 million) and profitability (EBITDA of €80.4 million). Methodical internationalization combined with efficiency and growth programs underpin the company’s success. The driving forces behind 2010’s performance: bauma, ISPO MUNICH, IFAT, EXPO REAL and electronica along with bauma China.

Record space, record exhibitor totals, the highest rate of international participation: The outlook for bauma in 2010 was filled with nothing but superlatives for months before the trade fair opened. Then, an ash cloud coughed up by the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull grounded international flights. Applying unconventional ideas, Messe München helped exhibitors and visitors with their journey to Munich and work at their booths. As a result, bauma went off nearly as planned.

Geothermal energy instead of natural gas: Starting in the fall of 2011, Messe München began to use this form of energy to heat its halls and buildings. Geothermal energy is fed into the trade fair network by a geothermal unit located in the eastern part of the exhibition grounds. Messe München is the world’s first trade fair company to use renewable energy to produce heat. It also expanded the pace-setting role it plays in environmental and climate protection in the trade fair industry.

Sustainable business practices became a key focal point of Messe München: The things that played a key role in the planning, construction and operation of the New Messe München became a visionary principle: environmentalism combined with efficiency. One example of this approach: the world’s largest roof-mounted photovoltaic system on the trade fair halls and the natural-gas-fired co-generation station at Messe München.

After achieving success in China and India, Messe München continued to expand its international network in the construction machinery sector. To carry out the first bauma Africa, the subsidiary Messe Muenchen South Africa was established in 2012: The premiere in 2013 was an unmitigated success. Two years later, food & drink technology Africa was held in Johannesburg.

In 2013, Messe München’s sales broke the €300 million barrier—the highest level ever achieved in the company’s history up to then. A powerful trade fair program, including eight world-leading exhibitions, produced record numbers for exhibitors, visitors, internationality and space. Messe München was sold out three times in terms of space in 2013.

By 2013, ISPO MUNICH had long been one of the major events in the international sporting-goods industry. But it took a huge stride forward in 2013 and became the largest ISPO ever held: 2,481 exhibitors from 52 countries. More than 81,000 professional visitors from 109 countries. Action, fun and innovations included. At the same time, ISPO Beijing has turned into the leading sports business platform in the Asia-Pacific region.

The multifaceted location in northern Munich marked its 20th anniversary in 2013: Acting as a trade fair center, event location and business site, the MOC Event Center is the perfect place for trade fair organizers as well as trade association and business customers. The Order Center that is open year-round serves as a meeting point for the international sporting-goods and shoe industry. The MOC attracts up to 370,000 visitors annually.