Germany 2015: Upgrading the fairground

Next year in Essen will be dedicated to preparing the modernisation of the venue, while construction will begin in Stuttgart on a new exhibition hall.

Those at Messe Essen regularly talk about effective approaches. Specific measures to reduce costs have been developed, under the motto of “company internal efficiency programme”, and will be integrated into the economic planning from next year on. One could also describe the so-called “basic solution” for the rebuilding of the exhibition centre as efficient. After a referendum in January rejected the original plan, the company has come up with a less expensive version. Managing Director Oliver P. Kuhrt recently presented the operational and economic cornerstones of the preliminary design to the freshly constituted Supervisory Board of Messe Essen. The members of the Supervisory Board tasked management with the next planning stage.   

Aside from the net building costs of 56.7 million Euros, there are supplementary costs for expert opinions, contaminated sites, and risk provisions. They incur an additional 31.9 million Euros. “The maximum investment is capped at 88.6 million Euros,” stresses Managing Director Kuhrt. This makes the stripped down version much cheaper than the original plan, estimated at 123 million Euros. The new building plan foresees the demolition of the old two-storey exhibition halls. After completion of construction the northern terrain will then be divided into five large hall areas, instead of the current thirteen small-scale halls. At the same time the fairground’s logistics will be optimised. Following city council approval the tender for building will be issued. Construction is scheduled for May 2016 (www.messe-essen.de).

Building will already begin next year in Baden-Württemberg’s capital. The Supervisory Board and shareholders of Landesmesse Stuttgart have agreed on the upgrading of the west entrance and on plans to build another exhibition hall. If everything goes as expected, the foundation stone for the tenth exhibition hall will be laid in autumn 2015. This additional capacity could already go into operation by the strong exhibition year of 2018. A magnitude of 14,600 sq. meters of exhibition space are foreseen. The hall will be erected on a concrete surface previously used as a parking lot. In addition, the west entrance will be expanded by approximately 3,000 sq. meters.   

After the expansion, Landesmesse Stuttgart will feature a total exhibition area of ​​around 120,000 square meters. “Many events are already reaching the limits of capacity,” explains Ulrich Kromer von Baerle. “The new facility will give them new perspectives for further growth,” says the Managing Director of Messe Stuttgart. These events include the world's largest trade fair for tourism and leisure, CMT, or the international metal working exhibition AMB. Seven years ago, Messe Stuttgart moved into their new exhibition halls at the airport. Since then, more than twice as many visitors – in the annual average – flock to the national and international trade fairs. Rented stand space has tripled, the number of exhibitors increased by 219 percent (www.messe-stuttgart.de).

The Dresden “ISH-Nachlese” (ISH Gleaning) regularly takes place about two months after the leading Frankfurt trade fair ISH – on next 8 and 9 May 2015 for the tenth time. Behind this surprising name there is a trade fair for the heating-plumbing-air conditioning craft in Saxony. Five wholesalers initiated the event in 1997. They wanted to present the latest trends and technologies to craftsmen and designers. At the same time, the industry was offered an attractive platform for conversations with its users. “We bring innovation to Saxony” was and is the motto for the regional event. Visitors will find, in a concentrated format, an overview of current trends and innovations, as well as qualified personnel for their questions and special requests. Since 2001, the ISH “Gleaning” Dresden has been held at Messe Dresden (www.messe-dresden.de). The exhibition has meanwhile grown to nearly 200 exhibitors and more than 3,500 sq. meters of exhibition space. The last ISH “Gleaning” welcomed 5,300 visitors (www.ish-nachlese-dresden.de).