Hamburg Messe und Congress scores with guest events

21.07.2015

The enormous appeal of Hamburg's fairground continues to drive demand from companies and guest event organisers eager to host their events in the halls of Hamburg Messe. In 2014 alone, 30 guest events made a significant contribution to the operating result of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC), which exceeded expectations.

This trend promises to continue in 2015 and beyond: Apart from many short-notice bookings and traditional, regular trade fairs such as Nordstil, Aircraft Interiors Expo and World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo or the Affordable Art Fair, numerous first-time events are planned for the next 16 months, and five leading international trade fairs will be coming back to the Hamburg fairground.

The first one is the World Publishing Expo, the international fair for the newspaper and media industry, which returns to Hamburg after a five-year absence: From 5 to 7 October 2015, the Hamburg Messe fairground will be the meeting place of international decision makers from publishing houses located all around the world. This will be the second time this year that Hamburg Messe has highlighted Hamburg's role as an international media centre, following Germany's leading TV and film awards the 50th Goldene Kamera last February.

From 17 to 19 November 2015, Intermodal Europe will return to Hamburg after a two-year absence. Hosted by HMC once again, the world's foremost exhibition and convention for the transport, container and logistics industries will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Terminal Operations Conference and Exhibition (TOC) is another 'homecomer' from the maritime logistics segment. As a global meeting place for ports, terminal operators, shipping lines, shipping companies and cargo handlers, the event will be held at the Hamburg Messe fairground from 14 to 16 June 2016 for the first time in ten years.

"International conference and trade fair organisers have been showing increasing interest in Hamburg in recent years. Thanks to the strong presence of the maritime industry in and around Hamburg, the city is highly attractive internationally as an event location," says Axel Mattern, Chief Executive Officer Port of Hamburg Marketing. "The highly successful IAPH World Ports Conference which ended just recently has demonstrated that Hamburg is extremely well positioned and recognised as a conference and trade fair location for the maritime sector."

The international fair organiser Easyfairs is moving two successful event concepts to the fairground from another Hamburg location. In terms of comprehensive services and accessibility, HMC is the optimal site to meet the expectations of exhibitors and visitors alike: The international trade fair Tank Storage Germany held on 25 and 26 November 2015 will be entirely dedicated to storage technology for liquefied gases. On 10 and 11 February 2016, maintenance Hamburg 2016, an industry fair for industrial maintenance with a focus on the regional audience, will take place at the Hamburg Messe fairground for the first time.

In 2016 HMC will also welcome Intergeo as well as the Arbeitsschutz Aktuell (Safety and Health Conference and Trade Fair), which will return to the Elbe river from 11 to 13 October. They are being organised by Hinte Messe- und Ausstellungs-GmbH, one of the most reputable privately-owned fair and convention companies. "With its unique business environment and its close links with Scandinavia and Great Britain, Hamburg will be a highly attractive location for Iintergeo in 2016. The name of 'Hamburg' has a ring to it that is especially appealing to international visitors and exhibitors," says Christoph Hinte, CEO Hinte Messe- und Ausstellungs-GmbH. "We expect our 2016 event to be a launching pad for the successful development of this format. In addition, the metropolis on the river Elbe is an ideal location for Arbeitsschutz Aktuell, as well. With its highly dynamic business environment, the attractive facilities for exhibitors, visitors and conference attendees, and a catchment area not only comprising northern Germany but also the Scandinavian countries, Hamburg offers plenty of potential with an above-average range of development options."