The German trade fair industry has gained significant momentum in 2024. A current analysis by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry AUMA shows a clear growth of all key figures compared to the respective previous events.
A total of 322 trade fairs took place last year - including 176 international and national events and 138 regional events. Eight trade fairs celebrated their premiere in 2024, with topics such as IT & digitalisation, finance, logistics and luxury goods.
Around 70 trade fair venues in Germany provided a platform for more than 204,000 exhibiting companies - an increase of 9.2 per cent compared to the respective previous events. Over 11.7 million visitors were counted, which corresponds to an increase of 3.2 per cent. The amount of booth space occupied also increased significantly to almost 7.2 million square metres (+7.2 percent).
However, the trade fair industry was also put to the test in 2024: More than 50 events were affected by railway and local public transport strikes and strikes at airports, particularly in the first quarter, which is brimming with trade fairs. According to estimates, this resulted in up to 250,000 fewer visitors - an average decline of eleven per cent at the affected trade fairs compared to previous years.
2025 is running at full speed
Almost 200 trade fairs will take place in the first half of 2025 - far more than 50 in March alone, the month with the most trade fairs. The 99-year-old Grüne Woche in Berlin (17 to 26 January), Europe'sLeading Trade Fair for the Hospitality and Restaurant Industry Internorga in Hamburg (14 to 18 March) and the world's largest trade fair, the construction machinery and mining trade fair Bauma in Munich (7 to 13 April), were the beacons. Upcoming highlights in the first half of this year include the world's leading trade fair for the woodworking and timber processing industry, Ligna in Hanover (26 to 30 May), the international trade fair for logistics, mobility, IT and supply chain management, transport logistic / air cargo Europe, in Munich (2 to 5 June) and the international bicycle trade fair Eurobike in Frankfurt am Main (25 to 29 June).
Over 310 trade fairs are planned in Germany for the year as a whole - including more than a dozen new events focussing on areas such as care, energy and construction.
