NürnbergMesse defies the crisis. “We naturally have to fight more for exhibitors and visitors, we have naturally lowered our expectations, and we are naturally cutting costs where advisable and possible. But this is no crisis. We are therefore optimistic and expect a new record turnover of more than 170 million euros for the coming year, not including new acquisitions,” says Bernd A. Diederichs, Managing Director of NürnbergMesse. In the summer of this year, the forecast for 2010 was distinctly more restrained, with talk of 160 million euros plus X at that time. “The situation is now clearer and we establish that the downturns feared for our events are either not materializing or are much less than expected.” The some 132 million euros turnover for 2009 is also well above the planned figure. The only bad news is that Walter Hufnagel, longest-serving Director of Exhibition Management and Member of the Management Board, is retiring into private life at the end of the year.
“The global economic and financial crisis has cost us growth in 2009, but not resources,” says Diederichs looking back on the year drawing to a close. The Nürnberg exhibition boss is therefore extremely satisfied with the expected results. With some 132 million euros turnover, the NürnbergMesse Group is well above the planned figure and will achieve the second highest turnover in the history of the company in a year with a weak cycle of events. The operative result will probably also make a spot landing. “This shows that we have not achieved more turnover at the expense of profit,” Diederichs emphasizes. Nevertheless, his team must still make an even bigger effort than usual to achieve the ambitious targets. “I am very proud of my colleagues, who have impressively shown that they can organize successful exhibitions even in an extremely difficult environment.”
Diederichs expects new records for turnover and profit for the coming year 2010. “We face an exceptionally strong year of exhibitions in Nürnberg and at our subsidiaries in Brazil, China and North America. The turnover of the NürnbergMesse Group is therefore to climb to around 170 million euros, which is appreciably above the last record of 153 million euros.
Diederichs derives his optimism from the good figures for bookings for the company’s own events in the first half of 2010. NürnbergMesse expects a high degree of stability or more growth especially for the large events like the fensterbau/frontale and HOLZ-HANDWERK duo, POWTECH and the leading consumer goods exhibitions IWA & OutdoorClassics and Interzoo.
After a suspected record-breaking construction period of less than 18 months, the newly designed central (Mitte) area with its entrance, service, catering and congress facilities will be taken into service in September 2010. “Our new Mitte entrance and congress area is to become a gateway to success for our customers and particularly generate new impetus for the Mitte/West congress area. After all, this area now offers a distinctly larger capacity than CCN Ost,” says Diederichs explaining the reason for the investment of 47 million euros, currently Germany’s biggest exhibition building site.
NürnbergMesse is one of the 20 largest exhibition companies in the world and among the Top Ten in Europe. The portfolio covers about 120 international exhibitions and congresses at the Nürnberg location and worldwide. Every year, some 24,500 exhibitors (international share: 33 %), 785,000 trade visitors (international share: 17 %) and 305,000 consumers participate in the own, partner and guest events of the NürnbergMesse Group, which is present with subsidiaries in China, North America, Brazil and – new – in Italy. The group also has a network of some 40 representatives operating in more than 80 countries.
