Koelnmesse can look back on a successful 2024 trade fair year: with sales of €365.8 million, a profit of €21.3 million and a total of 76 events in Cologne and worldwide, the company further consolidated its position as one of the leading international trade fair organisers.
Particularly pleasing is the fact that the subsidiaries in Germany and abroad made a significant contribution to the positive overall result. Koelnmesse remains firmly committed to its growth course in the current year. The new Confex conference and exhibition centre, international premieres, significant contract extensions and new digital services are strengthening the company in terms of both structure and content.
‘Our development shows that those who invest courageously, remain innovative and consistently focus on the future will be rewarded even in a challenging market environment,’ says Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse GmbH. ‘We create added value for our partners, exhibitors and visitors – both at our own venue in Cologne and worldwide.’
In the 2024 trade fair year, Koelnmesse welcomed more than 2.1 million visitors from 197 countries and over 34,500 exhibiting companies from 106 nations. The trade fair highlights in Cologne included the leading international trade fairs ISM, spoga+gafa, gamescom, DMEXCO and ORGATEC.
In addition, numerous contracts with leading international trade fairs were extended on a long-term basis, including DMEXCO, gamescom, IDS, spoga horse and the trade fair duo FSB and aquanale. Among other things, the extensive investments in the Cologne location as part of the Koelnmesse 3.0 modernisation and development programme were decisive factors in this decision.
With more than one billion euros to be invested in the Cologne site by 2040, the company is also making a clear commitment to its home business – and, by upgrading the site and consistently expanding digital infrastructures, is laying the foundation for reliable partnerships with international appeal. ‘With its excellent transport links and unique proximity to the city centre, the exhibition centre is extremely attractive by global standards for the more than 2.5 million guests who visit us every two years from 220 countries,’ emphasises Oliver Frese, COO of Koelnmesse.
International business in 2024: Koelnmesse expands its international presence
International business also developed dynamically in 2024: Koelnmesse successfully established eight new events and significantly expanded existing trade fair formats. This strengthening of its international presence is based primarily on targeted activities in key markets and the expansion of strategic partnerships. Since 2023, Koelnmesse has organised a total of 21 new international trade fairs, with nine more scheduled for 2025. This is clear evidence of the increasing global reach of the Koelnmesse portfolio.
An outstanding example of the successful globalisation strategy is gamescom latam: after its celebrated premiere in São Paulo in June 2024 with over 100,000 visitors, it confirmed and further expanded its success in 2025. Koelnmesse has been represented in Brazil with its own subsidiary since 2014 and organises three other successful events there: the Anuga Select Brazil food fair and the FIT 0/16 and Pueri Expo trade fair duo for children's equipment and clothing.
Outlook for the current financial year: sales growth and new business
‘In the current financial year, Koelnmesse is aiming for a new record in sales revenue of around 450 million euros,’ said Gerald Böse. However, he also emphasised: "The economic situation remains difficult, and small and medium-sized enterprises, which traditionally use trade fairs as a gateway to the world, are under considerable pressure. Of course, we are also feeling the effects of this: increased costs, bureaucratisation and trade and customs policies are dampening investment and consumer sentiment, not only in Germany. We are also noticing this pressure on the cost side and therefore expect results to remain at the 2023 level at most."
Important impetus for the forecast growth comes in particular from numerous premiere formats abroad and successfully acquired new business for guest events and conferences. Another significant success factor is the Confex conference and exhibition centre, which will not open until 2024 but already has an impressive booking status through to 2030. Above all, congresses in newly developed subject areas and initial booking successes for renowned medical congresses are opening up additional market potential and strengthening Koelnmesse's position in the event and congress segment in the long term.
Koelnmesse is planning a total of 82 events for 2025. These include 60 in-house events. Of these, 39 trade fairs are to take place abroad, eight of which will be premieres: interzum jakarta, International Hardware Fair Indonesia, International Hardware Fair Saudi Arabia, FSB Sports Show Riyadh, ORGATEC WORKSPACE Saudi Arabia, ORGATEC India, DMEXCO Asia and Labotec (Parma).
‘level35’: a clear course for sustainable growth
‘We did our homework during the coronavirus crisis and in the wake of the pandemic – and are now reaping the benefits as the trade fair business returns to normal,’ says Gerald Böse. "In a period of great uncertainty, we reduced expenditure, postponed investments and made adjustments where necessary. At the same time, we are continuously reviewing our processes and focusing on making them leaner and more efficient.‘
Koelnmesse will continue to build on these pillars in the next ten years: With its new corporate strategy ’level35", the trade fair company is pursuing the goal of becoming one of the top 5 trade fair companies with its own exhibition grounds worldwide in terms of revenue and profit by 2035. ‘We are already achieving this in the strong, odd-numbered trade fair years,’ says Oliver Frese, ‘but our ambition is to raise turnover and profits to the top international level in the cyclically weaker, even-numbered years as well.’
Further stabilisation of turnover and results in even and odd years is necessary in order to reduce the debt incurred during the coronavirus pandemic by 2030 and increase turnover to such an extent that acquisitions and investments can continue to be made from our own resources. ‘This is the only way Koelnmesse can keep pace in a very dynamic trade fair market and hold its own against global competition,’ explains Oliver Frese.
‘Real competitiveness comes from investment, digitalisation and the elimination of unnecessarily complex processes that slow down our pace of innovation.’
Profitability, sustainability, customer focus and internationality are the central pillars of ‘level35’. Koelnmesse intends to achieve the necessary growth leap primarily through optimal utilisation of the exhibition centre in Cologne, a significant increase in the share of analogue and digital services, and the consistent expansion of its own and guest events in Germany and abroad.
Sustainability: Koelnmesse's leading role in the industry
From 2030, Koelnmesse aims to operate its entire company and events in Scope 1 and 2 in a climate-neutral manner. This means that all greenhouse gas emissions caused directly by the company (Scope 1) and all emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2) will be reduced to net zero. In the 2024 financial year, the company set an important course and achieved key milestones. Photovoltaic systems with a total module area of 20,000 square metres were installed in Hall 1, Hall 11, the South Entrance and the newly opened Confex. The conversion to energy-efficient LED lighting and the expansion of the e-charging infrastructure in the exhibition centre's own car parks have also made noticeable progress. The switch to a geothermal heating and cooling system for the entire exhibition grounds is also in full swing – commissioning is planned for 2028.
You can find out more about Koelnmesse here.