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Press Release

March 22, 2023

Messe Berlin concludes 2022 with impressive business results

Messe Berlin is on course for growth again. Focus in 2023 on developing new event concepts and sustainable trade fair solutions.

Messe Berlin has released its preliminary business figures for 2022, with impressive results. The company’s total turnover was 354 million euros, with core business only picking up in April of last year after wide-ranging Covid restrictions were lifted. Messe Berlin was able to report positive annual results for the fiscal year 2022. Adjusted for grants obtained as part of the approved pandemic-related compensation scheme, the results show a minor operational loss.

“This very positive business trend is on a sound footing for two reasons: the events business which made an impressive comeback after the lifting of Covid restrictions in April 2022, and the effect of Messe Berlin in helping the city out of the crisis“, says Dirk Hoffmann, managing director of Messe Berlin. “With the expertise, organisational talent and know-how of our approximately 800 employees and with our service structures we were able to actively support the Land of Berlin these past few years – both in building and operating the state-owned vaccination centres and providing primary care for refugees from Ukraine and setting up and operating the welcome centre in Tegel. This involvement is reflected in the good results for 2022“, said Hoffmann.

Dr. Eric Schweitzer, chairman of the supervisory board of Messe Berlin GmbH: “The core business of Messe Berlin is intact and fully up and running. The three leading trade fairs International Green Week, FRUIT LOGISTICA and ITB Berlin, which have already taken place in the first quarter of 2023, were able to build on their pre-pandemic successes and more than fulfilled our expectations. In the years to come, faced with a challenging business environment, the focus will be on returning to the operational profitability of the period before Covid. The Berlin/Brandenburg region benefits directly from the economic success of Messe Berlin: every euro in turnover achieved by trade fairs and events generates around six euros of purchasing power in Berlin.“

You can see the Berlin Exhibition Grounds under the Berlin Radio Tower
Messe Berlin – the Berlin Exhibition Grounds under the Berlin Radio Tower

Events business gathers pace

119 events with over 20,000 exhibitors and close to 1.3 million visitors in only nine months are proof that Messe Berlin’s core business is intact. People still want to meet in person. In April 2022, only a few days after wide-ranging Covid restrictions were lifted, FRUIT LOGISTICA successfully kicked off trade fairs that year. Over the course of 2022 Messe Berlin held further in-house events, including DMEA, BUS2BUS, BOAT & FUN BERLIN and InnoTrans, the leading international trade fair for transport technology.

You can see the InnoTrans 2022 with people on it
InnoTrans 2022, rail track area

Guest events also returned to the exhibition grounds. In 2022, 69 events were hosted on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, including four new medical congresses, 41 trade fairs, among them major events such as FESPA, as well as numerous events which returned to the exhibition grounds after the break due to the pandemic. In 2023, the exhibition grounds are very much in demand again for events and are almost booked up. One of the highlights will be the Special Olympics World Games which will take place from 17 to 25 June in the capital. The Special Olympics World Games are the largest international sporting event for participants with intellectual and multiple disabilities. Around 7,000 athletes are expected to attend the June event in Berlin. Messe Berlin will host nine sports disciplines and a wide-ranging programme of events. In July, BMW Motorrad will celebrate its hundredth anniversary at the BMW Motorrad Days, and in September IFA will for the first time open its doors as a guest event.

Messe Berlin sets its sights on future interests

Messe Berlin has far-reaching plans for developing its business over the years to come. In addition to evolving its event concepts and introducing new innovative formats, the emphasis will be on developing sustainable business with a clear focus on the customer: “We are putting every effort into expanding our event portfolio based on the strengths of our venue in Berlin. Berlin provides the perfect setting for realising innovative event concepts“, says Dirk Hoffmann.

Thus Messe Berlin aims to develop its Esports interests. In the spring of 2023 the exhibition grounds will host the US video game developer Riot Games. The competition to find the winner of the Valorant first-person shooting games will be streamed live from the Berlin Exhibition Grounds and will take place in front of a worldwide audience. The Esports industry is booming. Since 1995 the market has constantly witnessed double-digit growth. In 2021 sales of computer/video games and hardware reached 9.8 billion euros, a new record. Germany is Europe’s largest gaming market and globally is ranked in fifth place.

Messe Berlin is strategically building its sustainable business

In 2023 Messe Berlin is launching two ecologically sustainable large-scale projects. In the summer, construction will begin on Berlin’s largest photovoltaics array which is due for completion in 2025. This autumn, work will begin on converting the cooling and heating installations on the exhibition grounds to climate-friendly technology, which will take until 2025. The aim is to reduce CO2 emissions by around 5,400 tonnes per year.

In 2023 Messe Berlin also plans to take further steps to strategically develop all the company’s sustainability projects with an emphasis on building its sustainability strategy. In that context Messe Berlin signed a Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge in March. This sustainability initiative was set up by the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) and is supported by various organisations and associations representing the trade fair and events industry including UFI and AUMA. All signatories have pledged to hold carbon-neutral events by 2050 at the latest.

About Messe Berlin

Berlin has been a trade fair venue for 200 years, and for many decades one of the most important worldwide. As a state-owned trade fair company it conceives, markets and organises hundreds of live events every year. It aspires to be an outstanding host for visitors to every event, to provide an optimum boost for business and ensure fair conditions for everyone. This approach is reflected in the company’s slogan: Messe Berlin – Hosting the World.