Trade Fairs and Conferences
Leipzig is one of the oldest centres of trade fairs in the world.
It was first granted town and market privileges 850 years ago by Margrave Otto of Meissen. Even before this time, well-travelled merchants frequented Leipzig in order to trade goods and share information. Over the following centuries, as Leipzig evolved into Germany’s foremost trade fair location, it also assumed international significance.
Nowadays, Leipzig is one of Germany’s main exhibition centres.
The new exhibition complex was opened in April 1996. Featuring five exhibition halls, 111,300 square metres of indoor space, 70,000 square metres of outdoor exhibition space, and Congress Center Leipzig (CCL), it’s one of the most advanced congress and convention venues in Europe.
Leipziger Messe: On the road to Tradeshow 4.0
Exhibitors and visitors are increasingly expecting events that offer plenty of space for face-to-face meetings and successful deals, and that provide memorable real-world experiences combined with organizational processes which are fully digital. Accordingly, in-person tradeshows and conventions remain indispensable. The Leipziger Messe Group used he downtime during the pandemic to carefully prepare its events and processes for this future.
Focus on the digital experience
Internally, Leipziger Messe’s software expertise was stepped up and its organizational processes largely digitalized. Its entire web environment was overhauled to make it more user-friendly. Exhibitors and visitors now receive an interactive event experience via newly programmed apps. To access trade fairs and congresses, they use the ticketing system developed in-house – a system which is now employed to great acclaim in other areas. For example, Leipziger Messe has been developing and managing the stadium ticketing system for Bundesliga football club Eintracht Frankfurt since 2021. The pandemic led to increased uncertainty for many participants regarding their travel arrangements. This prompted Leipziger Messe to hone its digital hotel portal. It puts visitors in touch with many partner hotels in Leipzig granting prospective visitors more flexible cancellation options and lower rates. New trade shows for Leipzig Leipziger Messe’s portfolio was broadened in 2021. The acquisition of PaintExpo, the world’s leading trade fair for industrial painting technology, was finalized, the therapie family was expanded to include trade shows in Munich, and dental expo Zahntechnik Plus was launched. Recently, Leipziger Messe also acquired GrindTec, theinternational trade fair for tool grinding and machining, and developed netze:ON as a new trade fair for energy and broadband networks. Both these new expos will make their debut in Leipzig in 2023, as will the gaming festival CAGGTUS – the brand-new flagship event for gaming culture in the Leipzig region and beyond. The convention activities of CCL Congress Center Leipzig and Kongresshalle am Zoo are also on the rise with Leipzig being chosen to host both the world cycling summit Velo-city 2023 held by the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) and the International Broadcast Centre of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.
Positive response among exhibitors and visitors
These developments have been steadily advanced since 2021 despite the pandemic-related event prohibitions and restrictions. The 113 trade shows, conventions, conferences and exhibitions organized in 2021 were only about a third of the pre-pandemic figure, with 2,500 exhibitors presenting themselves to around 133,000 thousand visitors. Nevertheless, Leipziger Messe received widespread praise. It was voted service champion for the eighth time in a row in a nationwide survey of the industry, and received the highest score for German trade fair venues with a Google rating of 4.5 stars.
Sustainable stimulus for the region
The Leipziger Messe Group remains dedicated to the goal of making its business activities carbon-neutral in the next few decades. It therefore signed the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge in 2021. Once again, it was awarded the Green Globe environmental certificate. And it remains committed to driving the economy and generating stimulus for the region
year | fairs and exhibitions | congress | exhibitors | visitors |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 13 | 82 | 2 508 | 133 272 |
2020 | 12 | 94 | 3 205 | 350 201 |
2019 | 32 | 188 | 15 360 | 1 202 428 |
2018 | 23 | 175 | 15 214 | 1 234 898 |
2017 | 29 | 178 | 15 547 | 1 239 101 |
2016 | 35 | 198 | 9 500 | 1 200 000 |
Sources: Statistical Office of the city of Leipzig