From data to transformation: Eight trends in the German trade fair industry
At AUMA, a team of 25 people continuously monitors developments in the trade fair sector in Germany and worldwide. Through direct dialogue with exhibitors, visitors, organisers and key players in politics and the media, an immediate understanding of the market is obtained. Based on these discussions, analyses and observations, AUMA has identified eight key trends.
Since 2020, Jörn Holtmeier has been at the helm of the AUMA team and has been playing a decisive role in shaping the association’s development as the political representative of the trade fair industry.
© AUMA | Steffen Kugler
Data
Data is taking over the exhibition halls. The evaluation of trade fair appearances is undergoing a profound shift towards hard, sales-oriented metrics. In particular, the number of decision-makers contacted is becoming one of the most important indicators: qualified leads and new customer acquisition are at the heart of many performance measurements. In practice, however, there are very different stages of development: large corporations have long linked their trade fair appearances to structured KPI systems and in-depth CRM analyses in order to precisely evaluate their impact over a period of months. Medium-sized businesses are increasingly combining traditional visitor counting with initial digital lead-tracking methods. In smaller companies, intuitive assessment based on whether a deal is closed or not remains the dominant approach.
It is becoming apparent that purely qualitative assessments of success are losing ground. Exhibiting companies must justify their trade fair participation – which is often based on experience – against supposedly highly measurable digital marketing tools. To secure future budgets and hold their own within the marketing mix, trade fairs must provide reliable data.
Dual strategy
A dual strategy for selecting trade fairs is the response to the prevalent climate, characterised by an economic slowdown in Germany, growing uncertainties in global politics and pressure for transformation within industries. Exhibitors find themselves caught between growth potential and cost pressure. In this context, many companies are turning to regional trade fairs. There, the focus is on proximity to existing customers and securing core business. At the same time, larger companies are using international trade fairs as an opportunity for growth: firms are investing very specifically in international platforms as essential drivers of exports. The aim there is to tap into new global customer bases and counterbalance economic deficiency in the domestic market. Companies are operating with increasing flexibility: regional trade fairs cost-effectively safeguard core business, whilst the international stage is used strategically to increase growth.
© Koelnmesse GmbH / Lights in Motion
© MESSE ESSEN / Alex Muchnik
© NürnbergMesse / Frank Boxler
Efficiency
Exhibitors’ trade fair planning is putting more focus on efficiency, precision and clearly measurable success nowadays. Trade fair appearances have to prove their contributions to business success. Trade fairs remain a key marketing tool but are being assessed in a more strategic and focused manner. Roughly two-thirds of companies mention rising costs as the biggest challenge when it comes to trade fair participation, alongside the demand for more marketing efficiency. Consequently, companies are being more selective, adjusting their participation or revising their trade fair strategies. Overall, however, exhibitors’ participation in trade fairs in Germany is proving remarkably stable, particularly against the backdrop of several years of economic stagnation and a rapidly changing geopolitical environment.
International reach
International reach remains a key advantage of German trade fairs. The high proportion of international exhibitors and trade visitors – 66 per cent and 33 per cent respectively – is unrivalled. This underlines the attraction of the numerous leading trade fairs in Germany. The international character of German trade fairs is caught between the forces of geopolitics, infrastructure and regulation: uncertainties and armed conflicts are leading to flight cancellations and rising travel expenses. Economic policy at both federal and state level must strengthen Germany’s position as a trade fair destination: a modern, digital visa application process for international trade fair visitors, first-class public transport and trade fair support programmes appropriate for a leading export nation form the basis for Germany’s top position.
At the same time, German organisers are expanding their international operations, not only to explore new markets worldwide but also to attract new target groups to trade fairs in Germany. Asia, and the Middle East in particular, are key regions for new trade fairs. International trade fairs by German organisers usually emerge from established leading German trade fairs, but entirely new themes are also being implemented, driven by local demands and a proximity to a certain industry, as well as by convenient accessibility or government support programmes.
© Messe München GmbH | Markus Broenner
© Deutsche Messe AG / Rainer Jensen
© NürnbergMesse / Frank Boxler
Circular economy
The circular economy is providing fresh impetus in the field of sustainability. With increasing regulatory requirements and rising stakeholder expectations circularity is becoming ever more important. At trade fairs pilot projects are taking place in order to systematically record material flows and make them quantifiable. Understanding the various material flows generated at events is becoming a key prerequisite for sustainable action. Analyses of material flow create transparency and build the basis for a protection of resources, circularity and revenue.
Sustainability remains a key issue for the future for all trade fair stakeholders, who are continuously working on environmental, social and economic improvements – from green electricity and catering to stand construction. Almost 90 per cent of exhibiting companies are already taking initial steps to address the environmental impact of their trade fair participation and its profitability. Trade fair organisers will have invested a three-digit million sum in energy efficiency and sustainable exhibition grounds by 2029. Against the backdrop of new European regulations, transparent and solid sustainability communication is becoming more and more important for the trade fair industry, too. In future, environmental and social claims will have to be provable, and verifiable by independent bodies. This applies, amongst other things, to certifications, sustainability reporting, and marketing and advertising claims.
Resilience
Resilience describes the trade fair industry’s ability to remain capable of action and to adapt quickly, even under challenging conditions. In times of economic turbulence, Germany as a trade fair destination is proving to be largely stable: for the vast majority of trade fair-oriented companies, trade fairs remain a central component of their marketing mix. Trade fairs act as reliable harbours – places of personal trust where exchange, guidance and business continue to function even when the going gets tough.
In the trade fair industry, resilience also means openness rather than isolation, as growth is largely driven by foreign exhibitors and trade visitors. This requires unobstructed mobility and, above all, efficient, digital and unbureaucratic visa procedures. But it also means dealing with economic pressure: exhibitors are planning more flexibly and at shorter notice, organisers are streamlining processes – for example, with the help of AI – and trade fairs are becoming a comprehensive experience.
Politically, this results in a clear mandate: to implement infrastructure investments swiftly, reduce energy costs, cut red tape and strengthen tried-and-tested support programmes such as the Overseas Trade Fair Programme, so that Germany as a trade fair hub can fulfil its role as a solid, cosmopolitan and resilient element of the German economy.
© Messe München GmbH | Markus Broenner
© RX Germany / Oliver Wachenfeld
© Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH / Arturo Rivas Gonzalez
Security
Security is becoming a driving force behind new trade fair themes. Trade fairs for civil protection, defence and security technology are becoming important key platforms. New formats create space for exchange, trust and cooperation between politicians, emergency services and the armed forces, as well as industry, and they show technological developments that are crucial to Europe’s power of defence. A dozen new trade fairs have been launched in Germany since 2022 focusing on defence and security – as well as related areas such as fire safety, IT security and critical infrastructure. Existing trade fairs are often being given new focal points.
The topic is also gaining importance in the Federal Government’s international trade fair programme and will take shape for the first time in 2026 with at least 16 trade fairs. Reflecting dynamic market developments has always been one of the key functions of trade fairs and contributes significantly to the resilience of the medium. Trade fairs function as marketplaces where supply and demand converge and where trends become visible earlier than on other channels.
Transformation
AI-driven transformation is increasingly integrated into everyday trade fair operations. The industry is crossing the threshold from mere experimentation to strategic transformation of digital infrastructures and collaborative data systems. Isolated tools are giving way to comprehensive system integration into existing IT and CRM processes. To bring new applications into practice swiftly, organisers and exhibiting companies are creating experimental spaces where pilot projects can be tested under real-life conditions. Despite regulatory obstacles and internal challenges, the transformation-process is steadily moving forward.
The current central theme is the establishment of agility. On top of this a matrix for innovation and the proof of profitability has to be created. Instead of isolated pilot projects, stakeholders are now setting up cross-functional AI teams spanning IT, marketing and sales. Each AI tool is evaluated, and the specific cost-benefit ratio is critically scrutinised. The focus is set on ‘quick wins’ such as multilingual chatbots, intelligent matchmaking systems or sales assistants. The industry’s guiding principle is feasibility. Only if projects show valid potential and AI can prove itself to be a genuine efficiency booster will AI be fully integrated into the trade fair system.
Jörn Holtmeier (born 1978) has been Managing Director of the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) since early 2020. Prior to this, the graduate in business administration held various positions at Daimler AG. He gained international experience, amongst other things, as a Congressional Fellow in Washington, D.C. In 2026, Holtmeier was elected for a further three-year term as Chair of the Associations Committee of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI).
