The German trade fair industry in a state of constant change: resilient, challenged, forward-looking
Hendrik Hochheim, Head of Trade Fairs Germany at AUMA, assesses the trade fair year 2025 and outlines developments up to 2027.
© AUMA | Steffen Kugler
The German trade fair industry is proving remarkably resilient despite the ongoing economic slump in Germany, general cost increases and growing geopolitical uncertainties. Most exhibitors are maintaining the number of trade fairs they attend, whilst organisers are investing up to one billion euros over the coming years. Trade fairs thus remain a stable factor for the necessary exchange of ideas, the driving of innovation and business – and a key industry for Germany as a business hub.
2027
Even after several years of economic stagnation in Germany and in the face of rapidly changing global politics, German exhibitors’ participation in trade fairs remains remarkably stable. For the publication AUMA Exhibitor Outlook over 400 exhibiting companies from Germany are regularly surveyed: the 2026/2027 issue shows that 97.5 per cent of companies continue to regard trade fairs as an indispensable platform for exchange, innovation and business development – the highest figure on record was 99 per cent.
The results show that trade fairs are gaining strategic importance, particularly under volatile economic and political circumstances. Many exhibitors are investing specifically in the quality of their trade fair appearance: participation is being prioritised, clear objectives are being defined, and the impact and cost-effectiveness of their participation are being assessed more rigorously. Across all respondents, there is a slight decline from an average of 5.4 trade fair participations in 2025 to a forecast of 5.1 for 2026/2027.
Overall, the relevance of trade fairs remains at a very high level. At 77.5 per cent, trade fair appearances continue to rank among the top three most highly rated measures in the marketing mix – on a par with face-to-face sales and well ahead of digital or traditional advertising formats. Their importance is particularly high in sectors involving complex technical communication. Companies in the manufacturing sector are particularly likely to rate trade fairs as important or very important (84.3 per cent), followed by the retail sector (72.9 per cent) and service providers (66.3 per cent).
Trade fair budgets are showing significantly greater dynamism compared with the previous year. Four in ten exhibitors are planning higher budgets, and almost as many are keeping their budgets constant. Only one in five is planning to reduce the budget for trade fair participation. Whilst smaller and very large companies are predominantly maintaining or increasing their budgets, there is significantly more fluctuation among medium-sized companies, with both above-average budget increases and substantial cuts. Overall it is obvious that trade fairs remain indispensable for marketing planning, even as budgets are monitored more painstakingly.
The biggest challenge remains generally rising costs, cited by 64.1 per cent of the companies surveyed. In addition, more than half of those surveyed (54.5 per cent) are feeling growing budgetary pressure due to the strained economic situation – particularly in Germany.
Trade fairs in Germany 2025
International exhibitors
Exhibitor numbers rounded, June 2026
© AUMA
AUMA category international/national events, deviations due to missing information of origin
2026
The German trade fair industry has started 2026 with cautious optimism. Almost two-thirds of the trade fair organisers surveyed rate their business situation as stable or better than a year ago. The sector is therefore looking forward with greater confidence than the better part of the German economy does, particularly the manufacturing sector. However, initial data for 2026 suggests that the positive trend is continuing only in terms of visitor numbers, whilst slight declines are emerging in exhibitor and floor space figures. This means that the consequences of a stalemate economy in Germany are now also becoming apparent in the trade fair sector.
The reason for a cautiously positive mood lies primarily in internal factors such as successful trade fair projects, new events and digitalisation progress. Over 60 per cent of trade fair companies expect better business results for 2026, although rotational effects play a decisive role here. Willingness to invest remains stable or is rising slightly, driven by construction and digital projects, whilst staff numbers are expected to remain largely constant. According to the AUMA survey, around one billion euros of investment is planned at Germany’s exhibition venues by 2029. The picture gets diverse when it comes to international competition: Roughly half of the domestic organisers believe that German trade fairs will perform at least as well as their international counterparts. However, almost half of those surveyed assess the position of German trade fairs in international competition as weaker than that of their rivals – particularly due to high costs, slow digitalisation and a lack of political support.
Around 320 trade fairs are planned in Germany for 2026, including numerous flagship events and major anniversaries of established exhibitions. These underscore the enduring importance of trade fairs as platforms for innovation, exchange and business.
At the same time, trade fair organisers are facing a shift in expectations: visitors are demanding more concerning experience, networking and personalisation, whilst exhibitors are increasingly focusing on measurable success, digital services and flexibility. For the coming years a structural change is beginning to show. There will be a trend towards curated business events, that are set against a backdrop of growing economic, sustainability-related and geopolitical challenges.
Trade Fair Year 2025
304 trade fairs took place.
12 trade fairs made their debut. Topics ranged from security and fire safety to medical technology, IT and communications technology.
191,990 exhibiting companies and 12.75 million visitors were recorded across 6.91 million square metres of exhibition space.
2.78 million trade fair visitors came from abroad to attend the 158 national and international trade fairs in Germany (33 per cent of all visitors to this trade fair segment).
99,190 exhibitors came from abroad, accounting for two-thirds of all exhibitors at international and national trade fairs (1.5 per cent more than at previous events).
A total of 39,470 exhibiting companies took part in the 134 regional events. They occupied an exhibition area of around 1.25 million square metres and attracted some 4.35 million visitors.
2025
In 2025, 304 trade fairs took place in Germany, including twelve new events that addressed new themes and market segments. Across 6.91 million square metres of exhibition space, 191,990 exhibiting companies showcased their products and services – slightly more than at the respective previous editions. In total, the trade fairs attracted around 12.75 million visitors, an increase of 1.9 per cent compared with the respective previous editions.
The 158 national and international trade fairs recorded 150,260 exhibitors and 8.3 million visitors across an area of 5.6 million square metres. Compared with the previous editions, the trend proved rather stable with slight increases: The number of exhibitors rose by 0.6 per cent, stand space by 0.3 per cent and visitor numbers by 3.9 per cent. There were 99,190 exhibitors and 2.78 million visitors from abroad – an increase of 1.5 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively.
Trade fairs in Germany 2025
The 304 trade fairs in comparison to their previous events
Numbers rounded, May 2026
© AUMA
The top exhibiting nation in 2025 was China, with a share of more than 18 per cent, followed by Italy (around 11 per cent), the Netherlands (5 per cent), Spain (4.5 per cent), the USA and Turkey (4.4 per cent each). China also ranked among the top five countries of origin for international visitors, with a 4.5 per cent share – though behind the Netherlands (7.3 per cent), Austria (7.1 per cent), Italy (6.8 per cent) and Switzerland (6.4 per cent).
On average, therefore, the 2025 trade fair year performed better than expected – despite a challenging economic climate. Overall, however, the results illustrate that the trade fair industry is navigating increasingly difficult waters and is looking ahead with less optimism than in previous years, primarily owing to the current difficult economic conditions.
Trade fairs, however, remain a key location factor for Germany: the trade fair industry annually contributes over 30 billion euros to added value and secures at least 280,000 jobs, particularly in transport, the hospitality sector and retail. Furthermore, an average trade fair year generates 5.4 billion euros in tax revenue. To maintain this significance in the long term, a supportive political framework is required – ranging from a modern visa system and efficient transport infrastructure to competitive trade fair funding programmes.
Hendrik Hochheim (born in 1970) has been Head of the Trade Fairs Germany Division at AUMA since 2021. He is also Managing Director of the Society of Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics (FKM). Hochheim has been with the trade fair association AUMA since 2001.
