Pushing for deeper appreciation in SinoGerman exhibition industries

Reporter： According to AUMA， in 2014 around 305 exhibitions are planned to take place around the world， an increase of 10%. By far the most important destination country is China with 90 events. Why is China the top destination for such events？

Mennekes： China is not just a very large market； it is also growing very fast， and there are many decision-makers who would not travel to one of the big trade fairs in Germany. That is why it was strategically important for German trade fair organisers to create their own trade fairs in China very early on. Most of these fairs are very successful， which is partly thanks to three German trade fair companies working together with Chinese partners to run an exhibition center in Shanghai. German industry very much welcomes this involvement， because it allows German companies to tap into this large， often complex， market with trusted partners.

Reporter： The exhibition industry in Germany features regional development. The top ten exhibition cities， including Hanover， Frankfurt and Cologne， account for over 70% of the total interior exhibition area in the country. In addition， each city has its own brand exhibitions. Yet in France， there is only one exhibition centre， Paris. How do you compare these two different development patterns？ Is the role of local government still strong， and what is the role of AUMA in promoting German trade fairs worldwide？

Mennekes： The German trade fair industry’s decentralised structure is the result of German history. Germany has never so strongly focused on the capital like France， for example. I believe that the German model offers many advantages， because the competition between various locations has resulted in the high quality of exhibition halls and events.

The exhibition centers continue to be mainly owned by towns and states， but these do not influence the companies’ business policies. All large and medium-sized organisers， as well as numerous small organisers， are members of AUMA. It is therefore a key task for AUMA to promote the specific qualities of the trade fair as a medium and to inform the public of events， dates and facts regarding German trade fairs both domestically and abroad. This is why AUMA， in cooperation with the German Industry and Commerce delegation in Shanghai， has published the“Trade Fair made in Germany” event calendar， which is also available in Chinese.

Reporter： For many years， the number of exhibitions， exhibition venues， exhibitors and trade visitors in Germany have been growing steadily， and six out of the top ten exhibition companies in the world remain German companies. These include Messe Frankfurt， Messe Düsseldorf， Koelnmesse， Deutsche Messe. What are the secrets for such steady development？

Mennekes： German organisers realised very early on that they could only be successful on an international scale if their trade fairs were open to all foreign exhibitors. This was not so obvious in Europe 30 or 50 years ago. Over many decades， exhibition organisers have built up a comprehensive， global marketing system for exhibitors and visitors. This is still paying off today. Organisers have also avoided creating competition with one another on a domestic basis no matter what the price， e.g. by organising trade fairs with the same themes twice or three times. This has allowed important trade fairs to focus on competition with competitors from other countries. All of this was possible without governmental influence on the fair programme.

Reporter： For many years， the number of Chinese exhibitors visiting German trade fairs has grown steadily. For example， in 2010， Chinese exhibitors ranked second among international exhibitors， just behind Italy. What is the role of Chinese exhibitors in the German exhibition industry？

Mennekes： China has now become the largest foreign exhibitor in Germany with over 12，000 companies taking part in more than 100 different trade fairs. Many Chinese companies also offer highquality products nowadays， which have made them interesting for buyers from many countries. Here it is important to note that German trade fairs do not just attract international exhibitors， but also international visitors. Approximately 2.5 million trade fair visitors from other countries come to Germany every year.

Reporter： What do you think are the most remarkable achievements for the cooperation between China and Germany in the exhibition industry？ What is your expectation for SinoGerman exhibition cooperation in 2014？

Mennekes： A number of wellfunctioning partnerships have developed between the German and Chinese trade fair industries despite the differences in the economic systems of these countries. It is not about negotiating contracts between states， but rather between individual companies or organisations. In addition， there is the joint venture exhibition site， the SNIEC in Shanghai， which I mentioned earlier. AUMA has also been supporting the China Expo Forum for International Cooperation （CEFCO） for years now. We would be delighted to see this project， and many others， continue in the interest of mutual appreciation of one another.