The Munich trade fair, which has been badly hit by the pandemic, hopes to be in the black regardless of the uncertain global situation. The goal for this year is 250 million to 300 million euros in sales and a profit before taxes and depreciation, as the two managing directors Reinhard Pfeiffer and Stefan Rummel announced on Thursday. In the past two years, the fair had made losses and generated less than half of its pre-pandemic sales. Many events could not take place or could only take place online due to the corona restrictions.
The two trade fair bosses assume that the pandemic-related trend towards online conferences will not make trade fairs superfluous – quite the opposite: “What we are experiencing is a lot of catching up to do,” said Rummel. “Personal contact and human encounters cannot be replaced.” The Munich trade fair is the second largest in Germany after Frankfurt. Because of the losses, the trade fair company had undergone an austerity program and reduced its workforce by a quarter.
The Munich trade fair company is active abroad with numerous subsidiary events, especially in China. However, trade fair operations are still hardly possible there due to corona restrictions. A withdrawal from China is not planned: “We want to stay there,” said Pfeiffer. At its domestic events, the trade fair is suffering from a decline in visitors and exhibitors of around a third. However, Pfeiffer and Rummel assume that the decline will tend to affect the smaller trade fair locations in the long term. “We’re glad that we usually have the number one, the leading trade fair in the respective industry,” said Rummel.
The highlight of the past year was the first-time organization of the IAA motor show, which used to be based in Frankfurt. The green-red majority in the Munich city council voted to restrict the car manufacturers’ large open-air exhibition areas in the most beautiful squares in the state capital – to the annoyance of the VDA car association. However, the Munich trade fair is confident of being able to hold the IAA in Munich, said Rummel. The trade fair and its visitors are not spared from the gas crisis either: in summer there is less cooling and in winter a little less heating, as Pfeiffer explained.