“Sales warning” at Messe Frankfurt: “The customers are there, but in many cases costs are being reduced”
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Messe Frankfurt's revenue in 2026 will fall far short of forecasts due to unprecedented challenges, but the Covid debts will be repaid within three years. Messe Frankfurt will be climate-neutral by 2040. EuroBike is facing significant difficulties. And Heiko M. Stutzinger will succeed Detlef Braun.
By Urs Seiler || June 25, 2026 || Representative of Messe Frankfurt for Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Rarely has it been as clear as at the press conference of Messe Frankfurt on June 24th that trade fairs do not simply grow without limit, but are a delayed reflection of the economy, which, as is well known, is stagnating in Europe and is currently struggling with acute structural problems in Germany.
Following AUMA, Messe Frankfurt has now also issued a kind of "revenue warning" for the trade fair industry, but of course, as far as the Messe Frankfurt group of companies is concerned, this is at a high level .
The CEO of Messe Frankfurt, Detlef Braun (pictured above), summed up the currently stagnant German and European trade fair industry: "We are still living in a crazy world, the challenges have never been so intense: energy costs have exploded, Germany is experiencing a growth slump."
This means that while record sales of over €800 million were projected for 2026 in December 2025, management declined to make any firm forecasts at the press conference, citing the current uncertainty in the global situation. CEO Wolfgang Marzin (pictured above) explained: "Our sales forecast will not be met; we are now projecting a seven-figure million-euro revenue."
As mentioned, these are still considerable figures, which means that Messe Frankfurt remains the world market leader among trade fair organizers with its own exhibition grounds and thanks to which Messe Frankfurt can repay the loan debts accumulated during Covid "completely as planned within three years", as Wolfgang Marzin stated, and thus remain the world market leader.
But he said: "The customers are there, but in many cases costs are being reduced."
Wolfgang Marzin cited three reasons for this revised forecast: the devaluation of the US dollar ("that's a risk you face as an international company"), the armed conflicts, and the life cycle of trade fairs like the discontinued Prolight & Sound in Frankfurt (it continues to take place at a high level in Guangzhou, China).
In many cases, professional competence is also characterized by the decision not to realize potential events. Detlef Braun described this using the example of the lack of a leading trade fair for the fashion and clothing industry: "At the moment, due to the situation in the fashion industry, there is no longer a central point for a trade fair. It is not the right time to talk about a fashion fair."
Detlef Braun commented on developments in the trade fair industry: "The trade fair market will undergo consolidation. The winners will be the best brands with the best automation."
After 42 years in the trade fair business, 21 of them in the management of Messe Frankfurt, Detlef Braun will retire on January 1, 2027, and hand over his portfolio of consumer goods, textile and mobility trade fairs to Heiko M. Stutzinger, now Hamburg Messe.
Immediately after the press conference, on June 24th, the leading trade fair of the bicycle industry, EuroBike, was opened, which is in an extremely difficult situation as the industry association wants to withdraw.
EuroBike has had a difficult time recently due to the recession in the bicycle industry following Covid and the relocation of the trade fair from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt. The severity of the current situation was evident in the words of the self-proclaimed "professional optimist," Wolfgang Marzin.
Apparently, in 2026, they only managed to attract half as many exhibitors as in previous years. "We are now considering a different schedule, a focus on specialist retailers. Fairnamic (note: organizer of EuroBike, 49% owned by Messe Frankfurt, 51% by Messe Friedrichshafen) will do everything to make this happen. A lot will be happening; I can't say more at the moment, as the 2026 trade fair hasn't taken place yet."
Fairnamic has now also announced the appointment of Matthias Pietsch as Show Director on June 24th.
Is the glass of Messe Frankfurt half full or half empty?
With a turnover of approximately €766 million, Messe Frankfurt maintained a very high level in 2025 (2024: €775 million). Of this, approximately €398 million was generated domestically (2024: approximately €432 million) and approximately €368 million internationally (2024: approximately €343 million). The share of international sales in the Group's total revenue thus rose to 48 percent, underscoring the importance of its international presence for the Group's resilience. The foreign subsidiaries performed well, achieving a net profit of €71.4 million before consolidation, compared to €53.8 million in the previous year.
Detlef Braun cited Val:ue Milan, a new trade fair format for high-quality apparel textiles, which will premiere from February 3-5, 2027, as new events in the textile and consumer goods sector, as well as the Beautyworld Summit in Grasse, France, which will be held for the first time from May 10-11, 2027, and with which Messe Frankfurt is further expanding its Beautyworld brand. In India, the portfolio is being expanded through new collaborations. For example, Media Expo will be represented at five locations in the future, while Automechanika, with its premiere in Jakarta from September 24-27, 2026, will now be present in 16 countries worldwide.
“2025 was not an easy year for Messe Frankfurt, but we still achieved €400 million in revenue in Frankfurt and were still only €9 million short of the record revenue. We are professional optimists; Messe Frankfurt will grow, hopefully in Frankfurt, and hopefully abroad,” concluded Wolfgang Marzin.
TAKEOUTS
Comments