Messe Frankfurt invests big in China

Messe Frankfurt GmbH, one of the world's largest trade fair companies, will continue to organize exhibitions in Belt and Road countries and increase investment in China, especially in the second-tier cities.

"We have launched a large number of exhibitions with very strong Chinese participation in the countries of Belt and Road Initiative. The Automechanika show in Kazakhstan is a good example. We also launched shows in Ethiopia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia," said Stephan Buurma, member of the extended board of management of Messe Frankfurt.

The company organizes leading international fairs for automotive, consumer goods, textile, technology, and leisure and entertainment industries. It is publicly owned, with the city of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the state of Hesse 40 percent.

Its events take place at 50 locations around the globe. In 2015, Messe Frankfurt organized 133 trade fairs. More than half of them took place outside Germany.

"We have basically covered almost everything Messe Frankfurt does in Germany and replicated it in China. We run 34 exhibitions in China, more than in Germany itself, covering almost every field," said Buurma.

He said the company is actively looking to move beyond its traditional fields of expertise and trying to build further brands and fields of interest for Chinese exhibitors.

"We will continue to invest in China and find the opportunities in many different markets, including second-tier cities, not just the first-tier cities."

Automechanika Shanghai 2016, a leading trade fair for automotive parts was held from Nov 30 to Dec 3. The exhibition space has increased by 12 percent, from 280,000 sq m to 312,000 sq m, opening up two new halls, for a total of 13 halls this year.

An increase in exhibition space also allows for an increase in exhibitors. This year, there are 5,756 exhibitors, an increase of 7 percent over last year, from 42 countries and regions filling the halls.

"Automechanika Shanghai is already the largest show of its kind in the world in terms of number of exhibitors and gross square meters. With the development of the Chinese economy and its automotive sector, the show here is going to be very big and very international," said Buurma.

This year's exhibition has zones highlighting specialized topics, including connectivity, e-mobility and infrastructure, motor sports and high-performance vehicles, plus wheels and rims.

In addition to Automechanika Shanghai, CAPAS, the Chengdu International Trade Fair for Automotive Parts and Aftermarket Services, was held in May in the capital city of Sichuan province.