Messe Cologne

Cologne Trade Fair, or Koelnmesse as it’s known in German, is considered one of the biggest trade fair centres in Germany. But not just in its home country, but on an international scale as well. The word is, according to German association AUMA, that Koelnmesse currently sits at number 5 on the list of the biggest exhibition centres in the world. Given that that the centre sprawls over across 284,000 m2 (3,060,000 sq ft), it’s easy to see why. The exhibition centre has a long, long history as it first opened doors in 1924 and has undergone several changes including migrating to a whole new building in 2005 right next door to its official site. If you think Koelnmesse is big now, wait until new renovations are completed. Work has begun in 2018 and it’s expected for renovations to be completed by 2030.

In Germany, trade fairs exist as their own companies in charge of organising and running events. Koelnmesse distinguishes itself as a pack leader with impressive numbers – 80 trade fairs and over 2,000 conferences occupy the exhibition halls and convention spaces in a single year. On the list, there are fairs visited by tens of thousands like Gamescom, DMEXCO, Kind + Jugend, Anuga, Anuga FoodTec, FSB, ProSweets, International Hardware Fair, photokina, INTERMOT, Orgatec, IDS and interzum. As a result, Koelnmesse is the host to over 42,000 exhibiting companies from 120 countries and two million visitors from 175 countries. What’s more interesting to note is that the company helps organise 30 events outside Germany and around the world.