July 04, 2025
- Positive year-end results for 2024
- Sales: €22 million
- Future-oriented enhancements at AERO and Eurobike
Friedrichshafen – Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH closed the 2024 financial year on solid economic footing. The trade fair organizers from Lake Constance generated revenues of €22 million (2023: €20.4 million) through 10 proprietary trade fairs, 15 guest events and 23 additional events and corporate functions. The annual result totaled €355,000 and includes a rental payment of €313,000 to the property company Internationale Bodenseemesse GmbH. Over the past fiscal year, the Friedrichshafen trade fair welcomed approximately 579,000 visitors and 8,137 exhibiting companies from more than 52 countries. The cooperation with Messe Frankfurt through the joint venture fairnamic GmbH continues to be marked by a spirit of partnership and a strong focus on shared goals.
Insights into Messe Friedrichshafen’s proprietary events
"We operate with economic and strategic responsibility, while embracing innovation – delivering strong economic benefits for the city and the region. This reflects our mission as a trade fair company. Fiscal year 2024 is characterized by the successful stabilization and further development of established event formats," emphasizes Klaus Wellmann, CEO of Messe Friedrichshafen. Motorradwelt Bodensee and Fruchtwelt Bodensee kicked off 2024 with great momentum, drawing significant media attention – especially with the visit of Federal Minister Cem Özdemir. Pferd Bodensee set new records for both visitor and exhibitor numbers, while Tuning World Bodensee achieved the second-highest attendance in its history. The 75th anniversary of Messe Friedrichshafen and the IBO trade fair was celebrated with a major networking event, and the revised five-day format of Interboot was met with a positive response. Vertical Pro also saw further development, occupying three halls for the first time at the end of the year.
Insights into the guest event business
The 2024 calendar was also packed with a wide range of guest events. This includes not only established trade fairs such as Fakuma, AERO (organized by fairnamic) and Faszination Modellbau, but also a variety of formats including company events, regional business conferences, and TV and sports productions. "Despite economically challenging conditions, we were able to retain long-standing clients and their event formats – and even attract new ones. A highlight in February 2025 was the double appearance of ‘The Giovanni Zarrella Show,’ which showcased the versatility of the exhibition grounds to both the live audience and several million TV viewers," reports Klaus Wellmann. The newly added Europe Drum Show received an enthusiastic response within the special interest segment, and the organizer has already confirmed its return to Friedrichshafen next year.
Insights into the fairnamic GmbH subsidiary
AERO, organized by fairnamic, was a great success and occupied the entire exhibition grounds in April 2024. Eurobike in Frankfurt continued to strengthen its position as the world’s leading platform for the bicycle and ecomobility industries. Extensive services provided by Messe Friedrichshafen for fairnamic – as well as hosting AERO on-site – generate significant economic impact, both for the city and the surrounding region. In addition, the profit distribution from fairnamic, amounting to around €3 million, directly factors into the 2024 fiscal year's result.
In 2025, AERO captivated a growing number of visitors and exhibitors, thanks to its expanded focus on business aviation. The impressive range of exhibited aircraft, the innovative Business Aviation Dome and the extensive airshow also contributed to this.
With Eurobike as its leading trade fair, fairnamic is making a significant contribution to Messe Friedrichshafen’s overall performance – despite the ongoing challenges in the bicycle industry. Both AERO and Eurobike hold strong potential for further thematic and international expansion. Starting in 2026, a new trade fair brand for ecomobility – Mobifuture – will launch in Frankfurt alongside the renowned Eurobike, both in timing and location. Our goal is to better meet the diverse demands of both the performance cycling and light electric vehicle sectors, as well as the rapidly growing micromobility market," says Stefan Mittag, Commercial Director of Messe Friedrichshafen and Co-Managing Director of fairnamic GmbH.
Insights into the 2025 trade fair year
The uncertain economic environment, shaped by a range of financial, political and broader macroeconomic factors, is having an impact on the trade fair and event industry across the sectors we represent. Nevertheless, most events in Friedrichshafen are showing encouraging booking trends. In May, the Tuning World Bodensee was able to record an exhibitor plus as well as the highest number of visitors ever. Klaus Wellmann highlights personal interaction as a unique strength of trade fairs: "Overall, networking is becoming increasingly important across the entire trade fair industry. Trade fairs that skillfully blend in-person interaction and live experiences with the quality of a business platform, while maintaining digital engagement with customers over an extended period, are the ones that foster lasting visitor loyalty."
Messe Friedrichshafen is also taking a sustainable approach with the launch of its new energy company, which is implementing an ambitious photovoltaic project across the exhibition hall rooftops. The result will be the "largest solar rooftop in the Lake Constance region," which will not only enhance the company’s energy self-sufficiency but also contribute to the sustainability goals of both the city and the wider region.
Conclusion
Messe Friedrichshafen continues to make a significant and reliable contribution to the city and the region – whether by generating substantial economic impact, attracting widespread media attention or supporting the achievement of sustainability goals. "In light of this and the positive feedback from our customers, we are optimistic about the future," says Klaus Wellmann, CEO of the Messe Friedrichshafen trade fair.
For more information, go to: www.messe-friedrichshafen.com
Press contacts:
Frank Gauß, Leiter Kommunikation & Pressesprecher
Tel.: +49 7541 708-310
E-Mail: frank.gauss@messe-fn.de
About Messe Friedrichshafen
Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH is one of Germany's leading trade fair companies and is based on Lake Constance at the nexus of four different countries. Founded in 1950 to promote the region's economy, it has made a name for itself worldwide as an organizer and marketer of leisure and trade fairs. Congresses, corporate and sporting events as well as TV productions and live concerts complement the broad portfolio. Every year, Messe Friedrichshafen attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and thousands of exhibiting companies from more than 100 countries to Lake Constance. A total of 87,500 m² of exhibition space spread over twelve exhibition halls and two multipurpose foyers as well as the two open spaces in the inner courtyard of 15,500 m² and the static display of 20,000 m² offer unique possibilities for eventful trade fair days. The compact exhibition grounds with its own lake in the immediate vicinity of the airport as well as halls with hangar doors allow for a wide variety of potential uses.
About fairnamic GmbH:
The fairnamic GmbH joint venture, founded in 2021 by the two exhibition companies Frankfurt and Friedrichshafen, is a highly specialized organizer for innovative and future mobility. With the AERO – International Leading Trade Show for General Aviation and Eurobike as the world's leading trade show for bicycles, e-bikes and ecomobility, fairnamic GmbH is the market leader in the world of avionics and urban mobility. Through bundled competencies, market expertise, global networks, brand strength and agility, fairnamic GmbH is gradually expanding the market position of its two leading trade shows and international satellites globally.
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