CCH - Congress Center Hamburg - News
PRESS RELEASE
Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH sets new sales record in business year 2008
Hamburg, 13 January 2009. Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) achieved its best results ever in business year 2008, with a total sales volume of 78.3 million euros (provisional figure). That was up 29% on reference year 2006, with operating profit 9.9 million euros. The budget sales growth target was 20%. However, after deduction of depreciation, interest payments and leasing rates for the New Hamburg Trade Fair, the final result is a shortfall in the region of 12.6 million euros for 2008. A balanced annual result is expected by 2016. “But the effect for Hamburg is already very substantial,” says Bernd Aufderheide (49), CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. “According to an ifo study of 2007, every euro of sales volume earned by HMC means another 7.60 euros spent by our exhibitors and visitors in shops, restaurants, hotels and taxis. In other words, trade fairs and conferences added about 595 million euros to sales by Hamburg companies in 2008.”
I. Review
Trade Fair Activities
Trade fair business (Hamburg Messe) accounted for most of the sales volume, with turnover of 51 million euros from trade fairs, entertainment events and major conventions at the New Hamburg Trade Fair site – that is 8.2 million euros more than in reference year 2006. Successful business is already emerging from the expansion of the trade fair site, with both SMM and hanseboot occupying the complete site (87,000 square metres) for the first time in 2008. In 2006 there were only 67,000 square metres available.
“The first months of using the whole site already showed that expansion of the site was the right decision, and indeed that it was necessary,” says Bernd Aufderheide. He believes there is no need for further expansion in the foreseeable future. “With hall space of 87,000 square metres, the New Hamburg Fair is well placed in Europe,” says Bernd Aufderheide, bearing in mind the decline in big fairs nationwide and the debate on overcapacities in Germany. “The turnover factor for our site was about 12 in 2008. In other words, calculations show that the total available space at the site was rented out twelve times in the course of the year. That puts HMC among the leaders in the German trade fair scene.”
Gross rented space was up by 118,471 square metres in 2008 versus reference year 2006, to a total of 947,876 square metres. The number of trade fairs and events was up again to a total of 49, that is 8 more than in 2006. A nationwide trend was also confirmed – while specialist events are gaining ground, the numbers at big exhibitions for the general public are in decline. Thus the total number of visitors was down (845,855 visitors in 2008 versus 980,226 in 2006), while at the same time there was a significant increase in sales volume and renting of space in the exhibition halls and outdoor spaces. “We feel this confirms our strategy of concentrating increasingly on specialist exhibitions,” says Bernd Aufderheide. Ideally, these exhibitions are also on the themes which are the focus of Hamburg’s business clusters.
The outstanding trade fair event in the past year was the 23rd SMM – shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology international trade fair (23 to 26 September 2008). This world-leading event for the shipbuilding industry attracted more than 52,000 trade visitors, and 64% of the 1,965 exhibitors were from abroad. The international Maritime Security & Defence conference was held for the first time, concurrently with SMM.
CCH Activities
CCH - Congress Center Hamburg was Germany’s first ever dedicated conference centre. That has enabled it to build a wealth of experience in organisation of large medical conferences. In 2008 for example, conferences included those of the German Neurology Society (5,000 delegates), the German Society for Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (5,000 delegates) and the German Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (3,000 delegates).
Another high point in the 2008 calendar at CCH - Congress Center Hamburg was the election for the Hamburg Parliament, where the main broadcasting centre for radio and television coverage of the election was set up at CCH. The Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Volkswagen AG was another special event, with 3,500 participants and an automobile exhibition on more than 7,000 square metres. The traditional Eisbeinessen dinner hosted by the Hamburg Shipbrokers’ Association was held for the 60th time, with 5,400 guests from all parts of the world.
A total of 352 conferences, meetings and other events were held in 2008 (versus 315 in 2007), with a sales volume of 7.6 million euros.
Activities abroad
Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH organises many joint stands at trade fairs abroad every year. It does so both in its own name and on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi, with nine joint events in 2008) and CMA (Central Marketing Association of German Agriculture, with two joint events in 2008). The main focus of these joint events was in the maritime industry, oil & gas, and hotels & restaurants. This area of business achieved the highest sales volume ever, with 16.5 million euros in 2008 (versus 7.4 million in 2007). The number of events abroad increased to 22 (versus 19 in 2007). The number of exhibitors is settling at a constant level. There were 782 exhibitors in 2008 versus 823 in 2007 (compared with 535 in 2006, 503 in 2005 and 379 in 2004). The results show HMC’s steady increase in foreign business. This development is expected to continue with success in the coming years.
One of the highlights last year was organisation of the German Pavilion at EXPO Zaragoza 2008 on behalf of the Federal Government. The German Pavilion welcomed 540,000 international visitors and a further 20,000 VIP guests from business, government, science and culture. The Pavilion was one of the big attractions at EXPO Zaragoza 2008 and received the Golden Award of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) for its concept and interpretation of the Expo theme, and the “Adam” award of FAMAB (German Association of Direct Business Communications). Other key events organised by HMC in 2008 were the joint German presentation at Arab Health in Dubai again and participation at SIAL food industry show in Paris.
II. Outlook
New events in Germany and abroad – HMC looks forward to a successful and exciting 2009
HMC has set itself a sales volume target of 53 million euros for 2009. That would be a 10% increase on reference year 2007 (48.1 million euros) and the highest sales volume ever achieved in an even-numbered year. In the long term, sales growth to 100 million euros is planned by 2015/2016. That makes it all the more exciting to see the performance of the new self-organised events and hosted events to be launched this year. The first SMM Istanbul (21 to 23 January 2009) starts the new event scene, and in November the premiere of SMM India will be held in Mumbai (12 to 14 November 2009). Both of these events carry high hopes of HMC, for successful transfer of the strong brand SMM (shipbuilding, machinery & marine technology), the world’s leading maritime industry show. “This year SMM is going for two really important hubs of international shipbuilding. That secures key exhibition positions for us. And experience shows that attractive subsidiaries abroad strengthen the position of the parent organisation here. So we are expecting positive impact for Hamburg as well,” says Bernd Aufderheide.
Another maritime event MS&D (International Conference and Exhibition on Maritime Security and Defence), will be held for the first time as an independent conference with exhibition at CCH from 6 to 8 October 2009, following its successful launch as a concurrent event with SMM 2008. The current problems with maritime piracy will put this event even more at the focus of public attention than last year.
In 2009 hanseboot will celebrate a special anniversary event. The Hamburg International Boat Show will run a 50th anniversary programme, attracting expert visitors to Hamburg from 24 October to 1 November.
acqua alta will be organised by HMC for the first time as one of its own events in 2009 (10 to 12 November 2009) – an international specialist conference with exhibition on climate change consequences and flood protection.
New, high-calibre guest events in 2009 include the 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (21 to 25 September 2009) and the 17th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (29 June to 3 July 2009). Each of these events is a leader in its field – they are international platforms for networking with representatives from science and research and the relevant industries and suppliers. Together with acqua alta, Husum Wind Energy and H2Expo, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH now has a varied and high-ranking portfolio in the growth sector of alternative and renewable energies.
CCH - Congress Center Hamburg
CCH – Congress Center Hamburg took first place in the analysis by trade magazine HV-Magazin as the most-booked Congress Center for Shareholders’ Meetings, and fourth place among the Top Ten Shareholders’ Meeting Locations in Germany. 2009 brought major meetings to CCH again, such as Volkswagen AG (for the 17th time), Beiersdorf, and Jungheinrich. Alongside traditional events such as the “Eisbeinessen” dinner in November, there will also be a large number of major medical conferences here again, such as Interpharm (27 to 29 March 2009), and the 58th Annual Meeting of the North German Orthopaedics Association (18 to 20 June 2009). The International Supercomputing Conference will also be held at CCH in 2009 (24 to 26 September 2009). Guest events already announced include the Chinese National Circus (25 January 2009), Patricia Kaas (12 February 2009), Maceo Parker (14 February 2009) and David Byrne (12 March 2009).
Other events abroad
For the third time in succession, the international department of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH is responsible on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology for the German Pavilion in 2009 at Arab Health in Dubai. Based on the number of exhibitors, this is the largest participation ever by the Federation in a foreign trade fair programme. Two further highlights will be participation at NEVA-2009 • 9th International Shipping, Shipbuilding, Ports and Offshore Energy Exhibition in St. Petersburg (22 to 25 September 2009), and at Asia’s second largest shipbuilding exhibition Kormarine (21 to 24 October 2009). These joint participations are also organised on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). In 2010, HMC will again participate in a World Expo. On behalf of the City of Hamburg, it will organise the Hamburg Pavilion at the World Expo Shanghai.
The management of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH is optimistic about the future. “We are looking forward to events in 2009 and are confident that we can continue our successful path despite the current economic difficulties, and achieve further growth. We are working on steady building of our foreign business, and on increased capacity utilisation of the New Hamburg Trade Fair and CCH – Congress Center Hamburg with high-quality events. Our main trade fair focus is on Hamburg’s industry clusters, specifically the maritime and aviation industries. For CCH – Congress Center Hamburg we are going for good capacity utilisation with a mix of specialist conferences, shareholders’ meetings and an appealing and varied cultural programme.”
Press contact:
Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH
Karsten Broockmann
Public Relations Manager
Tel.: 040-3569-2090
Fax: 040-3569-2099
E-mail: karsten.broockmann@hamburg-messe.de
www.hamburg-messe.de
Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH
Maren Brandt
Public Relations Officer
Tel.: 040-3569-2093
Fax: 040-3569-2099
E-mail: maren.brandt@hamburg-messe.de
www.hamburg-messe.de
Information and photos for download available at website:
www.hamburg-messe.de/presse