Once a year, we take a look back, give you a glimpse behind the scenes, and inform you about our plans for the future. Our annual report is divided into the sections titled “Insight,” “Outlook,” and “Vision,” but the “Outlook” is a particular challenge for the publication of this report in the summer of 2020: with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a wrench has been thrown into the works of our routines and processes around the world. Public life has sputtered, the global economy has been dealt a heavy blow, and no one can predict how quickly we will be able to return to normalcy, which is why we too are breaking with routine and beginning with the outlook in this foreword.
Hamburg Messe und Congress felt the first effects of the threat presented by the coronavirus at the beginning of February 2020, when questions arose regarding the safe participation in our exhibition oohh! The Leisure Worlds of Hamburg Messe. We went ahead with realization of the exhibition after careful consideration, but the oohh! event remains the last of our own events to have taken place. The virus, which at that time had only been found in China, was spreading with increasing speed. This was followed by uncertainty around the globe, protective measures, prohibitions of large-scale events, travel restrictions, postponements of exhibitions and congresses, and ultimately cancellations en masse.
Even though we are now quite confident that several of our leading exhibitions can be realized after postponement, our plans of finishing 2020 as the fiscal year with the most revenue in company history will not be possible; on the contrary, we will conclude the 2020 fiscal year with an unexpectedly significant loss. However, we are still very happy that, to date, all of our employees have managed to stay healthy during the pandemic.
And, with that, we come to our 2019 reporting year, which – with 73 events on the exhibition grounds, more than 1.26 million square meters of used space, two successful premieres of own exhibitions, and a well-received Rotary International Convention – featured a series of special events. In addition to seven of our own trade fairs, we hosted 36 guest events and 30 events on the exhibition grounds that had to be relocated due to the temporary closure of the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg. All in all a new record for us, just like the total gross floor area used.
In spite of these successes, we considered the 2019 fiscal year as a trailblazer for our plans for 2020, a year in which we were looking forward to the first events in the new CCH in the summer. But, due to the coronavirus pandemic, these first few events will also not be able to proceed as planned.
We are convinced, however, that the exhibition and congress industry will emerge from this crisis even stronger than before. On the one hand, the pandemic has led to the significant acceleration of the digitization already under way. On the other hand, the temporary contact restrictions made necessary by the pandemic once again brutally demonstrated to us how valuable personal encounters are.
At this juncture, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to our exhibitors and visitors, our partners, our Supervisory Board, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and all of our employees for their support and loyalty throughout 2019 and during the ongoing crisis.
Kind regards
Bernd Aufderheide
CEO
Uwe Fischer
CFO
The Hamburg Boat Show is discontinued after two editions. The event was initiated under the auspices of the German Boat- and Shipbuilding Association.
Hamburg throws its hat in the ring to organize the International Motor Show Germany – and makes it into the top three contenders – but is ultimately not the city chosen to host the event.
The successful premiere of therapie HAMBURG.
On September 30, the Hamburg police department launches its “In Hamburg schaut man hin” (“In Hamburg, we keep an eye out”) public relations campaign on the Hamburg exhibition grounds. The successful campaign helps strengthen the connection between the people of Hamburg and their police force.
Gamevention announces that, in November, it will be the first exhibition for computer gaming to come to Hamburg’s halls.
Hamburg’s mayor Peter Tschentscher emphasizes the important role that Hamburg Messe plays and thus quashes any speculation about potential apartment construction on the grounds.
Around 26,000 people from around the world make the 110th Rotary International Convention a friendly celebration in the exhibition halls as well as the rest of the city.
At an event of the German Savings Banks Association in the Hamburg exhibition halls, German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeals: “The savings banks should remain the good soul of the region.”
In the Chinese capital Beijing, the International Horticultural Expo 2019 opens its gates for nearly half a year. HMC is on-site with its employees and is responsible for operating the German pavilion.
As the leading European exhibition for out-of-home gastronomy, INTERNORGA is an important signboard for Hamburg and, in 2019, the largest exhibition in the city.
The Hamburger Motorrad Tage event celebrates its 25th anniversary on the Hamburg exhibition grounds and thus is one of the longest-standing guest organizers in the Hanseatic City.
At its annual press conference, HMC announces three premieres coming up in the next 12 months: MARINE INTERIORS, therapie HAMBURG, and HAMBURG OPEN.
At its annual press conference, HMC announces three premieres coming up in the next 12 months: MARINE INTERIORS, therapie HAMBURG, and HAMBURG OPEN.
Size, flexibility, sustainability, modern technology, and top-notch catering make the new CCH what it is. The soft-opening phase is scheduled to begin at the end of 2020.
At the ZEUS Fireside Chat on November 27, 2019, Heike Mahmoud and Hartmut Hofmann spoke with Thorben Grosser about the special features of the new CCH.
Normally, the studios for covering the Hamburg City Council elections are set up in the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg but, because of the renovations, the media moved into the exhibition halls instead.
Hamburg Messe und Congress and its public exhibitions and trade fairs are geared towards a broad audience and many different target groups.
With the spread of the coronavirus since the beginning of the year, economic prospects and opportunities were drastically shifted – and HMC is no exception.
As the man behind the OMR Festival at the Hamburg exhibition grounds, which had to be cancelled in 2020, Philipp Westermeyer is a customer of HMC and directly impacted. In a talk with the CEO of HMC, Bernd Aufderheide, they discuss their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as its impacts and the future outlook.
With the first cases of coronavirus in Germany at the beginning of 2020, Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) is also faced with the question of what suitable measures to take.
Trade fairs and exhibitions are always a glimpse of the future: with fresh ideas and the use of new technologies, HMC is helping to shape this future.
