Messe Frankfurt () is the world's largest

trade fair A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and ...

, congress and event organizer with its own exhibition grounds. The organisation has 2,500 employees at some 30 locations, generating annual sales of around €661 million. Its services include renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services. Headquartered in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent). The Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt consists of (Chairman), Detlef Braun, and Uwe Behm.

History

Frankfurt has been known for its trade fairs for over 800 years. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, merchants and businessmen met at the "

Römer The Römer (German surname, "Roman") is a medieval building in the Altstadt of Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and one of the city's most important landmarks. The Römer is located opposite the Old St. Nicholas church and has been the city hall (' ...

", a medieval building in the heart of the city that served as a market place; from 1909 onwards, they met on the grounds of the Festhalle Frankfurt, to the north of Frankfurt Central Station. The first Frankfurt trade fair to be documented in writing dates back to 11 July 1240, when the Frankfurt Autumn Trade Fair was called into being by

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jer ...

, who decreed that merchants travelling to the fair were under his protection. Some ninety years later, on 25 April 1330, the Frankfurt Spring Fair also received its privilege from Emperor Louis IV. And from this time onwards, trade fairs were held in Frankfurt twice a year, in spring and autumn, forming the basic structure for Messe Frankfurt's modern consumer goods fairs.

Frankfurt Trade Fair

Location and size

Located near the centre of Frankfurt, the exhibition grounds are among the largest and most modern worldwide with of hall area and more than of free space at its disposal.

Public transit

* air:

Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...

* rail:

Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof, also called Frankfurt Central Station and Frankfurt Main Station, is the busiest railway station in the German state of Hesse. Because of its location near the middle of Germany and usage as a transport hub for l ...

(On foot: 20 min) * Rhine-Main S-Bahn: Frankfurt Messe station * underground: Festhalle/Messe * tram: 16 17 Festhalle/Messe

Architecture

Notable architects of the exhibition ground were Helmut Jahn ( Messeturm), Oswald Mathias Ungers (

Messe Torhaus Messe Torhaus is a high rise building in the Bockenheim district of Frankfurt, Germany. It was designed by Oswald Mathias Ungers. Built by Hochtief, 400 workers constructed the 60,000 ton building in a record time of 13 months from 1983 to 1984 ...

) and

Nicholas Grimshaw Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, CBE, PPRA (born 9 October 1939) is a prominent English architect, particularly noted for several modernist buildings, including London's Waterloo International railway station and the Eden Project in Cornwall. He was ...

(Frankfurt Trade Fair Hall). With the Congress Center and Kap Europa, the company operates two congress centres. Hall 12 is the newest and ultramodern hall. From 2023 onwards, the new Hall 5 will be ready.

Gallery

MF-Eingang-City.jpg, Messe Frankfurt – City Entrance Messe-Marriot-0195.jpg, Festhalle Frankfurt MesseFrankfurt Hall11 Portalhaus.jpg, Hall 11 and Portalhaus Kap Europa.jpg, Congress Centre Kap Europa Halle 12 17-05 21442.jpg, Hall 12 under construction

References

External links

* {{Authority control Economy of Frankfurt Trade fairs in Germany Convention centres in Germany Tourist attractions in Frankfurt Event management companies of Germany