Opening new markets (1998–2009)

The New Messe München was opened in a ceremony held on February 12, 1998—a historic day for Munich. The 5,000 guests included German President Roman Herzog, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Bavarian Minister-President Edmund Stoiber and Munich Lord Mayor Christian Ude. A nine-day trade fair opening was held afterward for the general public.

More on the Riem trade fair site

The ICM – International Congress Center Munich also went into operation along with the New Messe München in 1998. It represented a milestone for Munich as an international congress city: Thanks to its physical connection to the exhibition grounds, the ICM quickly became part of the Champions League of locations. Today’s list of references includes all major European medical congresses and top corporate customers.

Something that began in 1998 as a small, but refined special trade fair in the MOC Event Center Munich rapidly became Europe’s largest trade fair for real estate and investment: EXPO REAL. At the beginning of October each year, the exhibition becomes the hub for market players around the world that it encompasses all segments of the real estate industry and the life cycles of properties.

In November 2001, one of the most promising projects in the company’s history opened after a two-year construction period: the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, or SNIEC. The owners are Messe München, Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Hannover and a Chinese partner. The SNIEC comprises 17 halls with 200,000 square meters of space and 100,000 square meters of grounds. It is the world’s most successful exhibition grounds in terms of utilization.

China has become an important growth market for Messe München and its customers—the establishment of the subsidiary Messe Muenchen Shanghai Co.Ltd. was the logical next step to take in 2001: This step enabled Messe München to provide companies outside Germany with high-quality trade fair platforms and services like those it offers in its home market in Munich. The company’s activities in China have turned into a success story and continue to be a strong pillar of its international business activities.

Bauma, one of the most important trade fairs in the portfolio of Messe München, became an export hit in 2002: bauma China proved to be an immediate success following its premiere in the SNIEC. Today, it is Asia’s largest capital goods trade fair and Messe München’s second-largest event after bauma in Munich.

Construction Section North was dedicated in December 2004: Following the construction of Halls C3 and C4 with the North entrance, Messe München had 180,000 square meters of hall space. The space was desperately needed for the company’s successful events like BAU and ISPO. It was also the prerequisite for the construction of the media center for the FIFA World Cup in 2006.

Messe München served as the home of the International Broadcasting Center (IBC) for the FIFA World Cup 2006: About 90 radio and television stations from all parts of the world reported on the global soccer championship from Halls C2 to C4 with the North entrance. The media center, the largest ever used for a world soccer championship at the time, operated 24/7 during the tournament.

Pope Benedict XVI held a mass attended by 250,000 people on the grounds of Messe München on September 10, 2006. It was a logistical masterpiece—the job of accommodating the worshipers while observing strict security standards and providing an infrastructure for police officers, emergency medical services, firefighters, the media and volunteers—not to mention bus parking.

The international network of Messe München continued to grow: The subsidiary Messe Muenchen India was established in 2007 in Mumbai to organizationally support the company’s expanding business on the subcontinent. One of the first projects of Messe Muenchen India: the launch of electronica India in Bangalore, the center of India’s IT and electronic industry.

Munich became the city of cardiologists: For the second time since 2004, the highly respected European Society of Cardiology (ESC) held a major congress at the end of August 2008 in Munich. More than 30,000 heart specialists from 130 countries attended the congress. The ESC congress highlight filled the entire ICM and eight trade fair halls. Munich impressed the guests with its concentrated destination marketing: The cardiologists made a return visit in 2012.

The Poing Construction Center celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009: Bavaria’s largest marketplace for modern and visionary home construction welcomes 75,000 visitors interested in all aspects of construction, modernization and living each year. The events and service offered by the Poing Construction Center have made a name for themselves that extends well beyond Munich.