Economic impact of Munich trade fairs

The economic impact of a trade fair organisation is not a matter solely of the importance of individual trade fairs for the relevant economic sectors in terms of technology and marketing. Also important are the so-called soft factors of the trade fair location and its surroundings for external and international visitors and exhibitors. With the help of empirical surveys of trade fair exhibitors and visitors of selected Munich trade fairs, the Ifo Institute appraised the economic impact of the Munich trade fairs. The responses of ca. 3,000 visitors and 4,5000 exhibitors clearly show that especially the various service sectors in Munich receive considerable demand stimulus from trade fair expenditures. Of the total volume of output of DM 3.1 billion, ca. 80% goes to the service area. To make Munich attractive for the purchasing potential of external visitors, great attention must be devoted to the hotel and restaurant sector as well as to the other trade-fair-related areas of the business service sector. For developing a high level of "hospitality" for all trade fair participants, close and constant cooperation between the trade fair organisation and people with important tangential trade-fair functions in Munich and the surroundings is necessary.