The importance of trade fairs in Germany

The economic importance of trade fairs in Germany is undisputed, but the amount of their macroeconomic effect is not clear. The proprietor structure of German trade-fair organisation is also under discussion: Most German trade-fair organisations are owned by cities or Länder with very differing financial commitments. Dr. Hermann Kresse, AUMA, argues that present conditions do not speak for a complete privatisation of trade fairs. For Prof. Robert K. von Weizsaecker, Technical University of Munich, full privatisation is the only reasonable way to privatise. Horst Penzkofer, Ifo Institute, points out that business from trade-fair events and trade-fair infrastructure cannot yet be considered as a unit of competition: "While most trade-fair organisations already act as private trade-fair organisers on the market and make profits from the trade-fair events - thus making the privatisation of event organisation conceivable - the conditions for a competitive marketing of trade-fair property and infrastructure do not exist at present.