23.02.2010 Messe Frankfurt a winner in the GTZ’s ideas competition

Programme to increase the international exposure of North African companies

Messe Frankfurt won approval for its public-private partnership project in the GTZ’s (German Agency for Technical Cooperation) ideas competition for “Innovative ideas from the world of business”. The GTZ has been conducting these competitions since 2009 on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Starting in 2010, this public-private partnership marks the first time that trade fair organiser Messe Frankfurt, run as a private business, has worked this closely with the federally owned GTZ organisation. The initiative’s goal is to support Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian SMEs in their efforts to enter European markets, strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs in the region by creating business opportunities and jobs.

“With this development project, we are hoping to spur positive commercial and social developments in the partner countries,” says Friederike Sorg, GTZ’s PPP Project Manager for the Middle East and North Africa. “This also has the effect of further raising the international profile of the world’s most important meeting places for the textile and consumer goods sectors,” adds Uwe Behm, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt.

A total of 40 companies will be given the opportunity to participate in Frankfurt textile and consumer goods trade fairs for two years in a row.
Messe Frankfurt’s sales partners in the Maghreb and the GTZ will be responsible for selecting these companies. Their decisions will be based on the adaptability of these firms’ existing collections to the European market, the export potential offered by their products and the candidates' economic situations.

Intensive support will be provided not only for the preparation and execution of their trade fair appearances, but also for their follow-up activities. In addition, interests and offerings of participants will be matched and coordinated. Taken together, these measures pave the way to new business success for participating SMEs. Export-promotion organisations in the partner countries, associations and other multipliers will all be integrated into the transfer of know-how to ensure that this new network of expertise will remain available in the region for the long term. Messe Frankfurt’s experienced experts and other specialists will provide the necessary expertise, while the GTZ is contributing its professional know-how and financing part of the project.


Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s largest trade fair organiser, with 424 million* euros in sales and more than 1,500 employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 52 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2009*, Messe Frankfurt organised more than 90 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Comprising an area of 578,000 square metres, Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com

*Preliminary figures for financial year 2009