18.03.2010 Messe Frankfurt to assist Riga in developing new exhibition and convention centre

At the Mipim real estate trade show in Cannes, official representatives from Messe Frankfurt, the City of Riga and business development agency HA Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft signed a letter of intent regarding the joint development of a new exhibition and convention centre in the Latvian capital of Riga. The agreement resulted from an official request made by the Riga municipal authorities to Messe Frankfurt. The city is to draw on the expertise of this global trade fair organiser in developing its new event grounds.

Messe Frankfurt is involved in the project in an advisory capacity, its responsibilities ranging from the initial feasibility study and site analysis to market research and competitive comparisons as well as time and project planning and coordination during the implementation stage. The company is also open to the idea of cooperation models for operating the new exhibition grounds and organising events. “For Messe Frankfurt, it is essentially a question of strategically expanding business fields. Within the Baltic States, Riga is a particularly attractive city for trade and industry owing to its geostrategic location within the EU, its major seaport and its proximity to Russia”, explained Uwe Behm, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt.

A new convention centre is to be built near Riga Airport, measuring 20,000 square metres and designed to hold up to 3,000 visitors. There are also plans to extend the centre, initially by adding a modern exhibition hall with some 10,000 square metres of exhibition space. The City of Riga is to make available a site measuring 36 hectares for the entire complex.

In order to confirm their support for the project, Edwin Schwarz, Deputy Mayor for City Planning, Building, Housing and Real Estate of the city of Frankfurt am Main, and Ainārs Šlesers, Deputy Mayor of Riga, jointly signed a Letter of Endorsement. At the signing yesterday in Cannes, Šlesers emphasised: “As a global group, Messe Frankfurt has the expertise required for developing and operating a complex event centre infrastructure as well as the worldwide network and know-how necessary for establishing international events and providing the level of services required”.

Another partner is HA Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft, a subsidiary of Hessen Agentur responsible for urban development. According to HA Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft General Manager Friedhelm Flug, the company is putting its weight behind the project with a view to improving the forging and development of business relations between companies in Hesse and Latvia. In this connection, he feels that the exhibition industry has a particularly crucial role to play.

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