30.11.2011 Messe Frankfurt acquires Interlight Moscow

New organiser for Russia’s leading trade fair for decorative lighting, technical lighting and building automation

Messe Frankfurt continues to expand its position in Russia. The basis for this is the one-hundred percent acquisition of
Interlight Moscow, which has now been officially approved and comes into effect on 1 January 2012. The previous owner is the Nuremberg-based fair and exhibition company, OWP Ost-West-Partner GmbH. The contracts were signed in Frankfurt in November 2011.

“After having begun a working relationship with Interlight Moscow in 2010, we are now very pleased to be able to take this step and that OWP has accepted our offer”, says Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Messe Frankfurt. “Russia is a key global market for the fair and exhibition sector, too. With great personal commitment, OWP has built up Interlight Russia into the nation’s biggest lighting fair. Hence, we have an excellent foundation for Interlight Moscow powered by Light+Building. At the same time, this reinforces the position of Messe Frankfurt as the global market leader in the field of building and lighting fairs”, says Marzin, voicing his conviction that this acquisition is a future-oriented move.
Over the last 16 years, OWP has built up Interlight Moscow into the market leader in Russia. The last event at the beginning of November attracted over 576 exhibitors and more than 26,236 visitors.
“Interlight Moscow is the leading trade fair for decorative and tech¬nical lighting in Russia and the CIS. The international sales network of Messe Frankfurt will further strengthen Interlight Moscow and, in connection with Light+Building, make even better use of its potential”, says Bernd D. Fichtner, Managing Director of OWD, outlining the future perspectives for the fair.

“We have been successfully working together with Messe Frankfurt on Light+Building for many years and are also familiar with the Russian subsidiary as an experienced partner for the fair and exhibition business there. Russia is an expanding market and an important export market for our member companies. Therefore, we are very pleased that Messe Frankfurt will build up Interlight Moscow into Russia’s foremost platform for lighting and building-services technology”, says Dr. Jürgen Waldorf, Head of the Lighting Division of the German Association of the Electrical and Electronics Industry (Zentralverband Elektrotechnik- und Elektronikindustrie e.V. – ZVEI).
Russia is one of the focal-point markets of Messe Frankfurt’s inter¬nationalisation strategy. Thus, this year saw the debut of Paperworld Russia while the premières of NAMM Musikmesse and
Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia are scheduled for 2012. Additionally,
ISH Moscow will be held concurrently and in association with the SHK Moscow fair of Messe Düsseldorf.


Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s leading trade fair organiser with € 448.3 million in sales and more than 1,600 active 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 2010, Messe Frankfurt organised 87 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Centre. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.