During the opening ceremony, Uwe Behm, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, said: “Today, as our three international consumer goods fairs get underway, we can be sure that it was the right decision to forge ahead with the construction of the new Hall 5 – in spite of the pandemic that brought our business to a standstill and deprived us of steady income.” Between 3 and 7 February, three leading consumer goods fairs – Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld – are playing host to some 4,561 exhibitors and to participants from 160 nations on a total gross area of 352,950 square metres of exhibition space. With the new Hall 5 joining Hall 12 in the network, Messe Frankfurt is setting a new record for exhibition space in consumer goods fairs. The full-capacity halls demonstrate to impressive effect that the consumer goods world is very much at home here in Frankfurt.
As Uwe Behm explains: “This is why we invested in the new Hall 5. Today, it goes into operation right in time for the consumer goods fairs and is clinching proof of the successful investment in Frankfurt as a trade fair centre. These are the best signals for us as a trade fair organiser. We were able to invest in Hall 5 because our shareholders – the City of Frankfurt and the federal state of Hesse – believed in our trade fair business model during the pandemic and in the solid economic stability of Messe Frankfurt.”
Messe Frankfurt’s earnings power benefits both Frankfurt and Hesse
As Supervisory Board Chairperson Stephanie Wüst, City Councillor and Head of the City’s Department of Economy, Legal Affairs and Reform, explains: “This investment strengthens Frankfurt’s long-term position as a trade fair centre. The consumer goods fairs Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld 2023 demonstrate the impressive versatility that the new hall adds to the exhibition grounds. We wish all exhibitors a successful trade fair and all visitors an enjoyable stay in our city. By taking part in trade fairs here, they not only help to boost business travel revenue in Frankfurt but also its international significance as a business centre. Messe Frankfurt has steadily increased its sales revenue for decades, generating a socio-economic effect of approximately €3.6 billion. Our aim is to keep Messe Frankfurt primed for the future.”
Tarek Al-Wazir, Hessian Minister for Economics and Deputy Chairman of the trade fair company’s Supervisory Board, said: “Hesse is one of the leading economic regions in Europe – we are an innovative and international location. Our global network is more visible and tangible at Messe Frankfurt than virtually anywhere else in the world.”
Construction of the new hall, which was designed by Frankfurt architectural office Gruber + Kleine-Kraneburg Architekten, began in April 2020. The old Hall 5 was demolished in autumn 2019 directly after the Frankfurt Book Fair. As the previous hall had been woven closely into the architecture of the grounds, the basic conditions for the new Hall 5 have been defined exactly except for a small number of secondary aspects. It is situated next to the Congress Center, Hall 6 and the Via Mobile moving walkway. The required planning precision was achieved thanks to the sterling work of the architects, planners, structural engineers, construction workers and Messe Frankfurt’s own Construction Department.
Flexible spaces with a direct link to the Congress Center and Hall 6
Architect Martin Gruber of Gruber + Kleine-Kraneburg Architekten, the firm responsible for designing the hall, said: “The primary component of the new building is the column-free hall area on Level 5.1 with a direct connection to the CMF. This area stands out due to its subtle white surfaces and provides exhibitors and congress organisers alike with a low-key and versatile area. The south façade looking out over the Agora contrasts with a confident colour accent and unique folded metal façade.”
Burkhard Schmidt, Managing Director of the Zech Group SE, the general contractor for Hall 5, said: “In this case, we didn’t build on an outdoor area like we are now doing with our joint ‘Messeplatz’ project, for which we will be laying the foundation stone in two weeks or so. We built this hall on the site of a previous building, which was a real challenge for us too, not least due to the exceptional circumstances brought about by the coronavirus pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.”
The new Hall 5 offers a total of 18,110 square metres in exhibition space on two levels and a foyer with over 1,250 square metres of event space.
From Level 5.1, visitors can access the Congress Center’s Harmonie hall directly. In the opposite direction, Hall 5 has a direct connection to the neighbouring Hall 6. This means that events of different sizes can be combined with congresses.
The Hall 5 has a ‘green roof’ planted with sedum sprouts. These are good for the microclimate and have a cooling effect on hot days.
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Background information on Messe Frankfurt
The Messe Frankfurt Group is one of the world’s leading trade fair, congress and event organisers with their own exhibition grounds. With a workforce of some 2,200* people at its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and in 28 subsidiaries, it organises events around the world. Group sales in financial year 2022 were around €450 million*. We serve our customers’ business interests efficiently within the framework of our Fairs & Events, Locations and Services business fields. One of Messe Frankfurt’s key strengths is its powerful and closely knit global sales network, which covers around 180 countries in all regions of the world. Our comprehensive range of services – both onsite and online – ensures that customers worldwide enjoy consistently high quality and flexibility when planning, organising and running their events. We are using our digital expertise to develop new business models. The wide range of services includes renting exhibition grounds, trade fair construction and marketing, personnel and food services.
Sustainability is a central pillar of our corporate strategy. Here, we strike a healthy balance between ecological and economic interests, social responsibility and diversity.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com/sustainability
With its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, the company is owned by the City of Frankfurt (60 percent) and the State of Hesse (40 percent).
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* Preliminary figures for 2022