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€3.7 billion a year in socio-economic effects

4 Dec 2025

Messe Frankfurt has continued its profitable course in 2025. Key figures remain consistently high. The company expects over €766 million in sales for the current financial year, together with healthy profits. At the same time, Messe Frankfurt is a strong economic engine for its city and region and for the country as a whole. According to a recent study by Prognos, Messe Frankfurt events generate an annual total of €3.7 billion in socio-economic effects along the overall value chain throughout Germany. Of this, €2.1 billion is attributable to Frankfurt. Approximately 30,000 jobs are secured across the country. The resulting tax revenue will be €667 million.

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The Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board, Mayor Mike Josef, was delighted at these results: “Messe Frankfurt is a first-class location factor that drives the local economy as well as being central to the future viability of Frankfurt. The indirect returns generated by the events are also significant. With over 30,000 jobs in Germany and €667 million in tax revenue, Messe Frankfurt is a valuable job engine and economic driver for our city, the federal state of Hesse and the entire federal Republic of Germany.” More than half of these jobs – over 17,000 in all – are in Frankfurt, with just under 4,800 located in the rest of Hesse. At the same time, around 8,300 additional jobs in other federal states are dependent on Messe Frankfurt events. Mayor Josef: “The fiscal effects relating to this sales revenue are also substantial: Frankfurt collects €45 million in tax revenue every year, while the rest of Hesse takes in €151 million. The other federal states in Germany gain €191 million, while the German government collects a total of €280 million in tax revenue.”

Business performance in 2025

With a robust core business and a resolutely long-term strategy, Messe Frankfurt has consolidated its market position in Germany and abroad this year. On presenting the Group’s preliminary figures for the financial year, Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, said: “We expect consolidated sales for 2025 to be over €766 million (2024: €775 million)”. Our sales and earnings performance is influenced by the exchange rate developments resulting from global trade policy, especially in relation to the US dollar and Asian currencies. In Germany, sales of more than €395 million were recorded in the year just ending (2024: approx. €432 million). Owing to the annual rotation of events, fewer Group flagship events took place in Frankfurt this financial year than in the previous year. In addition, the flagging economic situation – especially in the construction and metalworking industries – is having a slightly negative effect on sales for technology-related events. More than €370 million (2024: approx. €343 million) was generated outside Germany. Accounting for around 48 percent of Group sales, this clearly demonstrates Messe Frankfurt’s global expansion. Based on provisional figures, Group earnings will be in the region of €39 million (2024: approx. €82 million). Wolfgang Marzin: “Messe Frankfurt’s earnings for 2025 demonstrate its financial resilience”.

As Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, stresses: “Financial year 2025 shows once again that our worldwide events are the economic engine for sectors, giving them a valuable boost. In times of ongoing geopolitical and economic crises, we are aiming to strengthen our resilience and market presence.” By the end of the year, a total of 346 events will have been held around the world, featuring some 95,500 exhibiting companies and an estimated 4.9 million visitors – 300,000 up on last year. More than 81 percent of exhibitors and over 57 percent of visitors came to Messe Frankfurt’s Group events from outside Germany. Detlef Braun: “The high international component at our Frankfurt base increases range and traction – which in turn has measurable effects on the growth of our events outside Germany.”

Bookings for Messe Frankfurt’s second core area of expertise – its guest event business – are also very healthy, with more than 200 trade fairs, conferences, congresses and other events being held in the reporting year. Over 150 events have already been contractually confirmed for 2026, including new events like Ebseek Fastener Expo, AMI Compounding & Recycling Expo and the SimRacing Expo. The Rhythmic Gymnastics (RG) World Championships in the Festhalle will also be a highlight for sports fans.

Strategy: Customer proximity and international reach

With direct input from its customers, Messe Frankfurt sets clear priorities at its events and actively invests in increasing market proximity and international reach. Marzin: “As part of our long-term investment planning, we are expanding our global presence – through greater regional diversification and less dependency on individual markets.” On the subject of digital technologies, Detlef Braun added: “Our trade fairs are no longer singular events but are all-year business ecosystems instead. For us, AI and digitalisation are not an end in and of themselves. Rather, they are a toolbox that allows us to combine efficiency, speed and sustainable design 365 days a year – networked around the world and available at any time.”

Wolfgang Marzin: “Messe Frankfurt will be adding 25 new events to its worldwide portfolio by 2027”. In the autumn, Messe Frankfurt opened a subsidiary and launched new formats in Saudi Arabia, where it has already been holding events for years. As well as Central Asia, Messe Frankfurt is stepping up its activities in the ASEAN states. The Group has been extensively networked in Asia for around four decades and, with more than 60 events to its name, is one of the leading players in the region. As part of its pan-Indian strategy, Messe Frankfurt added as many as five new events to its consumer goods portfolio there. We are also further rolling out our Automotive business division with a current total of around 40 trade fairs and other events. Next year, Automechanika Jakarta will be making its debut in Southeast Asia’s largest automotive market. In 2027, Messe Frankfurt will be going to Azerbaijan for the first time with Automechanika Baku.

Top management is optimistic about the new financial year 2026. As Wolfgang Marzin confirms: “We expect the Group’s sales and market share to continue their upward trend in the coming year.” Around 350 events have been planned worldwide, bringing together the best of our brand events.

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