Messe Frankfurt announces profitable record sales for 2010 - number one position among German trade fair organisers confirmed

Strong performance in first half of 2011 with robust growth in visitor and exhibitor figures and successful new events in Dubai. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) June 29, 2011 - 2010 saw Messe Frankfurt further increase its consolidated sales to €448.3 million, confirming its position as one of the most successful trade fair companies in the world.

"In the past year, we generated a level of sales that was roughly twice as high as the average sales of all the other major German trade fair venues", said Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Messe Frankfurt, at the Group's Half-Year Press Conference in Frankfurt this week.

Approximately 70 per cent of sales - €313.8 million in all - was generated at the Group's Frankfurt base. Over a quarter of consolidated sales were attributable to foreign business, which reached a new record level of €113.8 million, with especially strong returns from Middle East subsidiary Epoc Messe Frankfurt.

Riding on strong visitor and exhibitor participation from across the region, Epoc Messe Frankfurt posted a double-digit year-on-year growth and with robust results over the first half of 2011 is poised to contribute even more strongly to the company's bottom line.

Based on these sales, Messe Frankfurt once again recorded a substantial profit, with pre-tax earnings of €41.8 million. A new record EBITDA of €108.5 million confirmed the strength of the comapny's business performance in the reporting year 2010. "Our operating business remains very strong. Profits were reduced by repayments of the loans with which we financed the construction of Hall 11 and the Portalhaus", said Chief of Finance Klaus Münster-Müller.

In the reporting year, Epoc Messe Frankfurt organised 6 trade fairs and exhibitions in Dubai. These were attended by some 70,000 trade visitors and featured over 3,000 exhibitors - almost as many as in the record year 2008 before the global economic crisis.

Ahmed Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer, Epoc Messe Frankfurt in Dubai, said: "Complimented by strong support by our head office in Frankfurt, for 2010 we succeeded in reaching close to the same business levels that we were at in our record year of 2008. We are well positioned to make a strong impact on the region's trade fair scene."

First half of 2011 a resounding success
The first six months of trade fair year 2011 went extremely well for the Group. Wolfgang Marzin: "In recent months we have succeeded in fulflilling the high expectations of the market while working to further Frankfurt's reputation as the most international exhibition venue in the world." He added that a number of key figures had been significantly higher than those of previous years' events.

In Dubai, Messe Frankfurt also recorded growth in the majority of its established events including Intersec trade fair and conference, Beautyworld Middle East and the recently concluded Automechanika Middle East. As well as this, the company launched two successful international trade fairs Paperworld Middle East and Playworld Middle East.

Ahmed Pauwels: "The first half of 2011 has been extremely successful for us and we are confident that we will conclude the year on a positive note. With office expansion and more than a 60% increase in our staff levels, we are pointed in the right direction and look forward to what 2012 and beyond holds for us."

Messe Frankfurt aims to further establish successful brands on international markets and is preparing a total of 22 new trade fairs worldwide for 2011 and 2012. For Epoc Messe Frankfurt in Dubai, two trade fairs remain for 2011, namely Light Middle East and Materials Handling Middle East, both taking place in September. Looking forward to 2012, the subsidiary will enjoy at least 8 trade fairs for 2012, expansion across the region, particularly within Saudi Arabia and a series of highly focused conferences.

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