“This is a clear vote of confidence for in-person events,” says Wolfgang Marzin, president and CEO of Messe Frankfurt. “Only 3% of respondents wanted to see events move entirely online. In fact, 67% of our customers would like events to take place solely in person, with another 30% expressing a preference for hybrid formats. In total, 97% of our customers remain convinced that in-person events are an essential component of trade fairs.

“We first conducted this survey back in 2020, and not only were our customers eager to share their views, but there was also a sharp rise in confidence been the first and second surveys. Many of our customers saw their financial situations improve markedly during this time. There has also been an increasing readiness to take part in trade fairs nationally and internationally, both today and in future. Both of these factors have made us very optimistic here at Messe Frankfurt. Our customers are still here.”

Around 59,000 companies took part in the survey this year. They were asked not only to answer the questions posed by Messe’s sales partners, but as part of the second survey this spring they were also called on to participate in a more in-depth market research survey.

Messe Frankfurt and its sales partners say they see further reasons for optimism in the findings. This is because very few of its customers have left the market during the pandemic. And its customers are ready for in-person trade fairs to return.

Messe Frankfurt India and MEX Exhibitions Pvt Ltd recently announced a partnership with the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) for the maiden hybrid edition of Gartex Texprocess India.