Messe Frankfurt

Q&A with Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Messe Frankfurt

MEDIA 7 | September 21, 2020

Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Messe Frankfurt is the Member of the Board of Directors of AUMA (Association of the German Trade Fair Industry); Member of the Board of Directors of UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry), Member of the Executive Committee of the German Chamber of Commerce in Austria. Media 7: You have been the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Messe Frankfurt GmbH for ten years now. How has Messe Frankfurt changed during your tenure as a CEO? What have been logistically the most promising, yet the most challenging project for you so far and why? Wolfgang Marzin: Over the past ten years, Messe Frankfurt has strengthened and expanded its status as a global player in the events sector. Sales have almost doubled and around 1000 employees have been added. We have also established numerous trade fairs and events around the globe and acquired many new customers and partners.  In addition, we are continuously investing in our home venue Frankfurt and are strategically developing the exhibition centre. We have intensified our commitment to complementary supplementary formats in virtual form, as these are becoming increasingly important in the marketing mix. 2020 has brought us an exceptional year, which presents the entire event industry with unprecedented challenges. We are therefore all the more pleased that events have been held in China again since July, and our first trade fair in Germany, Nordstil, was also held successfully at the beginning of September. M7: Recently, Messe Frankfurt celebrated its 780th anniversary. It's incredible! Can you tell us about your company's strengths and core values? How does Messe Frankfurt offer consistent quality at all of its events? WM: The greatest success factor in our 780-year history of trade fairs in Frankfurt is personal contact. Our aim is to pro