Koelnmesse can look back on a very good financial year 2025. With preliminary turnover of around 450 million euro (2024: 365.8 million euro) and a consolidated result of around 60 million euro (2024: 21.3 million euro), Koelnmesse has confirmed its successful development of the past few years. The main drivers of this are the strong trade fair and congress business in Cologne, streamlining of ongoing operations and growth in international markets. “2025 was a strong year for us – economically, internationally and operationally. At the same time, we know that the coming years will be more demanding and even 2026 will be a challenging financial year due to the event cycle,” says Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse. In order to counter this development early on and strengthen its own resilience, Koelnmesse is setting the necessary course for stability and growth in an environment strongly characterised by uncertainties and geopolitical tensions with its level35 strategic agenda.
In 2025 Koelnmesse recorded a total of 79 events in Cologne and worldwide, including 57 of its own events. The world’s leading trade fair Anuga was a particular highlight, defining entirely new standards as the largest event in the company’s 100- year history. Over 8,000 exhibitors from 110 countries and more than 145,000 trade visitors from over 190 nations filled all the exhibition halls in Cologne, spanning around 300,000 square metres. Participants from abroad accounted for 94 percent of exhibitors and 80 percent of visitors. In a year characterised by global tensions and protectionism, Anuga provided a clear example of international exchange. “Anuga shows the importance of international industry gatherings, especially in challenging times. These events support dialogue, create trust and show how networked and dynamic the global economy is,” says Koelnmesse COO Oliver Frese.
Strong year with 79 events worldwide, including 38 abroad
Koelnmesse substantially expanded its global presence in 2025. Of its 79 events, 38 took place abroad, supplemented by eight new formats. These included interzum jakarta, International Hardware Fair Indonesia, International Hardware Fair Saudi Arabia, FSB Sports Show Riyadh, ORGATEC WORKSPACE Saudi Arabia, ORGATEC India, DMEXCO Asia and Labotec in Parma. “Our international growth in the past few years shows that our strategic focus is working and that we are continuing to strengthen our profile in key regions. At the same time, our global development is noticeably accelerating,” says Gerald Böse in assessment of Koelnmesse’s international activities.
In order to drive this development forward in a targeted way, Koelnmesse defined its organisational course both in Asia as well as the Near and Middle East in 2025. The appointment of Mathias Küpper as Regional President Asia-Pacific will help more closely network the Koelnmesse subsidiaries in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, China and Hong Kong, while also supporting further development of important trade fair brands in key Asian growth markets. Another subsidiary will be opened in Indonesia in the year to come. At the same time, Koelnmesse is realigning its sales activities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Moving forward, a network of local foreign chambers of commerce will serve the ten target markets in order to enhance the company’s customer proximity, market development and regional presence.
Koelncongress: Confex drives growth in the congress business and increases demand in the guest trade fair and corporate events sector
The congress segment also developed positively in 2025. The Confex conference and exhibition centre already achieved a strong market position in its first year of operation with an excellent number of bookings until 2030 and initial reservations until 2032. The dynamic development was particularly evident in the medical field. The 20th Annual Conference of the German Association for Emergency Medicine reached 3,000 participants instead of the planned 1,500, while the Annual Conference of the German, Austrian and Swiss Societies for Haematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) even recorded 6,800 participants instead of the expected 5,000. “Medical congresses are a perfect example of how attractive our location has become for science, industry and associations. The strong demand confirms that we are on the right track and we will continue to consistently develop the congress sector,” says Ralf Nüsser, Managing Director of Koelncongress.
Simultaneous to the successful launch of Confex, Koelnmesse and its subsidiary Koelncongress are experiencing a significant increase in demand for guest trade fairs. This is particularly evident in the cooperation with Reed Exhibitions Limited (RX), which already organises successful formats such as FIBO and Chemspec in Cologne. Another highlight will be added permanently in Cologne starting in January 2027, as RX will be organising PSI, Europe’s leading trade fair for the promotional products industry. More than 11,000 promotional product retailers, branding professionals and agencies will meet around 600 manufacturers and importers for the three-day event — clearly signalling the venue’s appeal.
2026 expected to be a demanding year
Koelnmesse is preparing for a challenging year in 2026 due to its event cycle. In addition to this, economic recovery remains elusive in Germany. SMEs, which traditionally use trade fairs as a gateway to the world, are under considerable pressure. Increased costs and geopolitical tensions are also dampening the mood for investment and consumption worldwide.
“We are operating in one of the most difficult market environments of recent decades. It is crucial that we remain on course under these conditions and use our resources where we can make an impact,” says Gerald Böse, looking ahead. At the same time, Koelnmesse is consciously focusing on international cooperation and activities. A total of 43 foreign events, including eight premieres, are planned for 2026 and will complement the global brand portfolio.
Expo Osaka 2025: German pavilion delights over three million guests
Koelnmesse was responsible for operating the German pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025 on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and sent a strong international signal in the process. The pavilion “Wa! Germany” attracted more than three million visitors over the course of 184 days and became a real flagship for Germany. The presentation received both the Sustainability Award and the Silver Award for Theme Development from the Bureau International des Expositions. “Our contribution in Osaka has strengthened relationships with our Japanese partners and opened up new business opportunities. It shows what Koelnmesse stands for — connecting people and ideas across borders,” says Denis Steker, Senior Vice President International.
Geothermal energy a central component of the climate strategy
In addition to its positive economic development, Koelnmesse is pursuing ambitious sustainability goals and aiming for a climate-neutral power supply by 2030. To this end, the total area of its solar modules was expanded to 20,000 square metres in 2025. At the same time, Germany’s third-largest trade fair grounds are being prepared for a complete switch to fossil-free geothermal energy. Following the completion of surveys and successful test drilling, implementation is under way. The wells have been completed, infrastructure is being expanded and the customised heat pumps will soon go into production.
Decision made to plan new multifunctional administrative centre
In autumn 2025, the Koelnmesse Supervisory Board cleared the way for planning the long-awaited construction of a new multifunctional building, which will house Koelnmesse’s administration among other functions. Following Anuga 2027, a new building is to be constructed in the immediate vicinity of the Cologne Messe/Deutz ICE train station, combining office capacity with additional event logistics and food service infrastructure. Koelnmesse will finance the 193 million euro investment from its own resources. “With a long-term perspective, we are investing not only in a building, but also in the quality and future viability of our entire location,” says CEO Gerald Böse.
