Essen – Trade Fair and Congress City

The Essen Trade Fair ranks 34th in the list of international trade fairs and is one of the top ten trade fairs in Germany. Fifty trade fairs and exhibitions, 13 of which are key international trade fairs, are only one of the reasons why Essen is such an attractive location.

The Essen trade fair complex, comprising 19 connected halls with a total surface area of 110,000 m², including the longest unsupported hall in Europe, ensures that the Metropole Ruhr remains a competitive location for trade fairs, both nationally and internationally. Of the up to 13,000 annual exhibitors in Essen, approximately 30 per cent come from abroad. The peak proportion of foreign exhibitors at some of the international trade fairs is more than 50 per cent.

The Congress Center Essen (CCE), a division of Messe Essen, offers ten different congress halls with a capacity of between 70 and 1,000 participants, 17 conference rooms for up to 220 participants as well as the Gruga Hall, a multi-functional hall for up to 8,000 participants. Moreover, through the Professional Congress Organizer (PCO), the CCE offers a full congress planning and organisation service.

Supplementing the 1.5 million trade fair visitors each year, there are approximately 80,000 visitors to the congress area and a further 200,000 visitors to every kind of show, sporting and leisure events.

In addition to the facilities offered by the Messe Essen and the Congress Center Essen, a wide range of further conference facilities is available, including the “Haus der Technik”, the university, the Colosseum, the Zollverein World Heritage Site and the new philharmonic concert hall in Essen, which to some extent all offer unique, creative possibilities for hosting conferences and events.