Hamburg Messe und Congress

What Hamburg Messe und Congress does

Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) is a municipal trade fair, congress, and exhibition organizer wholly owned by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Founded in 1972 and headquartered at Messeplatz 1 in central Hamburg, the company operates the city's largest event campus — eleven exhibition halls connected via the Planten un Blomen botanical garden to the CCH Congress Center Hamburg — and produces world-leading trade fairs in industries aligned with Hamburg's economic clusters: SMM (maritime), WindEnergy Hamburg (wind energy), INTERNORGA (food service and hospitality), GET NORD (building technology), Nordstil (lifestyle), and MS&D (maritime security and defence), plus the new ALL ABOUT PORTS conference and the LogiNext Germany joint venture with Jaarbeurs.

The company serves three primary customer segments: (1) B2B exhibitors purchasing booth space, sponsorship, and lead-generation services, (2) trade visitors and conference delegates buying tickets and digital matchmaking access, and (3) external event organizers renting the venue campus. Revenue is generated through transaction-based exhibition space rental (quote-based, negotiated per booth and event), professional-services fees for congress organization and venue rental, and a growing base of recurring digital services delivered via the Event & Networking Platform Connect (built with Corussoft GmbH), the Ticketshop, and the Online Service Center for exhibitors.

The underlying technology stack is event-operations software rather than proprietary AI: the Connect platform provides QR-based contact exchange, matchmaking suggestions, and lead-management; supporting tools include Microsoft Teams for hybrid congress sessions, Slido for audience interaction, DocuSign for exhibitor contracts, ManyChat for WhatsApp-based visitor communication, and Cision for press distribution. The 2024 appointment of a Co-CEO leadership team (Uwe Fischer and Heiko M. Stutzinger) executed a stated result turnaround, with FY2025 revenue of approximately 91 million EUR and roughly 380 employees; however, the announced January 2027 departure of Co-CEO Stutzinger to Messe Frankfurt introduces leadership-transition risk and a Supervisory Board-led succession search is now underway.

Name

Hamburg Messe und Congress

Legal name

Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH

Website

https://hamburg-messe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hamburg Messe und Congress is a city-owned trade fair and congress organizer operating eleven exhibition halls and the CCH Congress Center Hamburg. It produces world-leading events including SMM (maritime), WindEnergy Hamburg, and INTERNORGA, serving B2B exhibitors, trade visitors, and external event organizers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Fair and Congress Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA), Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Trade fair organization
• Congress venue services
• Exhibition management
• B2B event services
• Maritime trade fairs

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibition and Trade Fair Organization: Primary revenue stream from organizing international trade fairs and exhibitions. Revenue generated from exhibitor booth fees, sponsorship packages, and exhibition space rental. Major events include SMM (world's leading maritime trade fair), WindEnergy Hamburg (global wind industry leading trade fair), and INTERNORGA.
2. Congress and Conference Services: Revenue from organizing congresses and conferences at the CCH Congress Center Hamburg and within the exhibition halls. Includes venue rental, conference organization services, and participant fees.
3. Venue Rental: Rental of exhibition halls, conference rooms, and outdoor spaces to external event organizers. The venue campus comprises eleven exhibition halls connected to the CCH Congress Center Hamburg through Planten un Blomen park.
4. Visitor Tickets: Revenue from sale of visitor tickets to trade fairs and exhibitions through the company's ticketing platform.
5. Digital Services and Matchmaking: Revenue from premium digital services including networking platform access, matchmaking services, and lead management features for exhibitors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Hamburg Messe und Congress organizes international B2B trade fairs, congresses, and conferences at its central Hamburg venue campus, which comprises eleven exhibition halls connected to the CCH Congress Center Hamburg through the Planten un Blomen park. The company sells exhibition space, sponsorship packages, and booth rentals to business exhibitors, and runs world-leading trade fairs in maritime (SMM), wind energy (WindEnergy Hamburg), and hospitality (INTERNORGA). It also rents its venues to external event organizers and provides supporting services including stand construction, ticketing, matchmaking, and digital networking via the Connect platform.

Product overview

Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) operates a comprehensive portfolio of trade fairs, conferences, and congress events at its central Hamburg venue campus. The core offering includes world-leading trade fairs: SMM (maritime), WindEnergy Hamburg (wind energy), and INTERNORGA (food service/hospitality). Supporting events include MS&D (maritime security and defence), GET NORD (building technology), and Nordstil (lifestyle). The ALL ABOUT PORTS conference addresses port industry transformation. The company also operates the CCH Congress Center Hamburg venue and provides digital services including an Event & Networking Plattform Connect for attendee matchmaking, a Ticketshop, and an Online Service Center for exhibitors. The venue campus comprises eleven exhibition halls connected to the congress center via Planten un Blomen park.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SMM: the leading international maritime trade fair
• WindEnergy Hamburg
• INTERNORGA
• GET NORD
• ALL ABOUT PORTS
• MS&D
• CCH - Congress Center Hamburg
• 45Hertz Festival
• Nordstil

Products and services

• SMM (Maritime Trade Fair) The world's leading international maritime trade fair, bringing together shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and maritime industry stakeholders from across the global shipping value chain.
• WindEnergy Hamburg The global leading trade fair for the wind industry, featuring onshore and offshore wind technologies with over 1,600 exhibitors showcasing innovations across the wind energy value chain.
• INTERNORGA Leading international trade fair for the food service and hospitality industry, addressing trends across out-of-home consumption, foodservice, and hospitality.
• MS&D - Maritime Security & Defence Conference & Expo International conference and expo for maritime security and defence, bringing together naval forces, defence industry, and policy makers to discuss maritime capabilities, hybrid threats, and cybersecurity.
• GET NORD Trade fair for technical building equipment covering electrical, plumbing, heating, and air conditioning systems; the leading event in northern Germany for energy transition technologies.
• Nordstil Ordering trade fair and lifestyle event held multiple times per year, covering lifestyle products and consumer goods.
• ALL ABOUT PORTS Conference and exhibition addressing port industry challenges including transformation, resilience, security, digitalisation, automation, funding, and energy sustainability, held alongside SMM.
• LogiNext Germany Digital logistics innovation trade fair, jointly organized with Jaarbeurs, scheduled as a new event for April 2026 in Hamburg to expand the portfolio into logistics.
• 45Hertz Festival Music and cultural festival held at the Hamburg Messe venue, providing a public-facing consumer event on the campus.
• CCH - Congress Center Hamburg Congress Center Hamburg venue offering conference and meeting facilities connected to the trade fair grounds via Planten un Blomen park, available for external organizers and internal events.
• Messegelände (Trade Fair Grounds) Trade fair grounds comprising eleven exhibition halls with outdoor areas and parking facilities, located in central Hamburg and rentable to external event organizers.
• Event & Networking Platform Connect Networking and lead-management platform (with smartphone app) provided in partnership with Corussoft GmbH, enabling matchmaking, QR-code badge scanning, contact exchange, and meeting scheduling for event participants.
• Ticketshop Online ticket purchasing platform for all Hamburg Messe und Congress events, supporting registration for professional visitors, group tickets, exhibitor badges, and a Bring your Colleague feature.
• Online Service Center (OSC) Self-service portal for exhibitors to manage their presence at events, order services such as stand construction, and access exhibitor resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• SMM 2026 will bring together international stakeholders across five stages to address strategic challenges facing global shipping
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Initiative HolzwärmeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Initiative Holzwärme is a partner for GET NORD 2026 trade fair. The initiative advocates for sustainable wood heating as part of a climate-friendly heat market. The partnership represents the diversity of technological solutions needed for the energy transition.
• Bundesverband Wärmepumpe (BWP) e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026BWP represents over 1,350 companies along the entire heat pump value chain. Partner for GET NORD 2026, contributing expertise in heat pump technology as a key technology for the energy transition. Located in Hall A1, Stand 113.
• Bundesverband des SchornsteinfegerhandwerksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Bundesverband des Schornsteinfegerhandwerks represents more than 90% of businesses in Germany with around 7,300 guild businesses and over 11,000 energy consultants. Partner for GET NORD 2026, representing traditional craft expertise in building heating.
• JaarbeurscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Jaarbeurs announced LogiNext Germany, a new joint venture trade fair fair with Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. The joint venture will organize the first LogiNext Germany event scheduled for April 2026 in Hamburg. Jaarbeurs is a major Dutch exhibition and event organizer.
• Corussoft GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationCorussoft GmbH provides the Event & Networking Platform Connect used at HMC events. Provides networking, matchmaking, and lead management functions through a platform and smartphone app.
• Informa Markets (Seatrade)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Seatrade Cruise Europe event. HMC shares registration data with Informa Markets for necessary business processing. Informa Markets may contact attendees via email or SMS about event updates.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Global Security and Innovation Summit (GSIS). IISS receives attendee data for newsletter distribution, applicant contact for the GSIS application process, and event updates.
• DN Media GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for RECHARGE Wind Power Summit 2026 Asia-Pacific powered by WindEnergy Hamburg. DN Media Group receives attendee registration data for business processing and event communication.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Informa Markets: Largest global trade fair organizer (part of Informa plc) and an existing HMC partner on Seatrade Cruise Europe. Comparable in maritime events and broader B2B portfolio but operates at much larger, global scale.
• RX (Reed Exhibitions): Global trade fair organizer and a division of RELX. Comparable in B2B vertical specialization across multiple industries, though with a much broader international footprint.

Direct peers

• Messe Frankfurt: Germany's largest trade fair organizer and HMC's most direct German peer. Operates a broad portfolio of world-leading B2B trade fairs (Ambiente, Heimtextil, ISH, Automechanika) across multiple venues — HMC's Stutzinger is moving there as CEO, intensifying competitive overlap.
• Jaarbeurs: Major Dutch exhibition and event organizer and HMC's JV partner for LogiNext Germany. Directly comparable business model and is a co-developer of one of HMC's newest events.
• Messe Berlin: Berlin-based trade fair and congress organizer (ITB, IFA). Comparable German municipal ownership and similar mix of consumer and B2B events.
• Messe München: Direct German peer operating flagship B2B trade fairs such as bauma, IFAT, and electronica. Comparable venue-and-event organizer model with global industry-leading brands and similar Hamburg-style ownership structure.
• Deutsche Messe (Hannover): Operator of HANNOVER MESSE, CeMAT, and Domotex. Direct peer in industrial and capital-goods B2B trade fairs with a comparable venue-and-organizer structure.
• Koelnmesse: Cologne-based trade fair organizer running events such as gamescom, Anuga, and ISM. Directly comparable in scale and B2B industry-vertical focus.
• Messe Düsseldorf: Direct peer operating world-leading trade fairs including drupa, K, MEDICA, and ProWein. Comparable municipal-style ownership and similar portfolio of vertically specialized B2B flagships.

Regional players

• Messe Stuttgart: Regional German trade fair organizer with comparable venue-and-event structure but focused primarily on Baden-Württemberg industries; less direct overlap than Messe Frankfurt or Düsseldorf.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HamburgMesse
• Facebookfacebook.com/hamburg.messe.und.congress
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/hamburg-messe-und-congress-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/hamburgmesseundcongress

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hamburg Messe und Congress