meplan

What meplan does

meplan GmbH is a Munich-based trade fair construction and event services company founded circa 1985, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Messe München GmbH (jointly held with mac. brand spaces GmbH). The company delivers end-to-end trade fair presence solutions — from concept and consulting through design, construction, and digital extension — for enterprise exhibitors (Dell Technologies, Liebherr, Lamilux, Power Electronics, Deka, Schöffel, Conrad, Vaude, and others) and event organizers participating in major Munich trade fairs such as Bauma, Electronica, ISPO Munich, Expo Real, Hannover Messe, and Intersolar. Its product portfolio spans custom Designstände (Design Booths), modular Systemstände (System Booths), digital solutions under the Touchpoints 4.0 framework (Digital Brand Spaces, Digital Twin, Virtual Showroom, XR Brand Spaces, Media Spaces), and circular/sustainable offerings including the proprietary woodï modular stand system and the NEXT CIRCULAR Smart Spaces operating system.

Underlying technology combines physical modular construction with digital twin and virtual showroom architectures, an online Standkonfigurator and Messebudgetplaner for self-serve quoting, and the woodï.decarb CO2 monitoring tool (audited by myclimate). The woodï system has been third-party validated to deliver 76% less CO2 and 25% less cost versus conventional stand construction, supported by ISO 20121:2024 certification. Revenue is generated primarily through professional services for custom design stands, one-time license/project fees for modular and circular system stands, and emerging subscription/recurring digital solutions. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales augmented by event-driven demand at the trade fairs it services, with a self-serve channel for modular stands. The company is headquartered at Am Messesee 2, 81829 München, co-located on the Messe München trade fair grounds, and employs 51-100 people.

Name

meplan

Legal name

meplan GmbH

Website

https://meplan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

meplan GmbH is a Munich-based trade fair construction and event services company, a subsidiary of Messe München GmbH, offering custom design stands, modular system stands, digital brand spaces, and circular/sustainable solutions (woodï, NEXT CIRCULAR) for enterprise exhibitors and event organizers across major trade fairs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Fair Construction & Event Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Booth & Stand Design (Concept, 3D, Branding) (THAHAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stand Fabrication & Build (Carpentry, Modular, Double-Deck) (THAHAHAB), Booth Maintenance, Refurbishment & Reuse Programs (THAHAHAM), Virtual Expo & 3D Booth Solutions (Show Floors, Digital Booths, Product Demos) (THAHAOAE)

Keywords

• Trade fair construction
• Exhibition stand design
• Event services
• Sustainable booth systems
• Brand experience design

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Design Stands: Custom-designed trade fair stands created for individual corporate clients. Creative, unique, and brand-compliant designs tailored to specific client needs. Revenue generated through one-time project fees for design and construction.
2. System Stands (Modular): Modular stand systems that are quickly available and online configurable. These rental-based stand solutions offer brand-compliant presentations at various price points with reusable components.
3. Event Services: Comprehensive event services including conception, consulting, exhibitor support, sales support, and hall concepts. Professional services for organizing and executing trade fair presence.
4. Digital Solutions: Digital brand experiences including Virtual Showrooms, XR Brand Spaces, Media Spaces. Can be standalone offerings or complements to physical trade fair presence, adding digital dimension to events.
5. woodï Circular System: Sustainable modular trade fair system with full-service design concept. Revenue from circular stand solutions that combine sustainability with design, serving exhibitors, organizers, and space renters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

meplan designs, builds, and services trade fair stands and event environments for corporate exhibitors and event organizers. The company offers custom design booths (Designstände), modular system booths (Systemstände), digital brand extensions (Digital Brand Spaces, Media Spaces), and the sustainable woodï modular stand system. End-to-end services span concept, consulting, construction, exhibitor support, sales support, and hall/event planning.

Product overview

meplan is a subsidiary of Messe München GmbH offering a comprehensive portfolio of exhibition stand and event services. The core offerings consist of Designstände (custom design booths) and Systemstände (modular system booths), both available as live touchpoints. Supporting these core products are digital solutions including Digital Brand Spaces (Digital Twin, Virtual Showroom, XR Brand Spaces) and Media Spaces. The woodï sub-brand provides an innovative sustainable modular exhibition system based on circular economy principles with measurable ESG impact. NEXT CIRCULAR offers circular solutions for smart spaces. Additional services include an online Standkonfigurator for booth configuration, Messebudgetplaner for budget planning, woodï.decarb for carbon monitoring, forum/focus area planning, exhibitor support, and sales support. The portfolio integrates sustainability (ISO 20121 certified) throughout all offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• woodï: An innovative and sustainable modular trade fair stand system that offers circular economy solutions for exhibitions, reducing CO2 emissions by 76% and costs by 25% compared to conventional constructions.
• NEXT CIRCULAR

Products and services

• Designstände (Design Booths) Custom-designed exhibition stands uniquely tailored to each client's brand identity, requirements, and specifications. Includes creative concepts, brand-compliant designs, and full execution for corporate exhibitors.
• Systemstände (System Booths) Pre-configured modular exhibition stand systems that are quickly available and can be configured online. Individually customizable solutions for various budgets targeting exhibitors needing fast, brand-compliant booth presence.
• woodï Sustainable Stand System Innovative, sustainable modular exhibition stand system based on circular economy principles. Reduces CO2 by 76% and costs by 25% compared to conventional stands. Includes space concepts, lounges, forums, and startup configurations for exhibitors, organizers, and space renters.
• NEXT CIRCULAR Circular solutions brand for sustainable event spaces, operating as a system for Smart Spaces that combines modular and circular exhibition concepts for exhibitors and event venues.
• Digital Brand Spaces Virtual and interactive digital experiences including Digital Twin, Virtual Showroom, and XR Brand Spaces. Extends physical trade shows with a digital dimension for unlimited reach and longer brand engagement windows.
• Media Spaces / Studio Spaces Virtual studio solutions for innovative product demonstrations, virtual trade fair conversations, and hybrid event experiences.
• Event Conception & Consulting Event conception and consulting services for trade fair and event organizers, including hall concepts, exhibitor placement, forum planning, and consulting.
• Exhibitor Support Services (Ausstellerbetreuung) Full-service exhibitor support including stand planning, construction coordination, and administrative processing for trade fair exhibitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% less CO2 emissions compared to conventional stand construction
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• Messe München GmbHflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partnermeplan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Messe München GmbH. This parent-subsidiary relationship provides meplan with exclusive access to Messe München's trade fair ecosystem, venues, and customer base. The relationship enables integration with major Munich trade fairs and leverages Messe München's market position.
• myclimatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for climate protection and carbon footprint validation. myclimate validates woodï's CO2 reduction claims (76% less vs conventional construction) and verifies annual emissions monitoring through woodï.decarb tool. meplan participates in verified climate protection projects.
• Better Stands InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in international initiative focused on reuse standards for trade fair stands. meplan participates as part of its sustainability commitment, with Better Stands providing accessible entry point for exhibitors to engage with sustainability.
• mac. brand spaces GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnermeplan is jointly owned by Messe München GmbH and mac. brand spaces GmbH, combining Messe München's trade fair expertise with mac. brand spaces' brand experience capabilities.
• Brevo (Sendinblue GmbH)supportingTechnology or IntegrationSaaS solution for email marketing providing newsletter planning, organization and analysis. Newsletter data stored on servers in Germany with required data protection agreements in place.
• Cookiebot (Usercentrics A/S)supportingTechnology or IntegrationConsent management platform for displaying cookies and tools via consent banner, providing centralized consent control for all data connections and consent-required tools.
• Google Ireland LimitedTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics service (Google Analytics) used for website usage analysis and reporting. Data processed in USA with EU Standard Contractual Clauses ensuring European data protection compliance.
• Unbounce Marketing Solutions Inc.supportingTechnology or IntegrationCloud-based marketing platform for creating customized landing pages and A/B testing analytics. Hosts certain website pages and enables performance analysis through cookie-based user behavior tracking.
• HootSuite Media Inc.supportingTechnology or IntegrationSocial media management platform enabling content generation, posting, centralized account management, marketing campaign administration, customer interaction, and activity analysis across social media platforms.
• Spleen Advertising GmbHsupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Messebudgetplaner (trade fair budget planner) tool used for customer cost estimation and quote generation for trade fair stand projects.
• Adventure7supportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital agency responsible for concept, design and development of meplan website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GES (Global Experience Specialists): Global experience and event services provider offering trade show exhibits, event production, and brand activation services at scale. Broader incumbent serving enterprise exhibitors worldwide with capabilities overlapping meplan's full-service booth and event offering.
• GL Events: Major French-headquartered event and trade fair services company offering venue management, trade show organization, and booth/exhibition services globally. Broad incumbent in the trade fair ecosystem with services that overlap with meplan's booth design and event support portfolio.
• Messe Frankfurt GmbH: One of the world's largest trade fair organizers operating the Frankfurt fairgrounds and global trade show portfolio. Broad incumbent in the German trade fair ecosystem — overlapping with meplan's parent Messe München as a competitor at the organizer level rather than booth construction specifically.

Regional players

• FANKHAUSER MesseService AG: Swiss trade fair booth and event services provider offering custom and modular stand construction plus event logistics. Comparable offering to meplan but operating primarily in Switzerland rather than directly competing across the DACH region.

Direct peers

• HOFFMEISTER GmbH: Established Munich-based booth builder providing custom design and modular stand construction for enterprise clients at German trade fairs. Comparable to meplan in service mix (design, build, event services) and DACH regional focus.
• MC2 (MC2 Group): US-based trade show exhibit and event agency delivering custom booth design, fabrication, and event services for enterprise exhibitors. Direct peer providing same category of trade fair presence solutions with comparable technology-driven service model.
• Expotechnik Group: International booth design and build company serving large enterprise exhibitors at major global trade fairs. Comparable to meplan on custom and modular stand offerings plus event service portfolio across multiple geographies.
• KMS Team GmbH: German trade fair booth design and construction company serving enterprise exhibitors across DACH. Direct peer offering custom and modular stands with in-house fabrication, competing head-to-head with meplan for major German trade fair clients.
• Atelier Dau GmbH Messebau: German trade fair booth designer and builder specializing in custom and modular stands for enterprise clients across industries. Direct competitor in the same DACH booth-construction category as meplan.
• JMT GmbH & Co. KG Messebau: German booth construction specialist serving enterprise exhibitors with custom and modular stand solutions. Operates in the same DACH trade fair construction category as meplan with comparable service breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meplan
• Facebookfacebook.com/meplan
• Instagraminstagram.com/meplan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/meplan
• Xx.com/meplan

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 meplan