Messe Frankfurt says 97 percent of companies want in-person trade shows

Messe Frankfurt Group, the world’s largest trade fair, congress and event organiser with its own exhibition grounds, conducts a survey of 59,000 companies in which the result reveals that an overwhelming majority of respondents support in-person trade fairs. The goal of the survey was for local sales partners to contact Messe Frankfurt’s customers during the pandemic, inform them of trade fair cancellations and support their efforts to participate in current and future trade fairs. Companies expressed clear approval of the additional digital benefits offered by hybrid trade fair formats during the pandemic in particular, however, people want in-person trade fairs.

Only three percent of respondents wanted to see events move entirely online. In fact, 67 percent of customers would like events to take place solely in person, with another 30 percent expressing a preference for hybrid formats. In total, 97 percent of them remain convinced that in-person events are an essential component of trade fairs. In the survey, the respondent were asked not only to answer the questions posed by sales partners, but as part of the second survey they were also called on to participate in a more in-depth market research survey.