On 11 July 1240, Emperor Frederick II granted trade fair rights to Frankfurt am Main, marking the birth of Messe Frankfurt. 780 years later, the company can look back on an eventful history in which the Frankfurt trade fair developed from a medieval marketplace into a major global force.

Talking of the milestone, Peter Feldmann, Mayor of Frankfurt am Main and Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board, the organisers of Automechanika, commented, “Nowhere else are trade fairs such an integral part of a city’s history as they are in Frankfurt. Emperor Frederick II’s official grant of trade fair rights marks the historical origin of a success story that started around Frankfurt’s City Hall (Römer) 780 years ago and continues to this day. From these beginnings, Messe Frankfurt evolved into the world’s largest operating trade fair company.”

Messe Frankfurt is now also getting back to business following a global lockdown, kicking off with fairs in China. Trade fairs are also resuming business in Germany in strict compliance with an extensive protection and hygiene concept. Smaller events are already underway on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds, and trade fairs will be joining them soon.

Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt said, “Our resumption of event operations worldwide demonstrates Messe Frankfurt’s flexibility in responding to challenges. The past 780 years have demonstrated time and again just how important trade fairs are for promoting economic recovery in times of crisis, and our customers have been making it clear to us that face-to-face encounters and dialogue are irreplaceable.”

Coronavirus is not the first major challenge overcome by Messe Frankfurt. In 1635 Frankfurt’s Spring Fair had to be cancelled due to bubonic plague. More recently 95% of the grounds were destroyed during World War II, but were quickly rebuilt by 1948.

72 years later, the global Coronavirus pandemic has been challenging the event industry since the start of 2020. Wolfgang Marzin said, “The trade fair landscape will change as a result of the Coronavirus crisis and topics such as digitalisation, safety and security will have a key role to play. Yet the trade fair industry's most important success factor remains personal encounters.”