In 2015, HANNOVER MESSE’s international trade and business internationalization platform, Global Business & Markets, will be held at a new location – Hall 6. The move positions the platform right next-door to the central pavilion of the official Partner Country, India, and to the numerous international group pavilions of the Industrial Supply show. Global Business & Markets is a comprehensive showcase, comprising exhibitions, high-power international trade and investment conferences, networking opportunities, international trade advisory events, and a special “Investment Lounge” for one-to-one dialogue on sales and project finance, investment and development.
With this breadth and depth of scope, it is no wonder that Global Business & Markets has quickly developed over the past few years into Europe’s biggest event for international trade, attracting no fewer than 5,000 registered visitors in 2014. And the beating heart of this event is the Investment Lounge, which will be celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2015. Next year, this central networking area and meet-up zone is expected to feature some 90 business delegations from all around the world.
Global Business & Markets is a respected platform that enjoys support at the very highest levels. A joint initiative by Deutsche Messe and the Federation of German Industries (BDI), it is backed by all of Germany’s leading foreign-trade-sector organizations and associations and is endorsed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and the German state of Lower Saxony, both of which are proud to lend their names to the event as official patrons. Among its exhibitors and partners are numerous international business development agencies and providers of innovative business internationalization services.
In an exciting new development, Germany’s Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs) will in 2015 feature as partners of the Investment Lounge for the very first time. The AHKs are the international counterparts of Germany’s domestic chambers of commerce and industry. Spanning 130 locations in 90 countries, they advise, support and act on behalf of German-based and international companies seeking to establish or expand their business activities beyond their domestic markets.
The AHKs are coordinated by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK – the same body that coordinates Germany’s domestic chambers of commerce and industry) and, under the DEinternational brand, offer services to support companies in all phases of business internationalization.
DIHK Deputy Chief Executive, Dr. Volker Treier, explains the DIHK’s role at Global Business & Markets: “Our Chambers of Commerce Abroad are the first ports of call for German companies seeking to maximize their opportunities in foreign markets, wherever those markets might be. Our experts offer tailored services ranging from location analysis and B2B matchmaking right through to personnel recruitment. We are thus an important success factor for Germany’s strong export sector, and so it makes sense for us to have a presence at Europe’s leading platform for international trade.”
Another Investment Lounge partner – and one of several years’ standing – is Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), the foreign trade and inward investment agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. It uses Global Business & Markets to inform German companies about foreign markets and provide advice to foreign-based companies that are considering establishing operations in Germany.
GTAI CEO Benno Bunse explains: “We have been a partner of the Investment Lounge four times, which means we’ve been there almost since it was first held. For us, the Investment Lounge is the perfect setting in which to meet up with companies and partners and share ideas and information with them. One of the highlights in 2015 is that Germany’s Chambers of Commerce Abroad will also be Investment Lounge partners. In other words, two key parts of Germany’s international trade and inbound investment network will be there, working side by side.”
The international business consulting network InterGest will also once again be a partner of the Investment Lounge. InterGest has 55 partners worldwide and provides a range of services to help small and medium enterprises establish and expand their business internationally. Peter Anterist, Managing Director of InterGest Worldwide: “As a global service provider, we value Global Business & Markets because it enables us to present our offering to a very diverse business audience. It is a platform where we can run our own events and hence raise our profile with potential customers.”
As in previous years, the various Global Business & Markets partners will be running a number of high-power conferences in the Global Business & Markets forum area in Hall 6. They are currently planning conferences on Japan, China, the ASEAN states, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Brazil, the EU’s regional strategies and, most importantly, next year’s HANNOVER MESSE Partner Country, India. In addition to the forum area in Hall 6, exhibitors will have access to well-equipped, tastefully appointed conference rooms where they can run seminars and workshops.
The world’s leading trade fair for industrial technology is staged annually in Hannover, Germany. The next HANNOVER MESSE will run from 13 to 17 April 2015 and feature India as its official Partner Country. HANNOVER MESSE 2015 will comprise ten flagship fairs: Industrial Automation • Motion, Drive & Automation (MDA) • Energy • Wind • MobiliTec • Digital Factory • ComVac • Industrial Supply • Surface Technology • Research & Technology. The upcoming event will place a strong emphasis on Industrial Automation and IT, Power Transmission and control, Energy and Environmental Technologies, Industrial Subcontracting, Production Engineering and Services and Research & Development.
With revenue of €312 million (2013), Deutsche Messe AG ranks among the world’s ten largest trade fair companies and operates the world’s largest exhibition center. In 2013, Deutsche Messe planned and staged 119 trade fairs and congresses around the world – events which hosted a total of 41,000 exhibitors and some four million visitors. The company’s event portfolio includes such world-leading trade fairs as CeBIT (IT and telecommunications), HANNOVER MESSE (industrial technology), BIOTECHNICA (biotechnology), CeMAT (intralogistics), didacta (education), DOMOTEX (floor coverings), INTERSCHUTZ (fire prevention and rescue), and LIGNA (wood processing and forestry). With over 1,000 employees and a network of 66 representatives, subsidiaries and branch offices, Deutsche Messe is present in more than 100 countries worldwide.
