Home NEWS Central Europe Messe Frankfurt launches Group-wide transformation project Progress

Messe Frankfurt launches Group-wide transformation project Progress

Messe Frankfurt is back on track for growth

Oct 23, 2023

Messe Frankfurt is investing in its future with a new transformation project.

With the global digital transformation project Progress, Messe Frankfurt is acquiring – by 2026 – modern processual and technological tools with a view to systematically increasing its international competitiveness. Through business processes that are strictly geared towards customers, through global Group standards and through the fast and secure availability of knowledge about customers and markets, Messe Frankfurt is increasing the Group’s internal management efficiency and further expanding the benefits it offers exhibitors, visitors and guest organisers. At the same time, the company is laying the foundations for additional data-based B2B marketing services that are provided all year round.

Messe Frankfurt is using powerful state-of-the-art technology to drive its economic growth. As it had already planned to implement technical system upgrades, the Group decided to launch a fundamental and comprehensive transformation project.

Wolfgang Marzin

President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt

As Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, explains: “The project is a major undertaking for the organisation but will allow us to remain in the premier league of international trade fair organisers. As manufacturer technical support for various corporate management systems will be coming to an end in the foreseeable future, we will take this opportunity to standardise our internal processes throughout the Group and, above all, make them even more efficient. However, the effectiveness of trade fairs as marketing instruments is also being optimised. Both as an event organiser and a venue provider, we need to use modern, customer-friendly systems and processes so that we can offer first-class services. This also includes identifying customer needs early on and using specific communication for the German and international markets. We are also in the process of adding further B2B marketing solutions to the core business of physical trade fairs which will be available to our customers all year round. We need high-quality data and modern systems for all of these activities.”

The company has decided to use cloud-based standard solutions SAP S/4 HANA and SAP CX for the entire Group. As well as optimising internal processes for the Group as a whole, this includes in particular all customer-oriented activities like marketing, sales and services for exhibitors, visitors and guest organisers.

Messe Frankfurt is being advised on the project by experienced partners. Led by KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft and with the support of T-Systems International GmbH and Orbis SE for HR, a team of specialists and technical experts will help to oversee the design and implementation process. As Ioannis Tsavlakidis, Head of Consulting Germany and Head of Advisory EMA at KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, explains: “Messe Frankfurt is an experienced global player. To be able to retain a leading competitive position in the future, the availability, quality and processing efficiency of data and the knowledge gained from this play an important role. We are looking forward to playing our part in the transformation throughout the entire course of the project. Our joint goal is to help Messe Frankfurt to gain key competitive advantages.”

Find out more about Messe Frankfurt here.