Messe Düsseldorf: Construction of the new southern entrance area and Exhibition Hall 1

The Supervisory Board and shareholders of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH have approved the plans for the complete reconstruction of the South Entrance and the adjoining Exhibition Hall 1. “We will now be able to continue with our masterplan for the complete modernisation and refurbishment of our site at our home base,” says Werner M. Dornscheidt, Chairman of the Management Board of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. “And, as always, without any subsidies.” The investment volume for this southern section amounts to 140 million euros. In total, Messe Düsseldorf will invest around 636 million euros in its site by 2030. Work began after interpack in May 2017 and is due to be completed in summer 2019. The design is being realised by the Düsseldorf-based practice slapa oberholz pszczulny architekten.

The new face towards the city: the South Entrance
With the new South Entrance, Messe Düsseldorf will create a modern presence right on the banks of the Rhine, overlooking the city. A 7,800-square-metre, approximately 20-metre-high, translucent, illuminated canopy welcomes trade fair and conference visitors whilst also serving as a striking architectural feature at this prominent location on the site. Jurek Slapa, Managing Partner at sop architekten, comments: “The canopy gives Messe Düsseldorf a new look and a distinctive address in its unique location between the Rhine and Nordpark. At the same time, it integrates the existing congress centre, thereby ensuring a sensitive approach to the existing structures.” Measuring 170 metres in length and 93 metres in width, it offers plenty of space for trade fair and congress guests even before they reach the actual exhibition grounds and event venues.

The South Entrance opens onto the forecourt via a fully glazed façade 93 metres in length. Spanning more than 2,000 square metres, it accommodates essential services such as ticket offices and cloakrooms. On the first floor, a glazed conference room extends into the foyer, offering a view of the entrance area right out to the forecourt. In addition, the entire foyer can be used as an event venue. The forecourt houses the entrance to an underground car park with 300 parking spaces, as well as drop-off points for buses and taxis.  

The new Hall 1: high standards and flexible use
“With the redesign of the South Entrance, we are creating a high-quality architectural and functional environment for our exhibitors and visitors, similar to what they already find at the North Entrance,” the trade fair director continued. This also includes the construction of the new Hall 1. Following interpack 2017, Messe Düsseldorf plans to completely demolish the current Halls 1 and 2 and replace them with a new building that will connect directly to the entrance foyer across its entire width.

Measuring 158 metres in length, 77 metres in width and covering more than 12,000 square metres, the new hall is roughly equivalent in size to Halls 8a and 8b. From a technical perspective, the new hall will meet the high standards of the entire exhibition grounds. It will be accessed via seven entrances; suspended installations from the hall ceiling are possible, as is the supply of utilities to the stands via the hall floor. For pedestrians, the hall is connected to the CCD South via a bridge on the first floor. In addition to the connection to Halls 3 and 4, a main corridor leads from the south entrance directly to the rest of the exhibition grounds.

In this way, Messe Düsseldorf significantly expands the hall’s potential uses whilst also increasing the flexibility of its layout. A total of six conference rooms, each measuring 200 square metres and accommodating 198 people, are available on the first floor of the hall. All rooms can be divided down the middle, making them even more flexible. Furthermore, the hall itself can also be used as an event venue outside trade fair periods and, for example, can accommodate up to 10,000 people in tiered seating. Dornscheidt commented: “The creation of modern, prestigious event facilities at this location significantly enhances the city’s appeal as a conference and event destination and enables Düsseldorf Congress Sport & Event GmbH to take the marketing of its venues to a whole new level. But we, as a trade fair company, can also offer our customers considerable added value through flexible usage options.”

Messe Düsseldorf 2030: Strategy for the Future
Dornscheidt explains that a massive change has taken place in the trade fair industry over the last 15 to 20 years. On the one hand, the trade fair industry has developed into a globally active sector in which trade fair themes are now organised on a worldwide scale; on the other hand, the leading trade fairs in each sector have become meeting places for the globalised economy. But the trade fairs themselves have also changed in character. The leading trade fairs in each sector have long since become venues for the international transfer of knowledge and exchange amongst all stakeholders – from academia and start-ups to globally active multinational corporations. “The result is a completely new type of trade fair,” explains Dornscheidt.

The Messe Düsseldorf Group responded to these developments at an early stage. The first steps were the establishment of international subsidiaries in the world’s key markets and the comprehensive expansion of its international sales network, through which it now operates in 132 countries around the world. “We have since further developed our internationalisation activities into the ‘Messe Düsseldorf 2030’ strategy, which consistently places the expansion of our global portfolios and the strengthening of our international sales at the heart of our business operations. And – something of great importance to us – the qualitative further development of our world-leading trade fairs at the Düsseldorf venue,” said Werner Dornscheidt.

An integral part of the corporate strategy is a master plan for the modernisation of the exhibition grounds, which Messe Düsseldorf has developed in parallel and which encompasses all customer facilities on the site. This masterplan was launched with the construction of Halls 6 and 7 in 2000. The company’s ongoing assessment of projects against customers’ actual needs forms the basis of the entire plan, a requirement for economic efficiency and sustainable development. By autumn this year, 11 of the 19 halls will have been newly built or completely renovated; the North Entrance was already completely redesigned in 2004 and now offers, amongst other things, a direct tram connection to the city centre and Düsseldorf Central Station.

The quality of the exhibition centre as a customer service
With this master plan, Messe Düsseldorf is responding to the changing requirements for exhibition centres resulting from qualitative changes in trade fairs. In addition to the multifunctional use of the hall space, this primarily involves the creation of high-quality facilities for conferences and congresses of all sizes – a central aspect of the entire master plan for the modernisation of the site. In doing so, the company is building on the consistent customer focus that the trade fair organisers from the Rhine have placed at the heart of their work ever since the planning and construction of the site almost 40 years ago. Situated in the heart of a metropolitan region with 150 million inhabitants within a 500-kilometre radius, the exhibition centre offers an excellent catchment area.

A dedicated link to the motorway network, leading to the exhibition grounds with 20,000 parking spaces, and transport links from the exhibition entrances to Düsseldorf Airport – serving around 200 destinations worldwide – as well as to two long-distance railway stations, ensure excellent accessibility for exhibitors and visitors, as well as for the set-up and dismantling of exhibition events. Ground-level access, high load-bearing capacity of the hall floors, service ducts supplying exhibition stands with power, water and communications facilities in a 5-metre grid, and state-of-the-art hall technology offer exhibitors the best possible presentation opportunities and the greatest possible comfort for all trade fair participants. “We have traditionally understood customer focus and service in a comprehensive sense,” emphasises Werner Dornscheidt. The “Messe Düsseldorf 2030” concept therefore encompasses the development of the exhibition grounds and portfolio in equal measure, as well as the hardware and software used by the exhibition organisers.”

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Düsseldorf, November 2016

Contact:
Corporate Communications
Dr Andrea Gränzdörffer
Tel.: 0211/4560-555
Fax: 0211/4560-8548
Email: graenzdoerffera@messe-duesseldorf.de
ITPS 2017
GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST 2019

Monika Kissing/ Michelle Pietsch
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