Network Europe
For the European Major Exhibition Centres Association elections are forthcoming in April. Michael von Zitzewitz (CEO Messe Frankfurt) reviews his three-year presidency of the association. What is the situation at present, and what does the future hold for EMECA and the exhibition industry in Europe?
With its Lisbon programme the European Union has set out to turn Europe into the most competitive economic region in the world. The European exhibition industry will continue to support this with all its might. This was, and will continue to be, an important objective for EMECA. For this we can build on great strengths. Europe is the premier exhibition continent, with more than 700 international trade fairs. It is home to the highest-volume exhibition companies and the biggest fairgrounds. Nowhere else are there such sophisticated, highly professional structures and firmly established brand products.
EMECA has always aspired to reinforce and further enhance these advantages. After all, global competition is growing constantly keener. Particularly in Asia, a high-powered economy and a new exhibition continent are emerging at breathtaking speed. We must therefore focus our forces even more in Europe and for Europe.
The European business community and the European exhibition industry stand side by side on this. That is why EMECA is pushing for an economically functioning internal market free from restrictions on trade, services, research and innovation. This is key to the competitiveness of European business. Second, Europe is in greater need than ever of an efficient exhibition industry that sets itself apart with the high quality of its exhibition concepts, exhibition centres and exhibition services - putting it ahead of Asia and America.
EMECA has devoted special attention to this in recent years, because ultimately Europe's success as an exhibition location can rest only on superior quality. We have therefore launched work projects within the association to push ahead with issues such as safety requirements and uniform event standards. For all our rivalry as individual venues, we are united by a common desire to strengthen European showgrounds. This is something to which I personally have always been very committed during my term as president.
A very important mission for me is close and congenial contact with the European Commission in Brussels. Strengthening small and medium-size businesses is a pivotal aim of economic promotion in Europe. At EMECA we have therefore set up an EU working group and intensified our dialogue with Brussels.
All these projects over the past three years have set an important agenda to ensure that, moving forward, the European exhibition industry can retain its leading position. Further progress on these issues will be crucial in future. Most importantly, however, the exhibition venues in Europe must consolidate and network with one another. Towards this end, EMECA members will intensify their work within the association and build further on their communication platform. And I am confident that progress will continue to be made here. Michael von Zitzewitz
m+a report Nr.2 / 2005 vom 23.03.2005
m+a report vom 23. März 2005