- The country’s largest range of products and services for start-ups: 12 events with sponsored pavilions in Nuremberg
- “Young, Innovative” in Nuremberg: more than 1,000 participants so far
- Many start-up success stories begin at a trade fair
NürnbergMesse is the top platform for start-ups in Germany. More than 1,000 “Young, Innovative Companies” have taken part in the eponymous trade fair programme organized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) at NürnbergMesse events since 2007. For 2019, the BMWi is providing sponsorship at 63 trade fairs around Germany, with the greatest concentration – 12 – in Nuremberg. By participating in a trade fair, company founders benefit from the extensive expertise accrued by NürnbergMesse, which provides support throughout every stage of the exhibition process. An efficient cost-benefit ratio lets start-ups present themselves at the events, while simultaneously gaining a detailed picture of the competition and the customer base. “The young companies reveal a lot about the viability of entire sectors, and constantly impress with their fresh, unobstructed view of topics and products,” comments Peter Ottmann, CEO of the NürnbergMesse Group.
Through the “Young, Innovative Companies” trade fair programme, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy sponsors participation in about 60 exhibitions every year. Small businesses based in Germany that are less than ten years old thus get the opportunity to take part in a sponsored pavilion for the same event up to a maximum of three times.
NürnbergMesse is a regular front runner in terms of the number of trade fairs with pavilions sponsored by the BMWi. It is no different in 2019: 12 of the 63 pavilions sponsored by BMWi will be located at trade fairs at the exhibition centre Nuremberg. These include BrauBeviale, embedded world, European Coatings Show, FachPack, POWTECH and AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING EXPO (AEE).
Since 2007, about 1,200 companies in total have participated in the “Young, Innovative Companies” sponsorship programme or in a start-up area. In the process, the founders benefit from the expertise and organizational skills of the start-up experts at NürnbergMesse. In terms of costs, too, there is a big difference between participating in a pavilion and organizing one’s own trade fair attendance. The pavilion offers a way for young companies to gain initial trade fair experience with minimal risk, familiarise themselves with the market and the various competitors, and get to know potential partner entities directly. There is a high demand for offers for start-ups: At the embedded world Exhibition&Conference 2019, for example, there will be an additional start-up area next to the pavilion sponsored by BMWi for the first time. At its first edition, this area is already fully booked.
Platform for start-ups
The founders of BABO Beverages, for example, have benefited from using the platform for start-ups in Nuremberg. These young entrepreneurs, who became well known along with their blue beer on the TV programme “Höhle der Löwen” (Lion’s Den), got off to a flying start after taking part in BrauBeviale in 2015 and 2016: “We made important new contacts in the fields of raw materials, empties procurement and shipping services, and we’re still working with them today,” says Ludwig Gerlinger, one of the founders, looking back on an important turning point in his company’s history.
One of the founders of IT-Seals GmbH, David Kelms, had a similar experience the first time he took part in a trade fair, at it-sa 2016 in Nuremberg: “That particular trade fair provides the best opportunities for discussion with IT security officers from all around the world.” Following their first attendance in 2016, they took part again in the start-up area at it-sa 2017 and it-sa 2018. And it paid off: in the start-up competition UP18@it-sa, IT-Seals was voted the “Best Cyber-Security Start-up”.
Freiburg-based “Emils Bio-Manufaktur” has also become firmly established as part of Germany’s organic sector. Through sponsored participation, the founders obtained their first ticket to the leading trade fair BIOFACH in 2011. “We were only able to exhibit there thanks to the subsidised pavilion,” says Jens Wages, one of the two founders. These three examples are representative of the more than 1,000 successful start-ups at the exhibition venue, and also illustrate why Nuremberg holds the title of the “Number 1 platform for start-ups”.