Reinforcement for the Operational Management: Wolfram Diener starts at Messe Düsseldorf

Wolfram Diener (54) has started work as Managing Director Operational Trade Fair Business at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH on 1 October 2018. He succeeds Joachim Schäfer (65) who retired at the end of August 2018. Diener is looking forward to the complexities of his new job: “After many exciting and successful years with various trade fair companies, and quite some time in Asia, I am now facing the next challenge – and this challenge will be more than the bandwidth of my trade fair portfolio in Düsseldorf. Messe Düsseldorf is one of the world's most successful, robust and international trade fair companies, and it'll be great to contribute to its further success,” says Diener. Working with interdisciplinary teams, he particularly wants to move forward with the further development of digitization and an increase in internationalism at Messe Düsseldorf's events. “A team spirit is very important to me,” says Diener, “but this is something Messe Düsseldorf is famous for anyway.”

Wolfram Diener, a graduate in business administration, started his career with the Baden-Württemberg Horticultural Show and then Hamburg Messe- und Congress GmbH. From 1997 onwards he managed the East Asian trade fair operations of Messe Frankfurt (H.K.) Ltd. In 2001 Diener joined the Management of Shanghai New International Expo Centre Ltd., one of the world’s biggest exhibition centres, where Messe Düsseldorf is involved in the company’s Chinese-German joint venture. From 2005 to 2011 he worked as deputy CEO with responsibility for exhibition and convention centres, trade fairs, special events and the entire logistics for Hotels Venetian Macau Ltd. and Marina Bay Sands Singapore Ltd. In 2011 he successfully worked within the management team of UBM Asia Ltd. in Hong Kong, with responsibility for the company's Chinese business and certain worldwide trade fairs.

“Markets keep changing, and the world is becoming more international, digital and complex. Thanks to his many years of global trade fair experience, especially in East Asia, Wolfram Diener is the ideal person to help us shape the future of Messe Düsseldorf,” says Werner M. Dornscheidt, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. Dornscheidt says he is very positive about Diener’s excellent industry expertise, his wide ranging management experience and his success in the international trade fair business. The head of Messe Düsseldorf points out that Diener's background meets all the requirements for the further development of Messe Düsseldorf's product portfolio in Germany and elsewhere, making it more customer-focused and successfully boosting Düsseldorf as a trade fair venue.

Wolfram Diener will start his new position with a special anniversary, from 23 to 26 October 2018, when glasstec, the world's biggest event in the glass industry, will be celebrating its 25th birthday. In addition, he will be leading a range of projects at Messe Düsseldorf: the global portfolio Health and Medical Technologies with the trade fairs MEDICA, COMPAMED and REHACARE International, the global portfolio Metals and Flow Technologies with the trade fairs GIFA, THERMPROCESS, NEWCAST, Pump Summit, Valve World Expo, METEC, and wire and Tube, the leading trade fair trio BEAUTY DÜSSELDORF, TOP HAIR – DIE MESSE and the Make-Up Artist Design Show, A+A (the occupational health and safety show), the CARAVAN SALON DÜSSELDORF and TourNatur. Diener will also be responsible for the Digital Strategy and Communication Division, newly created in 2017, which comprises IT and In-house Services, Organisation, Marketing Services, Advertising and Trade Press.

3,672, incl. spaces

The Messe Düsseldorf Group:
With a revenue of around EUR 367m in 2017, the Messe Düsseldorf Group maintained its position as one of Germany's most successful trade fair companies. Over 29,000 exhibitors presented their products to 1.34 million trade visitors at events in Düsseldorf this year. In addition, a range of conventions attracted over half a million visitors. About 50 trade fairs were held in Düsseldorf, including 23 number one events in five areas of expertise: machinery, plants and equipment, trade and services, medicine and healthcare, lifestyle and beauty, and also leisure. In addition, there were about 70 proprietary, joint and contracted events outside Germany, demonstrating that the Messe Düsseldorf Group is a leading global platform for export. Messe Düsseldorf GmbH is the trade fair company with the highest level of internationalism in capital goods exhibitions. In 2017 Messe Düsseldorf's proprietary events in machinery, plants and equipment had approx. 74 per cent international exhibitors and attracted 73 per cent trade visitors from other countries. In all, Düsseldorf trade fairs were attended by customers from about 180 countries. The Group runs a global network of sales offices in 140 countries (with 76 international representations) as well as competence centres in 8 countries.

Contact:  Düsseldorf, 1 October 2018
Corporate Communication
Dr. Andrea Gränzdörffer
Phone: +49 211 4560 555
Email: graenzdoerffera@messe-duesseldorf.de