Axel Bartkus New Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf China and Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai

Axel Bartkus (48) will assume management of Messe Düsseldorf Group's two Chinese subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Shanghai from 15 August 2011. He succeeds Tony Fung who retires as the founding Managing Director of both corporations.

Managing Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd. Bartkus will assume representation for Messe Düsseldorf recruiting and looking after Chinese exhibitors and visitors for and at events organised by the Messe Düsseldorf Group. Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai Ltd. will continue to organise the extensive portfolio of events of Messe Düsseldorf in China.

"We have been able to enlist an excellent China expert for our company in the form of Axel Bartkus," says Werner M. Dornscheidt, President of CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. He appreciates Bartkus as a personality "that will leverage his extensive know-how together with the exhibition teams in Düsseldorf and China to expand the event portfolio and develop new themes in China."

In China the Messe Düsseldorf Group currently organises ten trade fairs in line with the core themes of its parent company: Print & Media, Materials & Technologies, Medicine & Health and Fashion. Commenting on this Dorn-scheidt explains: "By means of the two subsidiaries we succeed in transfer-ring the competence of our product portfolio, which is extremely successful with its 23 leading global trade fairs, to the Chinese market."

Bartkus holds a Master's Degree in Economics and Chinese and previously managed the division of trade fairs and exhibitions at the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Shanghai, served as a Managing Direc-tor at NürnbergMesse China for several years as well as recently serving as the Head of Asia Desk for NürnbergMesse. "Our new man in China comes with sixteen years of experience in the exhibition and event business in this country and boasts an extensive network of contacts on the Asian market developing during that same period," comments Hans Werner Reinhard, Deputy Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd.

After 9% growth in the crisis year 2008, the gross national product of this economic powerhouse counting on 1.3 billion people rose by 9.1% in 2009 and by an estimated 10.3% in 2010 (CIA World Fact Book). Reinhard: "This means the People's Republic of China continues to be among the fastest growing economic regions in the world. Against the background of positive forecasts and in response to our customers' demands we will continue ex-tending our engagement in the People's Republic of China."

The business activities in the People's Republic of China produce clear feedback for Messe Düsseldorf. Over the past ten years (2000-2010) the number of visitors from China (incl. Hong Kong) was up by almost 150%, while the number of exhibitors rose by 350% over the same period. This made the People's Republic of China the second biggest foreign contingent exhibiting in Düsseldorf in 2010 after Italy. Also for the coming years the number of Chinese exhibitors and visitors at the Düsseldorf trade fair loca-tions is expected to grow continuously.

Appendix: Biography of Mr. Axel Bartkus

Axel Bartkus

Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf China and Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai

After training as a shipping clerk Axel Bartkus' studies of Chinese and Economics took him as a grant recipient of the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD) to the University of Nanking. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in London in 1992 and a Master's in Berlin in 1994.

Between the end of 1994 and mid-2000 he represented German business in Shanghai as Deputy Delegate in Event Management / Investment Promotion. From mid- 2000 he worked there as the representative of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as well as of the Hamburg and Stuttgart trade fair companies.

Until mid-2004 his tasks as Director of the German Trade Office in Taipei included running the office's financial planning, budgeting and controlling as well as all its human resources. As the representative of the Berlin and Nurnberg trade fairs as well as of the German Wine Institute in Taiwan he represented these bodies' interests.

In July 2004 Axel Bartkus became Event Manager of NürnbergGlobal Fairs GmbH in charge of planning and implementing a market development strategy as well as planning and implementing events in China and Nurnberg including relevant PR activities.

In January 2007 he was appointed Managing Director of NürnbergMesse China Co., Ltd. setting up the subsidiary in Shanghai and developing a suitable trade fair portfolio. He was responsible for managing human resources, key accounts, PR and media activities as well as financial administration including budgeting and controlling.

From January to July 2011he assumed the role of Head of the Asia Desk at NürnbergMesse Gruppe.

Since 15 August 2011 Axel Bartkus has been the Managing Director of the subsidiaries Messe Düsseldorf China and Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai at the Messe Düsseldorf Group.

Axel Bartkus is married.