Messe Essen
Essen, Germany
Messe Essen has an exhibition area of 110,000 m² and open space of 20,000 m². It hosts around 55 different trade fairs and exhibitions each year, including 10 leading international trade fairs. The Essen Exhibition Centre is one of the top ten exhibition locations in Germany. As an organiser, the company manages 12 satellite events abroad.
Directly connected to the exhibition grounds, the Congress Center Essen and the Grugahalle expand the event portfolio with various corporate and major entertainment events. The attractive mix of international, national and regional trade fairs and exhibitions attracts around 1.5 million visitors from 160 countries and around 15,000 exhibitors from 90 countries to the exhibition grounds every year.
Messe Essen was opened in 1913, and since then the successes written down in its historical book have been abundant. The venue underwent an extensive modernisation process, which was completed by the end of 2019 and marked the achievement of another milestone.
Now the trade fair centre in Essen is one of the most technically modern exhibition centres in Germany. The clear and functional architecture is focused on the advantages of the location, namely these two features: openness and light. The exhibition grounds, the conference rooms of the CCE and the Grugahalle provide a uniformly high level of technical expertise. The new exhibition centre has more space, better links and a clear structure.
Getting around
Messe Essen, the Congress Center Essen and the Grugahalle are centrally located and easily accessible in the Ruhr region. The excellent transportation network ensures rapid and untroubled arrival and departure.
The superb motorway network of North Rhine-Westphalia makes your journey by car easy. You can reach the exhibition grounds via the major Rhine-Ruhr motorways A52, A3, A40 and A42. Road signs will guide you to the exhibition centre where ample parking spaces await you. From there, you can reach Messe Essen easily on foot or with the exhibition centre bus.
If you find yourself at Essen Central Railway Station, you can reach Messe Essen by rail in only 5 minutes with the underground line 11. After the last U11 leaves at 11:30 p.m., you can use the RUHRBAHN Night Network. Messe Essen is connected to the public transport of Stadtbahn Essen by the Messe Ost/Gruga station and the Messe West/Süd/Gruga station.
Düsseldorf Airport has a direct connection to Essen Central Station via the RE1, RE2 and RE11 railway lines. As already mentioned, you can easily reach the exhibition grounds from there by taking the U11 line. If you decide to take a taxi or rent a car, Düsseldorf Airport is only a 20-minute drive away.
Where to stay
Most of the well-known hotel chains in Essen have concentrated their properties in the city centre, close to the main station. Note that the Exposition Centre in Essen is not in the central part of the city, but rather in the south.
The closest district to Messe Essen is trendy Ruettenscheid. It ranks among one of the most popular districts in the Ruhr Valley as it has lots to offer: the Grugapark, the Museum Folkwang and the philharmonic hall are all located here. Several business hotels are located in the district.
Another attractive district near Messe Essen is Bredeney. It combines some of the most beautiful places: green hiking trails, Lake Baldeney and Villa Hügel. Bredeney is a wealthy borough and the “green lung” of the city, so the accommodation in the region is also of the highest standard.
As in many other places, inexpensive accommodation alternatives are available out of town. Note that these are no less convenient than the hotels near Messe Essen, as the infrastructure and public transport in Germany are simply impeccable. Mülheim an der Ruhr is often the first choice, being less than 10 km outside the outskirts of Essen. Oberhausen is another inexpensive option for business travellers visiting Messe Essen, only 14 km from the exhibition grounds.
Halls of Messe Essen
Messe Essen offers 110,000 square meters of exhibition space divided among 8 exhibition halls plus the Galeria. The halls are interconnected, but can be individually separated to accommodate several events. The venue also provides 20,000 square meters of open air space.
Messe Essen also offers 3 conference centres with 28 conference rooms for up to 1000 people. The venue hosts around 800 events with 80,000 participants annually.
The Grugahalle has a capacity of up to 10,000 people and registers more than 200,000 visitors per year. About 70 events, such as concerts and shows, conferences, gala evenings, sporting events and general meetings fill Messe Essen’s annual schedule.
Quick info
| Year Built: | 1913 |
| Total Area: | 130,000 m2 |
| Indoor Area: | 110,000 m2 |
| Outdoor Area: | 20,000 m2 |
| Number of Halls: | 8 |
| Meeting Rooms: | 28 |
| Official Website: | Messe Essen |
| Halls Map: | View map |
Important exhibitions
Messe Essen hosts events of regional, national and international importance. Every year, ten leading international trade fairs take place at the venue. These include:
- Equitana, the world-class horse and rider exhibition;
- Essen Motor Show, a spectacular exhibit featuring sports vehicles, classic cars, motorcycles, tuning, accessories and eco-friendly vehicles;
- SPIEL, the International Game Days Show hosting the most exciting game launches;
- Mode Heim Handwerk, the consumer fair covering all aspects of home life - gardening, construction, housekeeping, crafts, interior design, food and apparel;
- Rheingolf, the largest public event for golf and golf tourism in Europe
Upcoming trade fairs
