For us, entrepreneurial success and responsible and sustainable practices go hand-in-hand. As a trade fair company we are aware of our responsibility in the planning and implementation of our events, the administration of our trade fair grounds and along our process chain, and are committed to promoting environmental and climate protection. Our aim is therefore to shape all the facets of the trade fair business in a sustainable way, to constantly explore new avenues and to improve in all areas. Messe Augsburg wants to use this commitment to promote awareness of sustainability issues and to actively implement them.
Sustainability is a factor in many areas of our activities and in the way in which we create and engage in trade fairs. From heating and energy generation to lighting, catering and e-mobility to waste management, recycling and process optimization; these are just a few of the areas in which we constantly address the question of how we can be even better. This is something we do both internally (our internal sustainability regulations ensure this) and in cooperation with our customers, partners and visitors.
Issues around sustainability, the environment and climate protection also play a major role at our in-house trade fairs. This is the focus of the international, two-day B2B event OFF-GRID Expo + Conference: off-grid solar, wind and hydropower systems and self-sufficient power supply.
The CLEAN AIR Experts Day on the other hand, is about forward-looking mobility concepts and intelligent traffic management. This sector focuses on how air pollution from traffic can be reduced or even avoided.
We at Messe Augsburg implement the "fairpflichtet" sustainability code. This is a voluntary commitment to assume corporate and social responsibility for sustainability in the organization and implementation of events. The code is based on ten guidelines. Our focus is on balancing economic, ecological and social issues. There are also additional principles for each guideline that provide practical measures to implement sustainable practices in the event industry.
Messe Augsburg is a member of the KUMAS - Kompetenzzentrum Umwelt e. V. association. Founded in 1998, the association promotes the development and expansion of the environmental competence center for the whole of Bavaria starting from Bavarian Swabia. Roughly 200 members from business, science, politics and administration work closely to create favorable conditions for the environmental economy and to promote sustainable development in Bavaria. In addition to economic aspects, the aim is also to safeguard and improve the quality of the environment in the region. The association actively supports projects in environmental protection and nature conservation.
We are also a member of the Europäischer Verband der Veranstaltungs-Centren e.V. (EVVC). The EVVC (European Association of Event Centers) represents the interests of event venues and their suppliers in Germany and its neighboring European countries. The members and partners of the association openly exchange views on daily work practices and industry-relevant topics of the present and future. Among other things, the commitment to sustainable action and the implementation of corresponding measures are particularly important.
Since 2021, we have had an interdepartmental working group at Messe Augsburg that actively promotes the topic of sustainability within the Augsburg trade fair and in cooperation with our service providers. This involves identifying potential for optimization in several phases, assessing feasibility, developing an action plan, and accompanying its implementation.
So far, the main topics have included “environmental management” and “socially responsible and environmentally compatible alignment of the supply chain”. Among other things, the working group has developed sustainable purchasing and sustainability guidelines for employees, advanced the switch to LEDs, and significantly reduced the need for consumables.
Every six months, the working group sets itself new priorities and works on these with the aim of making Messe Augsburg more sustainable.
A sustainable economy in the event industry is an ongoing process: We are constantly reviewing our resources and processes to assess their effectiveness and potential for improvement and also involve our partners, suppliers and service providers in the process. As the third largest trade fair venue in Bavaria, it is our responsibility not only to consider the best price-performance ratio when procuring goods and services, but also to incorporate sustainable aspects into the purchasing process.
A good example: our sustainable purchasing guidelines. The following criteria play a central role in the selection of the right service partners for Messe Augsburg:
Proximity before distance
Reusable before disposable
Sustainable instead of conventional
Relief instead of burden
Social and fair
Service providers and service partners
About Messe Augsburg: Facts and figures, information about the location and the region and interesting info.
Electromobility plays an important role in our environmental protection and sustainability measures.
Messe Augsburg is active in various networks and associations both in and outside Augsburg.
