+ 20 years exhibition center | Messe Karlsruhe

20 years of the exhibition center: a good decision

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The construction of the exhibition center on the southern edge of Karlsruhe was a milestone in location and regional development

Completed in 2003, the exhibition center on the southern edge of the fan-shaped city of Karlsruhe, with its characteristically overhanging roof and its young 20 years, is, alongside the congress center in the city center, the larger of the two event centers operated today by Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH. Built as the Neue Messe in just two years to a design by Dortmund-based Gerber Architekten, it is now regarded not only as a milestone for regional development but also for Karlsruhe as a business, trade fair and congress location. With around 1,800 events and almost 10 million guests, it has established itself since 2003 as a nationally and, for certain topics, also internationally known location that not only has renowned trade fairs, productions and events to show, but also dynamically offers space for new formats and content.

Messegelände von Karlsruhe in Rheinstetten aus der Vogelperspektive

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The construction of the exhibition center on the southern edge of Karlsruhe was a milestone in location and regional development

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

The construction of the exhibition center on the southern edge of Karlsruhe was a milestone in location and regional development

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

The need for another site

Since the 1950s, Karlsruhe's central trade fair and congress location has been located in the city center. With the Black Forest Hall, which was built after the war and is now partially listed, as well as the town hall, which was built in the 1980s, the concert hall and the garden hall, which opened in 1990, a broad portfolio of rooms for a wide variety of event formats has been developed over the years. The four exhibition halls at the festival site offered a total of around 20,000 square meters of exhibition space of varying quality. In addition, especially for the offerta consumer trade fair, the festival site was repeatedly managed temporarily with specially set up tents. And so it was thanks, among other things, to the success of that consumer fair and its numerous annual visitors that considerations were first given to a new trade fair location around 1995. Another important aspect was the fact that the region and Karlsruhe as a regional center with its economic power, technology and infrastructure offered and still offers the best conditions for a successful congress and trade fair presence. Against this background, the trade fair company itself saw the greatest potential for development at the gates of the city - an attitude that was not initially met with enthusiasm by everyone in local politics. A report commissioned by the Symbios (Basel) and Pan Geo (Stuttgart) institutes in 1998 by the then Karlsruher Kongress- und Ausstellungs-GmbH (KKA) quickly came to the conclusion that the site at the festival square in the city had no potential for further development offered and thus confirmed the trade fair company's considerations. The report stated that 200,000 square meters of building land would be required for a trade fair with a supra-regional to international character and recommended rapid implementation in order to prevent the trade fairs and congresses, which at the time were mainly run by guest organizers, from moving to other locations.

Das Karlsruher Messegelände in Rheinstetten aus der Vogelperspektive

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The need for another site

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

The need for another site

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

The right area – the challenge of regional planning

The location of the New Trade Fair was actively discussed in Karlsruhe and the region. The city of Karlsruhe itself proposed an area in the Seehof area - on the boundary between the Karlsruhe district of Rüppurr and the neighboring city of Ettlingen. The location idea, located directly at the northern entrance to the city, did not meet with much enthusiasm among the people of Ettlingen. At the same time, this area located directly on the motorway, which was supposed to be kept free as a settlement break between two cities, also contradicted the wishes of the regional association, which was actively involved in the planning. The Karlsruhe measuring site and the Siemens site in Knielingen, in the west of Karlsruhe, were also discussed as possible future locations for the New Trade Fair, but were soon rejected due to their too small size. With this, especially after the new Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden regional airport in Söllingen went into operation in 1997, the planners turned their attention to the de-used area of the previous airfield in Rheinstetten-Forchheim. The local community itself had registered “commercial use”. The report “Structural Concept for Karlsruhe/Forchheim Airport” commissioned by the regional association, published in 1998, described the landing site as the “last large contiguous area for industrial-commercial use in the immediate vicinity of the regional center of the region” and thus presented it as a viable alternative for a new trade fair into the discussion. An idea that the then mayor of Karlsruhe, Gerhard Seiler, was also able to win over. As early as the 1980s, it was considered to create a production site for the automotive industry between the B 36 and the Karlsruhe-Rastatt railway line. Due to its previous exposure to the airfield and its good rail and road transport connections, it seemed justifiable from a spatial planning perspective to plan subsequent structural use at this location. On the one hand, the Forchheim location was included in the trade fair report of the Karlsruher Kongress- und Ausstellungs-GmbH and, at the same time, the planned urban development model for this area was supplemented by the trade fair idea. The experts attested that the area in Forchheim had a wide range of potential for expansion and viewed the necessary interventions as comparatively minor.

A formative architecture

The groundbreaking ceremony in 2001 was followed by the opening of the “New Trade Fair” on October 30, 2003, after just two years of construction. According to plans by the Dortmund architect Prof. Eckhard Gerber, today's exhibition halls with the characteristic roof that extends far forward over the west entrance were built on the former Karlsruhe-Forchheim airfield.

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The right area – the challenge of regional planning

A formative architecture

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

The right area – the challenge of regional planning

A formative architecture

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

The future in sight

While some spoke at the time of a spirit of optimism in the technology region and the entire PAMINA area and saw a viable trade fair concept as having a clear impact on the economic effects in the city and region, there were critical voices surrounding the construction project. Questions about economic efficiency, transport connections, nature conservation and surface sealing were discussed. And although some initially spoke out in favor of preserving the airfield, the Ettlingen location was favored by the city of Karlsruhe for the construction of a new trade fair and the project was only expected to gain momentum with the mayoral elections in 1997, implementation took place at a rapid pace. Ultimately, the construction of the “New Trade Fair” was intended to be the starting signal for further commercial developments in the immediate vicinity.

Frontansicht des Messe Karlsruhe Hauptgebäude in Rheinstetten

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The future in sight

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

The future in sight

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

Junger Mann springt in die Luft vor dem Messegelände Karlsruhe, rechts unten im Bild steht ein Schild mit der Aufschrift 20 Jahre Messegelände und dm-arena

Celebrate festivals as they fall.

Vacation for the soul - for some it's city trips, for others it's a trip to the thermal baths. For Kai Eisenhardt it's festivals. The love for it started in New Zealand at a hippie festival. Since then, they have been an integral part of the annual calendar of the student who is studying for a master's degree in chemical biology at KIT. “Festivals are part of my annual vacation. As a student, I don’t have that much money to simply treat myself to this on the side,” says the 25-year-old. Nearby events, such as those at Germany's third-largest outdoor trade fair site, are therefore very welcome. Various festivals and concerts take place there in the summer months - a short vacation for Kai's soul. The offering is diverse, from hits to pop, from metal to hip-hop. “I'm actually in a niche, in metal, but my friends listen to pretty much everything and I like to get carried away. In the end, it’s all about having a good time together,” says the Stuttgart native. Finding a good balance and feeling good - professionally and privately - is becoming increasingly important, especially for the younger generation. This is how Kai made his choice of Karlsruhe as a place to study. Of course, the course of study had to be right first, it would be nonsense to study something you don't like, but then it's crucial that everything fits around it. The good connection to the public transport network, so that a spontaneous visit to home is possible, and lots of greenery in the area were important to him. The large density of quarry lakes and the fact that he already knew a few people in Karlsruhe were ultimately decisive. And yes, the trade fair also had a place on the list. “I just enjoy it when there’s something going on in the region. And the festivals on the trade fair grounds are simply part of it for me,” says the KIT student happily. And then? “I don’t know exactly what I’ll do after my master’s degree. “I’ll probably do another doctorate first,” Kai plans. So there is still some time left to attend one or two trade fairs and one or two concerts. By the way, he missed a special event at the exhibition center, but he's happy about that too. When over 700 students wrote their exams in experimental physics in the dm-arena during the Corona pandemic, Kai was not there. He took his exam in this subject again regularly in a lecture hall. It was successful, of course, and celebrated with a visit to the festival.

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Celebrate festivals as they fall.

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

Celebrate festivals as they fall.

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

Auf dem Bild ist eine Frau zu sehen die in einer Feuerwehruniform vor dem Gebäude der Messe Karlsruhe steht und links von ihr ein Schild mir der Aufschrift, 20 Jahre Messegelände und dm-arena

Fire & Flame

Agathe Meinzer is a firefighter with heart and soul, not only in her voluntary role as deputy chairwoman of the Karlsruhe District Fire Department Association, but also in her job as a company firefighter. She owes her career in the fire department to her dad, who was himself a member of the volunteer fire department. And once she sniffed it, she couldn't let it go. At the age of 48, Agatha Meinzer was previously an administrative officer and trained as a factory firefighter. Wow! In any case, the profession of a firefighter deserves the highest respect, because at some point each and every one of them comes into a situation that is difficult to deal with. And then solidarity is required. In the team, it's important to look after each other and be there for each other even after the mission - everyone with their strengths, whether man or woman, doesn't matter. “It’s about diversity. We need the doer, the smart one and the one who can keep things calm sometimes. Everyone takes on a task, that’s the only way it works,” explains the woman from Dettenheim. And what does the trade fair have to do with the fire department? “The trade fair offers us a platform to inform people from the region about fire protection, but also to recruit new members,” says Meinzer. For example, the stand of the district fire brigade association has been an integral part of offerta for many years. How does a smoke detector work? Why is this so important? And can I also join the volunteer fire department as a career changer? Agatha Meinzer and her team then answer these and many other questions. “We are really very grateful that we can present ourselves here regularly. We recruited many of our members through the trade fair,” says the firefighter. In addition, the 20-year-old exhibition center has a lot in common with the over 4,200 fire brigade volunteers in the Karlsruhe district. At the NUFAM - trade fair for the commercial vehicle industry - the fire brigade and rescue services demonstrate their skills to the public in a demonstration exercise and present their extensive technology.When the exhibition center was converted into a central vaccination center during the corona pandemic, the fire department pitched in. And when the war in Ukraine began in spring 2022, an exhibition hall was transformed into an initial reception center for war refugees for five weeks. It was, among others, Agathe Meinzer's comrades who set up over a thousand camp beds and put a great deal of personal effort into ensuring the well-being of those arriving. Agatha Meinzer greatly appreciates the good support from Messe Karlsruhe in these projects. Last year, the Karlsruhe District Fire Brigade Association awarded the Karlsruhe Trade Fair with a prize. “An excellent partnership,” emphasizes Meinzer. “Because in the end it’s the team spirit that counts,” she says.

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Fire & Flame

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

Fire & Flame

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

Like a marketplace

Even as a child, a visit to offerta was a must for Heike Kary. Back then it was still in the inner-city congress center, with tents on the festival site. Today, well protected from wind and weather, in four spacious exhibition halls and the almost park-like atrium. “As a resident of Rheinstetten, I saw the construction of the trade fair up close. “It was a great experience back then to see how the buildings grew little by little,” remembers Heike Kary. She enthuses: “I know other trade fairs that are often very dark. The concept in Karlsruhe is very bright – the light-flooded halls create a very pleasant ambience.” But the construction was just one of many experiences for the mother of two daughters. Every visit to the trade fair is a day out for the family - stroll, try, enjoy. Time with family, with good friends. Big eyes for the little ones. Wow – a circus! More precisely, the Maccaroni Circus from the City Youth Committee of the City of Karlsruhe. Anyone who wanted could simply join in. A whole day of practicing with real artists. Juggling, balancing, acting artistically. And then the big show in the evening. Tension in the children. Excitement among the parents in the audience. The curtain falls. “I was incredibly proud of what my girls had learned in such a short time,” says Kary. “Seeing that glow in the children’s eyes – to this day my personal highlight of my many visits to the trade fair.” The girls were so excited after their first performance that they ended up wanting to go to the circus every day. Whenever the working mother's time allows, Heike Kary herself likes to be in the spotlight every now and then. She plays as an extra in the crime scene and occasionally leads the candidates from the “Quiz Heroes” show through the city of Mannheim as a tourist guide. “I just really enjoy it,” she says. And after all, it's all a bit like a trade fair. Hustle and bustle, encounters and a lot to experience – “For me, a trade fair like this is like a huge marketplace,” sums up Heike Kary.

Dunkel haarige Frau die im Gang des Messegeländes in Karlsruhe vor dem Atrium steht und links von ihr ein Schild mit der Überschrift, 20 Jahre Messegelände und dm-arena

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Like a marketplace

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

Like a marketplace

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor

Give everything

Im Gleichtakt ging es diesmal für die Kanuten des Rehasport Vereins aus Bretten anlässlich 20 Jahren Messegelände auf den kleinen See vor der Messe Karlsruhe. Ein besonderes Erlebnis für die beiden Inklusionsteams. „Zusammen mit den Enten“, freut sich Ante Micitic. Er ist einer der Athleten mit geistiger Behinderung, die sonst eigentlich auf dem Altrhein trainieren. Aber gerade war sowieso alles aufregend, denn die Special Olympic Games in Berlin standen vor der Tür. Spannung, Vorfreude und Aufregung lagen in der Luft. „Für uns war dieses Event ein absolutes Highlight, das ganze Team war schon seit Tagen wahnsinnig aufgeregt“, erzählt Verena Stalder-Eckert. Sie ist Gründerin und 1. Vorsitzende des Vereins. Sie möchte mehr Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung die Möglichkeit zu geben, sportlich aktiv zu werden. Aber in erster Linie geht es um den inklusiven Gedanken, denn auch eine Sportlerin und ein Sportler ohne Behinderung gehören zum Team. Unified Sports® nennt sich das und es bedeutet, dass immer ein Sportler mit und ein Sportler ohne geistige Behinderung gemeinsam in einem Kanu sitzen. Für Außenstehende mag das etwas Besonderes sein, nicht so für die Athleten. „Wir sind eine ganz normale Sportgemeinschaft und mittlerweile auch enge Freunde geworden“, sagt Elke Langers. Sie ist einer der „Unified-Partner“ und ist durch eine Trainerfortbildung zum Thema Inklusion gekommen. Das außergewöhnliche Training auf dem Messe-See ruft der Sportgruppe eine besondere Erinnerung ins Gedächtnis. 2008 fand in der damals fünf Jahre jungen dm-arena die Eröffnungsfeier besagter Special Olympics Games statt. Seitdem kommen sie immer wieder her. Ob zur REHAB, einer jährlichen Fachmesse für Rehabilitation, Therapie, Pflege, Inklusion, oder diversen Sportveranstaltungen. „Es gab hier auch mal ein Roller-Skates-Event, an dem ich zusammen mit einer tollen Gruppe von Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung teilgenommen habe“, erinnert sich Stalder-Eckert. „Wir sind dann ums ganze Gelände herumgefahren, die Strecke war hervorragend, das hat sich einfach angeboten und war ein Riesen-Spaß“, so die 1. Vorsitzende weiter. Und darauf kommt es an – gemeinsam eine schöne Zeit zu verbringen. Ob beim Sport oder aber bei einem Rundgang über eine der verschiedenen Messen. „Ich gehe jedes Jahr auf die offerta und kaufe jedes Mal einen Salami-Korb“, freut sich Athlet Joe Meiners. Und Verena Stalder-Eckert war erst kürzlich auf dem Max Giesinger Konzert, auch ein ganz besonderes Erlebnis. Die Kulturbühne hat es Thomas Feldermann angetan. „Da will ich unbedingt mal hin.“ Ach ja, die NUFAM wäre auch mal ganz spannend, findet Ante Micitic. In der Messe, um die Messe und um die Messe herum – sportlich gab es in 20 Jahren es auf dem Messegelände im Süden von Karlsruhe regelmäßig viel zu Erleben. Tour de France, das INIT Indoor-Meeting, sogar die „Ninja Warriors“ waren mehrmals zu Gast. Und heute kommt Hyrox – der Fitness Wettbewerb für jedermann – regelmäßig vorbei. Messe und Sport leben beide vom Gemeinschaftserlebnis. Und durch ihren Sport tritt die Kanugruppe aus Bretten dafür ein, diese Gemeinschaft vielfältiger und inklusiver zu machen.

Messe-See vor dem Messegelände von Karlsruhe indem eine Kayak-Gruppe von je zwei Personen in einem Kayak in einem roten und blauen Kayak über den See patteln

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Give everything

Zwei Klassen nebeneinander mit Elementor