Read an excerpt from the interview below.

Anne-Cathrin Boehl: Dear Jochen Koeckler, you were re-elected as chairman for another three years at the most recent FKM shareholders’ meeting at the end of 2025. What are the priorities for your next term of office?

Jochen Koeckler: Over the next three years, we want to further strengthen the FKM as a reliable industry standard and make our work even more transparent. One focus will be on improving the comparability of our key figures – this should increase their acceptance and further improve their informative value. (…)

Anne-Cathrin Boehl: The FKM will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2026. Why is the FKM still important today?

Jochen Koeckler: In order to remain competitive internationally, there needs to be trust in trade fairs and the communication of certified trade fair figures—this is where FKM remains indispensable. For 60 years, it has ensured transparency and built trust. As an independent body, it provides verified data on which exhibitors and visitors can base their decisions (…).

The full interview can be found in the current issue of AUMA Compact (German only).

Der Beitrag “Our certified key figures provide guidance and build trust.” erschien zuerst auf FKM.

From the outset, it was clear that transparency and credibility were key. The newly founded FKM therefore decided to have these standards audited. Competition between trade fairs was fierce, figures were often embellished and the confidence of the exhibiting industry was correspondingly low. The FKM ensured that audited data once again offered reliability. Prof. Dr Erwin Pougin was the first auditor.

The FKM officially began its work in 1966 and audited 22 trade fairs in its first year – an internationally recognised signal for greater fairness and clarity in the trade fair business. Today, 60 years later, this claim is more relevant than ever.

With 33 members and over 200 trade fairs registered for auditing, FKM continues to ensure that exhibitors and trade fair visitors can make decisions about their participation in trade fairs based on transparent and reliable figures.
The auditing firm EY (Ernst & Young) has been conducting these audits for around 30 years. Two decades ago, it took over the company from Erwin Pougin, the auditor from the early days of FKM.

Der Beitrag 60 years of FKM – six decades of trust in trade fair data erschien zuerst auf FKM.

Dr Jochen Koeckler, Chairman of the Board of Deutsche Messe AG, Hanover, remains Chairman, Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH, was re-elected as 1st Deputy Chairman, and Michael Koehler, Managing Director of RX Deutschland GmbH, Düsseldorf, was confirmed as 2nd Deputy Chairman. The trio stands for reliability, innovative strength and the consistent further development of certified trade fair data in Germany.

Dr Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the FKM: ‘In order to compete internationally, trust in trade fairs and the communication of relevant key figures is essential – and this is where the FKM remains indispensable.’

Britta Wirtz, 1st Deputy Chair of the FKM: ‘FKM data provides a solid basis for every exhibitor to decide whether to participate in a trade fair. Therefore, in the increasingly fierce competition for marketing budgets, a neutrally determined data basis is more important than ever.’

Michael Koehler, 2nd Deputy Chairman of the FKM: ‘Reliable key figures form the basis for conceptual and strategic planning as well as investment decisions, because these are consistently aligned with measurable data – for us and, above all, for our customers. We have to deliver.’

The FKM is the only organisation in Germany for the independent certification and publication of trade fair data. Every year, the shareholders have over 150 trade fairs and exhibitions certified by the FKM testing organisation based in Berlin.

Der Beitrag FKM Executive Board confirmed for the next three years erschien zuerst auf FKM.

“The number of events recorded has risen steadily in recent years. UFI estimates that this year’s data represents almost 55 percent of the European trade fair market. We would like to thank all the national associations that contribute to this report by providing their certified data. This year, for the first time, they were asked to specify whether the figures reported refer to visitors or visits, which improves the accuracy of the indicator,” says Chris Skeith OBE, CEO of UFI.
Data is available for 151 trade fairs in Germany, which were collected by the Society for Voluntary Inspection of Trade Fair and Exhibition Figures. One of these events was hybrid, while all others were purely physical trade fairs. The certified data comes from a network of 11 cooperating industry associations from across Europe.

The organizations involved were AEFI (Italy), AFE (Spain), ATFEO (Finland), BDO & Associates (Portugal), CENTREX (Central Europe), CLC-VECTA (Netherlands), FEBELUX (Belgium), FKM (Germany), SOKEE (Greece), TOBB (Turkey), and UNIMEV-OJS (France).

You can download UFI Euro Fair Statistics 2024 as a PDF file here.

Der Beitrag UFI Statistics 2024: Europe’s trade fair market continues to grow erschien zuerst auf FKM.

To the AUMA annual publication ‘Trends 2025/2026’ (online).

Der Beitrag AUMA publishes ‘Trends 2025/2026’ for the trade fair industry erschien zuerst auf FKM.

Of the total of 211 international, national and regional trade fairs, 151 trade fairs in Germany, 3 trade fairs in Italy and 19 trade fairs in Hong Kong were audited. Certification was carried out by an independent auditing company in accordance with uniform standards.

This and current trade fair data is available online in the FKM trade fair database. In addition, for some trade fairs there is structural data on trade or private visitors, including their origin, influence on procurement decisions or professional status.

FKM is the institution for the certification and publication of trade fair and exhibition data in Germany.

The FKM Report 2024 (only German) can be downloaded here: FKM: All annual reports with certified trade fair data.

Der Beitrag Seal of quality “Made in Germany”: FKM Report 2024 published erschien zuerst auf FKM.

The total number of participants includes visitors, exhibitor personnel and media representatives as well as speakers and congress participants if they are present at the trade fair. This figure is primarily used internationally and supplements the previous count, which only referred to visitors.

Supplementing existing key figures

The new key figures can initially be certified as an option. They offer a valuable addition to the existing key figures and focus more on qualitative aspects than purely quantitative ones. This not only improves international comparability, but also facilitates communication about the value of trade fairs. At the same time, FKM remains compact and efficient as an organization.

“The main purpose of introducing these new key figures is to increase transparency for exhibiting companies and visitors,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of FKM. “It is crucial for the trade fair industry both to promote confidence in the strengths of trade fairs and to communicate the right key figures for measuring success. This makes it possible to present the unique selling proposition of trade fairs more clearly and comprehensibly.”

Adapted to market requirements and international standards

The resolutions are based on two years of intensive committee work by FKM. Hendrik Hochheim, Managing Director of FKM, and Tanja Gerhardt, Chairwoman of the FKM Working Committee, reported on the challenges that had to be overcome. “It was a demanding task to find solutions that took into account the complexity of the trade fairs. It was not just about creating something new, but also about preserving what already existed,” they explain. The aim was to adapt the inspection processes to market requirements and international standards.

Ensuring credibility and quality, reducing costs

Together with the auditors, the processes were made more efficient, helping the industry to save costs without jeopardizing credibility and data quality. One example of these measures is the minor change to on-site audits.

“We have succeeded in adapting the certification rules so that they meet current market requirements without losing professionalism,” says Britta Wirtz, First Deputy Chairwoman of FKM. “FKM has shown itself to be an organization that is able to adapt flexibly to new requirements while maintaining high standards.” Special thanks go to all those involved who have made a significant contribution to these successful results.

FKM remains the central and objective authority for the certification and publication of trade fair and exhibition data in Germany. Every year, more than 30 organizers together have around 150 trade fairs and exhibitions certified by FKM.

Der Beitrag FKM adapts certification to changing market requirements erschien zuerst auf FKM.

Chairman of the FKM is Dr. Jochen Koeckler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Messe AG, Hanover. First Deputy Chairwoman is Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH.

FKM is the only organization in Germany for the certification and publication of trade fair data. Every year, 42 organizers have over 150 trade fairs and exhibitions certified by the Berlin-based testing organization FKM.

Der Beitrag Michael Koehler new member of the FKM Board erschien zuerst auf FKM.

FKM Board (from left): Dr Jochen Kloeckler, Britta Wirtz, Constanze Kreuser

The new chairman of the FKM – Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics will be Dr. Jochen Koeckler, chairman of the board of Deutsche Messe AG in Hannover (Germany). The 53-year-old was unanimously elected at the shareholders’ meeting of the German certification organisation for trade fair figures on 7 December 2022 in Karlsruhe. Koeckler will take office on 1 January 2023. He has been elected for three years.

Britta Wirtz, 1st Vice Chairwoman of the FKM and Managing Director of Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH, had taken over the office on an interim basis since Klaus Dittrich left in May 2022.

Previous Chairwomen confirmed

Wirtz, Managing Director of Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH, was confirmed in office as 1st Vice Chairwoman of the FKM at the meeting. Constanze Kreuser, Managing Director of RAM Regio Ausstellungs GmbH Erfurt, remains 2nd Vice Chairwoman.

Der Beitrag Jochen Koeckler new Chairman of the FKM erschien zuerst auf FKM.

The previous FKM Chairman Klaus Dittrich retired at the end of June 2022. The 67-year-old had been at the helm of the FKM as chairman since 2017. During his tenure, Dittrich emphasized the importance of the FKM for everyone who makes trade fairs happen – especially visitors, exhibitors and trade fair organizers. Reliable and comparable trade show data is important for meeting the right target groups at trade shows, he said, but also for monitoring competitor trade shows. Trade shows have “an unbeatable power of persuasion,” Dittrich emphasized. The pandemic had proven that trade fairs have a future and that digital communication can be a useful supplement, but not a substitute, for face-to-face encounters.

In the upheaval of the trade fair industry, which is strongly influenced by the digitalization push, Dittrich supported the development of FKM key performance indicators for hybrid and digital trade fairs. This provides measurable KPIs for trade shows and digital extensions.

The FKM is the only organization in Germany for the certification and publication of exhibition data. Every year, 40 organizers together have around 200 trade fairs and exhibitions certified by the FKM testing organization, which is based in Berlin. Chairwoman of the FKM is Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-GmbH, Deputy Constanze Kreuser, Managing Director of RAM Regio Ausstellungs GmbH Erfurt.

Der Beitrag Chairmanship of FKM passes from Dittrich to Wirtz erschien zuerst auf FKM.