Ms. Lisa Freisewinkel
Head of German Trade Fairs Trade Fair Department
+966 55 268 0083 Freisewinkel@ahk-arabia.com saudiarabien.ahk.de
Messe Düsseldorf on Expansion Path in the Middle East
K, interpack, and drupa expand into Saudi Arabia; EuroShop heads to Dubai
Messe Düsseldorf is successfully pushing ahead with its new-business offensive in the Gulf region.
In Riyadh, HRH Prince Saud Turki Al Faisal Bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Riyadh Exhibitions Company, and Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a strategic partnership.
In the future, the trade fairs Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack (May 12–15, 2025) will be enhanced by the participation of Messe Düsseldorf’s leading global trade fairs K, interpack, and drupa.
Moreover, the Dubai World Trade Centre has officially accepted the application for the launch of EuroShop Middle East in autumn 2026. With these steps, Messe Düsseldorf is consolidating its position as an up-and-coming power player in the Middle East. The Messe Düsseldorf Gulf Office, which opened in January in Dubai, provides the ideal base for these efforts.
Press Release
Riyadh/Dubai, May 13, 2025.
Saudi Arabia is currently showcasing the dynamic and diverse development of the Middle Eastern economy. From May 12 to 15, the Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC) is hosting the Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack trade shows, featuring over 500 exhibitors from the petrochemical, plastics, print, and packaging industries. The flourishing trade fair quartet, whose exhibitor numbers have climbed by 70 percent since 2018, offers plenty of perfect touchpoints for Messe Düsseldorf.
HRH Prince Saud Turki Al Faisal Bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of REC, and Wolfram N. Diener, President & CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to integrate Düsseldorf’s world-leading trade shows K, interpackand drupa into future Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack events.
Countless Tie-ins with Düsseldorf’s Trade Show Portfolio
Wolfram N. Diener emphasized the significance of this decision: “We’re in the right place at the right time. Our commitment to one of the world’s fastest-growing trade show markets reinforces our position as one of the most successful trade show companies worldwide. More and more, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are diversifying their economies, which creates numerous links to our broad trade show portfolio as well as new potential for our customers.”
Messe Düsseldorf Drives Momentum in the Gulf Region
REC Chief Operating Officer Dr. Akram Masri welcomes the partnership: “Our trade shows have evolved successfully in recent years. The fact that they are now part of Messe Düsseldorf’s international portfolio – alongside global number one trade shows such as K, drupa and interpack – underscores the growing significance of our market. At the same time, we expect the collaboration to generate significant momentum for our events.”
metalflow ALLIANCE Saudi Arabia: Strong Premiere in Riyadh
Earlier this May, Messe Düsseldorf, in cooperation with AGEX – Arabian German International Exhibitions, held its first event ever in Saudi Arabia. The premiere of metalflow ALLIANCE Saudi Arabia from May 5 to 7 brought 86 exhibitors from Düsseldorf’s seven world-leading trade shows for metal and flow technologies – wire, Tube, VALVE WORLD EXPO, GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST – to Riyadh, meaning that Messe Düsseldorf contributed almost a third of the approximately 275 companies exhibiting at the concurrent Metal & Steel Saudi Arabia. The metalworking industry in Saudi Arabia and beyond has significant growth potential due to government-backed economic transformation and major investments in industry and infrastructure.
Messe Duesseldrfvmetalflow ALLIANCE Saudi Arabia 2025
AGEX / Credits_AGEX
About Messe Düsseldorf Group
Messe Düsseldorf is among the most successful trade fair companies worldwide. It hosts around 40 trade fairs including 20 leading international trade fairs at its 613,000 m² exhibition center. In the 18 halls the international market leaders and top decision-makers of various sectors get together every year in order to present and discover innovations, to exchange and network.
The sectors of expertise of Messe Düsseldorf include: “Machinery, Plants and Equipment” including metallurgy and foundry technologies (inter alia drupa, K, interpack, glasstec, wire and Tube); “Retail, Trades and Services” (EuroShop, EuroCIS, ProWein); “Health and Medical Technology” (MEDICA, COMPAMED, REHACARE, A+A); “Lifestyle and Beauty” (BEAUTY, TOP HAIR); “Leisure” (boot, CARAVAN SALON) as well as "Mobility" (XPONENTIAL, Flotte!). Add to this numerous conventions, corporate events, conferences and meetings by its subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress.
Abroad, Messe Düsseldorf organizes more than 80 events. The global network of the group of companies encompasses 78 foreign representatives for 142 countries – including 7 international subsidiaries.
