Koelnmesse has once again been recognized as Germany's leading and most innovative trade fair venue in the field of sustainability. This is confirmed by the latest study, "Pioneers in Sustainability 2025," conducted by consulting firm ServiceValue in collaboration with the FAZ Institute. The subsidiary of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung assessed the sustainability reputation of approximately 16,000 companies based on artificial intelligence-assisted monitoring of online sources and social media.

"Any initiative that highlights the public awareness of sustainable corporate practices is welcome," says Gerald Böse , President and CEO of Koelnmesse. "Reconciling ecological, social, and economic responsibility is central to our work, and this balance is firmly rooted in our corporate strategy."

Böse also emphasizes the importance of concrete progress: "By offering resource-efficient services and continuously investing in innovative solutions, we enable our customers to make their trade fair participation more sustainable. This creates added value both for our partners and for the future-oriented development of the events industry. The positive public perception of this progress sends an important signal and motivates the company to continue its transformation."

The "Pioneers in Sustainability 2025" study is based on an artificial intelligence-assisted evaluation of approximately 6.4 million online references for approximately 16,000 companies between 2023 and 2025. In addition to indicators of innovative strength, the study equally integrated environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Koelnmesse had already achieved first place among German trade fair venues in 2024. With its renewed recognition in 2025, the company strengthens its role as a leader in the sustainable transformation of the events industry.

Koelnmesse pursues ambitious sustainability goals, including a climate-neutral energy supply by 2030. Recent initiatives include the installation of Cologne's largest photovoltaic system in the city center and the conversion of Germany's third-largest exhibition center to fossil-free geothermal energy. Further progress has been made thanks to modern lighting systems, highly efficient ventilation technologies, expanded charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, intelligent logistics and traffic management, and innovative solutions for resource-efficient stand construction, circular flooring materials, and overall waste reduction at the trade fair.