On 25 September 2019, Messe Düsseldorf (www.messe-duesseldorf.com) put its new hall 1 into operation after two years of construction – see Plasteurope.com of 17.10.2018. “We have taken advantage of the quieter trade fair cycle since Summer 2017 for the construction work and can now use the new hall in time for the start of our strong trade fair season from autumn 2019 to summer 2020,” said Werner Dornscheidt, president and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. The company is not entirely on schedule though. The square outside the entrance with an approximately 7,800 m² translucent fibreglass canopy is yet to be finished (expected in early 2020), instead of being done in time for “K 2019” (www.k-online.com) as initially planned.

The south entrance will nevertheless be in working order for visitors to “K”, as executive director Erhard Wienkamp told Plasteurope.com. “You won't need rubber boots,” he joked, adding that the entrance and foyer are already fully functional, including access from Rotterdamer Straße along the Rhine river and the underground car park via Stockumer Kirchstraße.

The building ensemble “Neue Messe Süd” will have cost EUR 140m by the time it is finished. According to Wienkamp, this limit will not be exceeded in spite of the slight delay. The use of hall 1 as an event location between trade fairs is Düsseldorf’s answer to developments in the trade show and event business. One of the most recent negative examples in this area was the “IAA” international motor show in Frankfurt – see Plasteurope.com of 17.10.2019.

At 158 m long and 77 m wide, the building with an area of 12,000 m² is slightly larger than the previous hall 1 and hall 2 combined. The hall itself can accommodate around 10,000 people, while six conference rooms form a conference area on the upper floor that is connected to the “CCD Süd” congress centre by a glass bridge.