The quarrel between “Euromold” organiser Demat (Frankfurt / Germany; www.demat.com) and Messe Frankfurt (www.messefrankfurt.com) is escalating. The dispute first erupted in November last year, after Demat announced during the then ongoing “Euromold” (www.euromold.com) fair that it would move the event – held in Frankfurt for many years – to Düsseldorf in 2015 (22-25 September). The news of the venue shift for the international fair for mouldmaking and tooling, design and application development took outsiders by surprise (see also Plasteurope.com of 04.12.2014).

At the same time, Messe Frankfurt announced that it would hold its own mould fair, “Formnext”, from 17-20 November 2015. Adding fuel to the fire was Messe Stuttgart, which in early May this year successfully hosted the first “Moulding Expo – The International Trade Fair for Tool, Pattern and Mould Making” (MEX, www.moulding-expo.de) – see Plasteurope.com of 13.03.2015. Once a niche market, the German moulds segment is now hotly contested by three players.

Demat decided to take legal means, and in mid-June announced that the Frankfurt district court had imposed an interim injunction against Messe Frankfurt on the grounds of “illegal e-mail blasts and breach of data privacy laws.” The organiser accused the fair of having caused “massive damage to its own customers by engaging in illegal and immoral acts,” explaining the reasoning behind its decision to file for a damage claim.

The organiser followed suit on 20 July with a lawsuit against Frankfurt’s municipality, which co-owns Messe Frankfurt, alleging violations of the local code of the federal state of Hesse. The fair violates the subsidiary principle laid down in communal law, Demat said, adding that communal societies are not allowed to compete with private companies. In other words, the organiser has accused Messe Frankfurt – a communal organisation – of trying to oust Euromold, an event organised by a privately owned group.

The response by Messe Frankfurt, issued on 22 July, was no less blunt. The fact that Demat “has repeatedly failed to meet its contractual payment obligations in the past years” forced its hand, the fair said, adding that this failure is what caused it to cancel its agreement with the organiser in the wake of Euromold 2014. The fair added that it filed a claim for the outstanding payments, which it said run into a high six-digit amount, in February this year.

Before terminating the long-standing agreement, Messe Frankfurt said it had a number of discussions with Demat during which it offered the organiser a wide range of ways in which to collaborate in order to return Euromold to a “solid footing”. The quarrel was predated by years of decline in exhibitor numbers, the fair said, adding that while its efforts were ongoing, Demat was actively planning the move to Düsseldorf.

“Responding to the desire of many exhibitors, eager to remain in Frankfurt and to establish a viable international fair,” Messe Frankfurt said it had decided “in collaboration with the industry” to set up Formnext. Organised by fair subsidiary Mesago, the event for additive technologies, tool and mould manufacture and production development and production is said to enjoy the support of many market leaders, from the additive technologies and 3D printing sectors in particular, Messe Frankfurt said.