He had certainly planned to withdraw at the end of Drupa 2020, but the coronavirus epidemic will have decided otherwise. After 16 years at the helm of Düsseldorf Messe, the German organiser of Drupa, the world's largest graphic arts and packaging trade fair, Interpack, Werner M. Dornscheidt is retiring. He will hand over his position as CEO to Wolfram N. Diener, Chief Operating Officer, as of July 1, 2020.
"Trade shows are my life, explains the man who joined the group 37 years ago. What we have built with my team over all these years benefits the company today. Although conditions are currently difficult, it is comforting to know that 'my' company is in good hands."
Werner M. Dornscheidt adds: "The team is already busy working on a restart and developing new digital modules so that Messe Düsseldorf will also remain the successful and renowned company of the future that it is today. I've made my contribution."
A very strong start to the financial year
And that's the understatement of the year. Since 2004, when he was appointed CEO, the organiser has seen its profitability rise from 6.4% to 14.8% today.
And the German group's last financial year ended with a 28.7% increase in turnover to 378.5 million euros (compared to 294 million euros in the previous financial year). Messe Düsseldorf's after-tax earnings more than doubled in 2019 to 56.6 million euros (previous year: 24.3 million euros).
Renovated Messe Düsseldorf exhibition centre
In addition to the deployment of various trade fairs outside Germany, Werner Dornscheidt has developed in the düsseldorf Exhibition Centre 140 million worth of work, "in order to remain both competitive and attractive to customers."
After the opening of hall 1 more than 12?000 m 2 from autumn 2019, the exhibition grounds will see the completion of the new south entrance with a 20 m high cantilevered roof this year. "Finished in time to restart the trade fair in the autumn, Messe Düsseldorf will have a new architectural landmark visible from afar." Dornscheidt is delighted. Until the lockdown in March, Hall 1 had been fully booked.
"You can't turn a blind eye to social problems."
Werner Dornscheidt is also involved in various projects, including Save Food.
On the occasion of the Interpack 2011 packaging exhibition, he launched the Save Food initiative with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), joined shortly afterwards by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The aim of Save Food is to combat food waste. Today, more than 1000 companies, research institutes and NGOs support this initiative.
"When you've been in business for so long and have seen the world, you can't turn a blind eye to social problems, you have to take responsibility for them. It's not enough to talk about it, you have to do some chose?!"
Wolfram N. Diener, his successor
Werner Dornscheidt will hand over the reins to Wolfram N. Diener, Managing Director of Operational Affairs since 2018.
"I rejoice in the trust placed in me. We can build on Werner Dornscheidt's work and face the challenges ahead together, says the future CEO. Here in Düsseldorf we can boast a unique brand that can be made even more successful through internationalisation, digitalisation and - just as importantly - through a strong team."
