Snöcap July 4, 2025
Snöball correspondent
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Happy Independence Day to our readers in the US! Like the fireworks in the sky, here are the top stories lighting up the world of exhibitions and associations in this week's Snöcap.
Scroll down for more details 👇
The top event stories that made waves:
- Raccoon Media Group enters 3-year agreement with Explori to boost growth
- Events Industry Alliance pushes for EU deal to keep UK a top event destination
- NürnbergMesse Italia gets new MD as Stefania Calcaterra departs after 25 year
- Messe Frankfurt reports record 2024 as sales hit €775 million
- Who is hiring?
Raccoon Media Group enters 3-year agreement with Explori to boost growth
Raccoon Media Group has signed a three-year agreement with Explori to enhance customer and market intelligence capabilities as part of its growth strategy.
Explori provides customer experience research and measurement services to the exhibition industry. The partnership will give Raccoon access to benchmarking capabilities, AI analytics and automated reporting tools.
Raccoon opened its first event seven years ago and now employs over 50 staff with operations in the UK, Europe and the United States.
"Our partnership with them will significantly enhance our ability to gather and apply customer and market intelligence," said Mike Seaman, group CEO and founder at Raccoon.
"I've long admired Raccoon's achievements and rapid expansion. We're thrilled to be part of their future plans," said Mark Brewster, CEO and founder of Explori.
Events Industry Alliance pushes for EU deal to keep UK a top event destination
The Events Industry Alliance has launched a campaign urging UK and EU policymakers to establish a Mutual Recognition Agreement for the business events sector to address Brexit-related trade barriers.
The trade association wants bilateral agreements allowing visa-free travel for event professionals and measures to ease cross-border operations.
An EIA survey found 82% of business event suppliers reported Brexit negatively impacted operations. The world's largest gaming and technology trade show relocated from London to Barcelona, costing the UK economy an estimated £250 million.
"The perception that the UK is less welcoming, less efficient and less accessible than European counterparts must be urgently addressed if the UK is to remain a global meeting place for industry, innovation and investment," an EIA spokesperson said.
Shaun Davies, Labour MP for Telford and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events, called a mutual recognition agreement "a practical step that could reduce friction, support exporters and reaffirm the UK's role as a world-leading destination for business."
Barbara Weizsäcker, secretary general of the European Exhibition Industry Alliance, said reducing barriers would "strengthen cooperation between our industries, supporting growth and innovation both in the UK and the European Union."
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides a framework for such agreements.
NürnbergMesse Italia gets new MD as Stefania Calcaterra departs after 25 years
Stefania Calcaterra has stepped down as managing director of NürnbergMesse Italia after more than 25 years with the NürnbergMesse Group. Danny D'Alessandro assumed the role July 1.
Calcaterra led the Italian subsidiary since its establishment in 2009. Under her management, Italy became the top exhibiting country at the Nuremberg exhibition venue.
"Stefania Calcaterra's departure marks the end of an era," said Dr. Thomas Koch, chairman of the Annual Shareholders' Meeting of NürnbergMesse Italia.
Calcaterra worked as an international representative in Italy for NürnbergMesse since 1999. She launched the "Focus on PCB" trade fair during the pandemic and will continue overseeing this event for two years.
D'Alessandro brings more than 15 years of experience in the trade fair and fashion industries. He previously served as general manager at AIMPES Servizi, which organizes MIPEL, the international leather and fashion accessories event.
Messe Frankfurt reports record 2024 as sales hit €775 million
Messe Frankfurt has reported record sales of €775m in 2024, up from €609m the previous year, as the German trade fair organizer posted its strongest financial performance in company history.
Key 2024 results:
- Sales: €775m (up from €609m in 2023)
- Net income: €82m (up from €18.4m in 2023)
- EBITDA: €151m (up from €90.5m in 2023)
- International sales: €343m (44% of group revenue)
- Events hosted: 348 worldwide
- Visitors: 4.6m
- Exhibiting companies: 98,000
"Today, Messe Frankfurt is more stable and successful than ever before," said Wolfgang Marzin, president and chief executive officer. "The financial results in 2024 reflect the Group's performance and proven strategic orientation – even under challenging market conditions."
Detlef Braun, executive board member, said the company's brands "have raised the bar once again and we are registering growth in the main key indicators."
Messe Frankfurt expects continued growth in 2025 and operates through 28 subsidiaries and more than 50 sales partners worldwide. New additions include the Salon du Chocolat in New York starting in 2026 and an Automechanika event in Jakarta next year.
Who is hiring?
This section highlights the latest job positions in the events and associations industry. Here are some new roles that have opened up:
BW Events Tech
Technical Account Manager
Clarion Events
Marketing Executive
Federato
Events Contractor
McKesson
Sr. Associate Conference Services
Stripe
Corporate Events Manager, Expo
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Head of AWS Event Summits, Americas, AWS Global Events
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