Messe Friedrichshafen
Messe Friedrichshafen, operated by Messe Friedrichshafen GmbH, is at Neue Messe 1, 88046 Friedrichshafen. It has twelve halls: the Zeppelin CAT Hall A1, halls A2 to A7 and halls B1 to B5. The venue publishes a per-hall breakdown rather than a single headline floor area, so we do not quote a total.
Clear heights are generous in most halls, 17.7 metres across most of the A and B halls, 24 metres in A3 and 25 metres in the Zeppelin CAT Hall A1. Two halls are notably lower at 9.15 metres: A6 and B4. Those two are also the only halls that are not pillar-free, so if your design needs an unobstructed overhead run or a tall structure, they are the halls to avoid.
Floor loading is 50 kN per square metre distributed, with a 100 kN point load over a 0.30 by 0.30 metre area, so truss tower bases and heavy machinery are not a constraint here. Hall floors are asphalt. Access is generous too: sliding gates up to 22 by 7.5 metres in A3 and A4, and forklift and truck access up to 60 tonnes in all halls.
Suspension points: the rule that catches people out
This is the detail worth knowing before you design anything overhead. Ceiling grid suspension points are available in every hall and rated up to 500 kg, but three conditions apply and all three are binding:
- Suspension must be ordered through the venue's Online Service Center using the Suspension Points form. It is not something your contractor can simply arrange on site.
- The work may only be carried out by the venue's own appointed contractors. Your build crew may not hang it themselves.
- Approval is only granted once the stand construction drawing has been submitted, and the work must follow the German occupational safety regulations DGUV V 17/18.
Separately, the standard stand construction height is 3.50 metres. A single-storey stand up to that height needs no drawing approval, but anything above it, which includes a suspended overhead light box or banner, requires drawings submitted for case-by-case approval, and the exhibitor or stand constructor is invoiced for the approval procedure. On row, corner and head stands, exceeding the standard height at a boundary shared with a neighbouring stand is prohibited.
The practical consequence: if your concept involves a hanging light box, ring truss or overhead banner, the venue contractor and the approval process belong in your schedule and budget from the start, not as a late addition. Note that the venue's published technical guidelines carry a 2019 revision date, so confirm current deadlines and rules with Messe Friedrichshafen directly before committing a rigging design.
FAKUMA and the rest of the programme
FAKUMA, the international trade fair for plastics processing, is organised by P. E. Schall GmbH and Co. KG and covers injection moulding, extrusion, thermoforming, tooling and materials. The 30th edition runs 12-16 October 2026.
Worth noting that FAKUMA does not run on a simple cycle. The organiser's own edition list shows 2021, 2023, 2024, 2026 and 2027, so the gap alternates between one and two years. Do not assume a year from the last edition you attended; check the organiser's dates each time.
The venue also hosts Eurobike and AERO, run through its subsidiary fairnamic, along with Interboot, InterDive, Klassikwelt Bodensee and CLEAN PRO EXPO.
No local builders listed yet
We do not currently list a stand builder headquartered in Friedrichshafen. Exhibitors here draw on contractors from across southern Germany; we list 4 builders in Mannheim and others in Stuttgart and Munich. Given the suspension rules above, ask any contractor directly whether they have built at Messe Friedrichshafen before and understand the Online Service Center process.
If you need a stand here, submit a brief and we will match you with builders who work southern German grounds. If you build stands and are based in Friedrichshafen, listing with us is free.