Visa waiting times for international exhibitors and visitors who want to take part in trade fairs in Germany are still too long in many countries. This is shown by this year's trade fair visa survey, which AUMA conducted in July and August among the foreign representatives of German trade fair organisers.

How is the German trade fair industry holding its own in a changing world? The new AUMA annual publication "Trends 2025/2026" shows: Between digitalisation, sustainability and AI, personal interaction remains at the heart of the industry. Seven key developments provide insights into the future of trade fairs.

AUMA welcomes the decision of the Federal Foreign Office to abolish the remonstration procedure against visa rejections worldwide as of 1 July 2025 in order to reduce waiting times.

Germany is the leading trade fair venue in the world - also in terms of the high internationality of exhibitors and visitors: last year alone, 2.46 million people came from abroad to the 176 national and international trade fairs in Germany - which corresponds to a foreign share of 34 per cent

AUMA Chairman, Philip Harting, has been elected for a third term of three years. Charlotte Finger, who represents the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), was newly elected to the AUMA Board of Directors.