About us

In 1985, Heinz Balland officially founded Balland Messe-Vertrieb GmbH, named after him, with headquarters in Cologne- Junkersdorf. Before that, he had already worked for several years as a consultant for foreign projects with a focus on Korea, including for Messe Düsseldorf.

A specialization in the representation of internationally active trade fair organizers quickly crystallized. The purpose of Balland Messe-Vertrieb GmbH - then as now - is to provide competent advice and support to companies from German-speaking countries in the selection of their foreign trade fair appearances. Leading trade fair organizers from Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia and South America put their trust in Heinz Balland's team.

In October 1988, the previous managing director and partner Wolfgang Flebbe took over the remaining shares of the company Balland Messe Vertrieb-GmbH. The portfolio and the demands of the market grew quickly, so that in August 1989 the company Messe & Marketing Wolfgang Flebbe was founded with a focus on strategic consulting, PR and marketing as a second mainstay.

From the year 2000, another important business field was added. From this point on, Balland Messe-Vertrieb GmbH also functioned as an implementation company certified by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi): this special division mainly organizes subsidized trade fair appearances by the federal and state governments at selected trade fairs worldwide. The first orders from the foreign trade fair program followed and in 2001 Balland Messe-Service GmbH was founded as an independent company that took over the implementation business. Since January 2022, the second generation is firmly at the helm: Moritz Flebbe takes over as Managing Director of Balland Messe-Vertrieb GmbH from Wolfgang Flebbe, who is retiring from the operational business after almost 40 years in the trade fair business.

All three companies are located in the same building and benefit from each other's know-how. Our joint network extends worldwide. Companies from every imaginable industry trust us - from very small to very large, from food to mechanical engineering to exclusive jewelry manufacturers, from Las Vegas to Hanoi. We represent selected trade shows from the largest and most professional trade show organizers in the world that are also worth your while.

Even if markets are globalizing and digitalizing, the world is moving closer together and Jakarta feels just as close as Düsseldorf, one thing will not change - in 2022, 37 years after Balland Messe-Vertrieb GmbH was founded, we and our teams will still be sitting in Cologne-Junkersdorf and still doing what we do best: marketing, consulting and organizing.