Directory of the major trade fairs + events in Germany, the EU, and internationally - for investor search and customer acquisition. Filter by type, sector, region.
Tip: Trade-fair participation is often eligible for grant funding. The BMWE Auslandsmesseprogramm + Young Innovators + state programmes cover up to 60% of booth costs. Read the Messeförderung guide →
~7,000 attendees · 1,500 VCs + 300 LPs at the Investor Summit
Munich's founders festival. The Investor Summit on day 1-2 is the densest VC-meets-founders setting in Germany; day 3 happens during Oktoberfest at the Festwiese, which turns the deal-making into Bierzelt-deal-making.
~150,000 attendees · 13,500 startups · 3,800+ investors
Europe's largest startup and tech event. 10th anniversary in 2026. Run from Paris Expo Porte de Versailles with major French + European corporate sponsors. The single best stage for an EU-relevant startup to pitch investors.
~13,000 attendees · 6,000+ startups · 3,500 investors
Started as a 250-person gathering in 2008; now Europe's most curated investor-founder match-making event. The matchmaking app pre-schedules thousands of 1:1 meetings - go to Slush to fundraise, not to learn.
70,000+ attendees
Largest tech event in Europe by attendee count. Broader and less investor-dense than Slush, but the breadth pays off for B2C and marketing-oriented startups looking for press visibility as much as capital.
~70,000 attendees
Hamburg's marketing + tech festival. Pulls in both DACH marketing decision-makers (customers for AdTech / MarTech startups) and a strong VC presence. The OMR Expo floor is operator-dense - go for B2B SaaS pipeline more than for Series A pitches.
Invitation-only · ~1,500 attendees
Burda-organised invitation-only event preceding the World Economic Forum in Davos. High-density executive + investor audience, but no expo floor - you need to be invited (or sponsor a brand presence).
~2,500 attendees
Founders Foundation Bielefeld's annual conference. The de-facto B2B SaaS + industrial-tech hub conference for Ostwestfalen-Lippe. Smaller and friendlier than the megaconferences - great for first-time founders.
~7,500 attendees · 1,500+ companies
Europe's largest FinTech-only conference. Bank executives + FinTech founders + Series-A-to-C VCs in one room. The expo is where partnership deals happen; the side events are where capital does.
~80,000 trade visitors · 5,000+ exhibitors
The world's largest medical trade fair. If your buyer is a hospital procurement officer, a clinical director, or a medical-device distributor, this is where they walk the aisles. The Düsseldorf MEDICA + COMPAMED week is a customer pipeline, not an investor stage.
~130,000 visitors · 4,000+ exhibitors
The world's largest industrial trade fair. Industrie 4.0, automation, hydrogen + energy systems, robotics. The German industrial-customer-decision-maker concentrates here once a year - if you sell to manufacturers, you go.
~500,000 visitors · 750+ exhibitors
World's leading mobility trade fair, repositioned from Frankfurt to Munich in 2021. Both customer-side (Daimler/BMW/Porsche/ZF buying from supplier startups) and investor-side (mobility-VC concentration). Open Space free public area = brand build; expo floor = deals.
~16,000 visitors · 600+ exhibitors
Germany's central trade fair for digital health and Health-IT. Klinik-IT decision-makers, Krankenkassen, ministry officials. The buyer audience for DiGA + ePA + KIS-software startups concentrates here.
~25,000 visitors · 800+ exhibitors
Europe's largest IT-security trade fair. CISOs and IT-security decision-makers from German Mittelstand + Konzerne walk the floor. Best fit for cybersecurity startups with B2B enterprise sale.
~30,000 visitors · 1,000+ exhibitors
World's leading embedded-systems trade fair. Hardware buyers, embedded-software firms, semiconductor partners. The right room for IoT, robotics, automotive-electronics startups.
~190,000 visitors · 2,000+ exhibitors
World's leading trade fair for architecture, materials, and building systems. Construction Mittelstand + architects + planners. Best fit for built-environment, ConstructionTech, smart-building startups.
~90,000 visitors · 1,800+ exhibitors
World's leading retail trade fair. Retail-tech buyers, POS systems, shop fit-out, e-commerce + omni-channel. Triennial - if you sell to retail, plan ahead.
~140,000 visitors · 7,500+ exhibitors
World's largest food + beverage trade fair. Retail buyers, food distributors, hospitality decision-makers. Best fit for FoodTech, alternative-protein, packaging-tech startups.
~40,000 visitors · 2,000+ exhibitors
World's leading sports trade fair. Retail buyers + brand decision-makers in sports / outdoor / fitness. The ISPO Brandnew startup pavilion + ISPO Award are real visibility for new sports brands.
~180,000 visitors · 1,800+ exhibitors
Berlin's flagship consumer-electronics trade fair. Retail buyers, B2C brand visibility, smart-home + appliance + audio decision-makers. IFA NEXT pavilion specifically for startups.
~40,000 visitors · 650+ exhibitors
Europe's largest digital-marketing trade fair. Brand-side + agency-side decision-makers for MarTech / AdTech startups, plus VCs covering the space. Cologne, mid-September.
~95,000 visitors · 2,000+ exhibitors
World's biggest mobile + connectivity trade fair. Telco operators (customer side) + smartphone + 5G + IoT investors. The 4YFN pavilion is specifically a startup zone within MWC.
~140,000 visitors · 4,000+ exhibitors
World's largest consumer-electronics + cross-industry tech trade fair. Eureka Park specifically for startups. US press concentration + global retail buyers. Expensive to attend; the BMWE AMP + Bavarian programmes co-fund startup booths.
~300,000 attendees across festivals
Multi-festival event in Austin combining tech, film, music, and education. SXSW Pitch is the official startup competition; the side events run nightly. Best for brand-building + US press, less for serious enterprise sales.