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Holding events sustainably

Conceived sustainably from A to Z

In holding your event we take account of your own needs, of course – but also its impact on the environment and society. Which is why we constantly work closely with our ServicePartners to improve our services’ environmental footprint, and thus help to ensure that your event comes off with the lowest possible consumption of resources and the most inclusive possible participation. 

“Our energy management was certified to ISO 50001 as far back as 2014, and now we’re in the process of getting certified for environmental management under ISO 14001, keeping consistently to our path of becoming a driving force for holding events sustainably for our customers and business partners.”
Eckehard Wohlgenannt, Environmental Manager, NürnbergMesse
Front view of four Deutsche Bahn ICE trains, above which is an icon of a curved line and a destination pin symbolising environmentally friendly travel.

How to get here and where to stay

The best way to get where you’re going

NürnbergMesse has excellent connections. The U1 underground line connects the Exhibition Centre directly to the main railway station and the Nuremberg city centre.

Getting here with less environmental impact

An event ticket from Deutsche Bahn can bring you by rail to your trade fair and the Convention Center at a reduced price.

Choosing hotels with a clear conscience

We’ll help arrange accommodations for your event at partner hotels that have made a special commitment to environmental protection and/or social concerns.

Charging stations for your e-car

If you’re coming by e-car, the Exhibition Centre has a well equipped e-charging infrastructure. Its more than 80 charging stations will be expanded with a further 200 by 2025. Check the NürnbergMesse website to find out more about e-mobility, including locations and the employed equipment. 

An electric car is being charged at an electric charging station of NürnbergMesse.
Visitors walk towards the entrance to NCC Mitte; above it is an icon with a person in a wheelchair, a crossed-out ear and a crossed-out eye as a symbol of accessibility.

Accessibility

We want our events to be accessible to everyone, and have ensured a barrier-free infrastructure. 

Exhibition Center

Barrier-free access (e.g., with lift) across the site. Wheelchair-accessible WC facilities.

Wheelchair hire

We’ve set up a wheelchair hiring station with the Bavarian Red Cross for those who will need a wheelchair during their visit here.

Infrastructure

A tactile floor guidance system in Halls 3A and 3C ensures barrier-free access for those with impaired or restricted vision. Audio induction loops* support hearing-impaired event attendees (*note: currently available only in certain auditoriums)

*Currently available only in certain auditoriums 

A man stands in front of a service counter with catering staff and studies the menu. Above it is an icon of a hand holding a serving tray, symbolising catering.

Catering

The skills of our caterer Lehrieder go well beyond creating delicious cuisine – it can handle the complete conception and organisation of catering concepts. That yields a wealth of options for managing resources more sustainably and encouraging social integration. 

Regional products from organic farms

Groceries are procured mainly from farming operations in the region (such as produce from the famed Knoblauchsland area nearby). Preference goes to seasonal products and products from organic farms.

Reduced food waste

Even as we plan an event, we already give special attention to avoiding food waste. We carefully calculate quantities so we can buy only as much as we really need.

Recycling

We use an effective recycling system, collecting leftover food for disposal by a specialist company, while usable biowaste is processed in a biogas installation. We also donate returnable bottles to various organisations as a way of contributing to the community and supporting the recycling loop.

Our caterer

Our subsidiary Lehrieder Catering has long viewed in-house sustainability as more than a mere optional bonus. It is certified with the “Green Globe” for its sustainable, fair corporate strategy, and has offered environmentally friendly event catering, in the form of “Green Meetings”, since as far back as 2011. In 2023, Lehrieder also won the German Award for Sustainability Projects in the Service Providers – Gastronomy/Event category. 

Logo Lehrieder Catering-Party-Service GmbH & Co. KG
Photovoltaic system with an icon of a plant, next to wind turbines and a plant leaning towards the sun, symbolising renewable energies.

Energy

Since as long ago as 2015, our “Energy Campaign” at NürnbergMesse has been successfully pursuing the goal of cutting energy consumption at our company and during the events at the Exhibition Centre.  

Energy-efficient settings

We help save energy at events with efficient settings. We adjust temperature settings, switch systems off at the right time, optimise lighting, and make efficient use of express paths.

100% green electricity

Since 2020, we’ve offered only certified green electricity for our customers. Also, thanks to the solar panels on NürnbergMesse’s roofs, we’ve been generating solar power since 2023. That makes our power consumption more independent.

100% LEDs

We’ve gradually converted the lighting on our site and in our halls to energy-saving LED lamps. That has already saved several million kWh of electricity, and thus also CO2.

Bavaria’s most powerful photovoltaic system

At 20 megawatts peak, we’re building Bavaria’s most powerful photovoltaic system, with Bavarian investment, on the roofs of NürnbergMesse. On a sunny day, this system would be able to produce enough energy to charge 400,000 smartphones for a year. The solar energy we generate in-house can be stored temporarily in a 7.7 MWh battery storage system made of used car batteries, and thus can deliver power even when there’s no sunshine.  

A woman stands next to a robot, both waving at the camera; above them is an icon of a robot hand and a human hand reaching out to shake, symbolising smart communication.

Smart communication

We use smart solutions to conserve resources and make our communications more efficient. 

Digital trade fair logistics system

Our digital trade fair logistics system is a smart on-call system we’ve developed to help reduce traffic jams on the way to and within our grounds. It covers all vehicles that come in to load and unload goods or passengers.

Digital navigation and information system

We’re reducing physical signage on the grounds, and rely instead on using the “myLocation” digital navigation and information system.

360-degree tour

You can use our interactive 360-degree tour to explore all the rooms and auditoriums on the site even before your event – and with no expenditure of CO2 emissions for travel or hotel stays.

Specialised personnel transport items, next to them is a dumpster with commercial waste, above it is an icon with a wastepaper basket and a recycling symbol.

Recycling and cleaning

Waste recycling and cleaning play a key role during events. 

Waste sorting

Working with our partner Ressourcen Werk Nürnberg, we sort all waste that accumulates during the setup, operation, and tear-down of an event into homogeneous categories, and send it off for recycling. Ninety-nine percent of our waste is sorted in this way.

Returnable bottles

We work with the PFANDNETZWERK returnable-bottle network, and if you request we can include all returnable bottles in our recycling loop. All deposits recovered from returnable bottles are donated to Strassenkreuzer e.V., the non-profit publisher of a street newspaper to be sold by the poor and unhoused.

Environmentally friendly cleaning

Wherever possible, our ServicePartners use biodegradable cleaning agents, thus minimising chemical pollution.

ÜBERSTEZUNG? Paper towel recycling

We use Tork dispensers in our event and office areas—and with them, the world's first recycling service for paper towels, Tork PaperCircle. Used paper towels are collected, fed into the recycling system, and processed into new hygiene paper products.

“Blue Angel” for events

The “Blue Angel” is one of the best-known and most prestigious eco-labels in Germany. It identifies products and services that stand out on account of their sustainability. As from 2025, organizers can also obtain “Blue Angel DE-UZ 236” certification for their events if all the conditions are satisfied. This is precisely where our exhibition venue meets the relevant criteria. These include our environmentally friendly travel options to and from our events, our energy-efficient buildings, 100% green electricity, sustainable catering and sophisticated waste management. Use this certification and the eco-label to promote your event. 

More about sustainability at the NürnbergConvention Center 

Find out more about our commitment to sustainability – including our sustainability targets and the sustainability report we have voluntarily included in our Annual Report. 
Sustainability icon of NürnbergMesse: Orange leaf with slogan Sustainability is our compass

Want to know more details about sustainability at NürnbergMesse?

Portrait of Tanja Rätsch
Tanja Rätsch
Executive Director Corporate Liaison & Sustainability