The Westfalenhallen Dortmund Trade Fair – the title of a success story. And this in spite of the fact that the company that at first primarily focused on events did not start making its mark in the exhibition business until the 1970s. The next decade was spent consolidating the new trade-fair subjects that had originated from a great deal of creative thinking. However, the success of many trade fairs and exhibitions, which registered a rapid increase in the number of exhibitors and visitors alike, created a situation in which growth rates competed with expansion of the exhibition space. Between 1985 and 1996 three new trade-fair halls opened their doors. Further investment additionally brought about a qualitative improvement. Dortmund enjoys an excellent reputation among German trade-fair cities. It is the trade-fair venue in Westphalia.

Trade-fair location where everything is near at hand: compact & competent 

From an economic perspective, the Westfalenhallen Dortmund GmbH trade fair is the most important subsidiary of the Westfalenhallen Dortmund GmbH. Year after year the largest share of total turnover is generated in the trade-fair halls on the Rheinlanddamm.

In spite of the terrific expansion in the ´80s and ´90s, the Westfalenhallen Dortmund Trade Fair has remained a location where everything is near at hand. Here visitors can readily gain an impression of the trends of an entire branch in the course of a day. The exhibitors appreciate the direct contact to the trade fair´s management and the comprehensive services that are on offer.

About 40 trade fairs and exhibitions have established themselves in Dortmund so far:

Regional specialist trade fairs for visitors from North Rhine-Westphalia and neighbouring federal states,

• Regional specialist trade fairs for visitors from North-Rhine-Westphalia and neighbouring federal states,
• Consumer exhibitions targeted at a wide section of the local population,
• Special-interest exhibitions for hobbies and spare-time activities that attract a national and international public,
• International exhibitions intended for a cross-border specialist public.

Dortmund has become a central meeting point for numerous branches, many of which did not previously present their products and services at trade fairs. The time when exhibitors and visitors mainly came from North Rhine-Westphalia is long gone. Today, the Westphalian metropolis is the meeting point for Europe`s hunters just as it is for the world`s model-builders and specialist tobacco-product suppliers.

An outward sign of the increased importance of the Westfalenhallen Dortmund trade fair is its membership of the IDFA (Pool of German Trade Fair and Exhibition Cities), the AUMA (Association of the German Trade Fair Industry) and the FKM (Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics).

Regional and international at the same time – the people of Dortmund honour the status of "their trade fair" with their attentiveness and goodwill. In a survey of Dortmund citizens, more than half of the respondents expressly described their city as a "trade-fair city".