The success story continues
The first half of ‘22 was a successful trade fair semester. Many exhibitors told us about exciting moments that they experienced with their customers after two years of a live-marketing pause. We have made a significant contribution to this and have delivered every project punctually and with high quality. Normally, that is the basis of our business and not worth mentioning any further, but after a 2-year corona hiatus, the industry has completely changed. In addition to the expectable challenges of the restart, the loss of many qualified employees in the supply sector, there are now tense framework conditions related to foreign policy, macroeconomics, and the energy industry. Preparing projects requires more caution than ever before, but we have obviously prepared ourselves well, so the situation is both gratifying and challenging.
A high equity ratio that is once again approaching 50% also helps this stable foundation. Above all, mac has preserved performance across all departments undiminished, which is precisely the reason why it is well-positioned for the challenges of the future. We have a strong team, and for the most part, we were able to keep them together throughout the crisis. We operate very independently from the supplier market with our in-house and powerful production. But the long delivery times for material supply, the increase in energy costs, and the strained logistics chain also require a lot of attention and extra effort from us. However, thanks to our longstanding collaborative relationships with our suppliers and thorough pre-planning, we have been able to securely execute all our projects up to now, and it will remain that way. As an expression of this confidence, just this year alone, we have hired 20 new apprentices and dual students and have taken in the year’s graduates.
Ever since trade fairs and events have resumed in April, mac has exceeded revenue every month compared to 2019, i.e. pre-corona times. We have used the past months to make mac suitable for the transformation from a traditional trade fair business to a creative and efficient combination of real and virtual spaces. We have won over new customers and invest in the future. All in all, mac has invested 4.7 million euros in machines, systems, IT, and sustainability in both years of the coronavirus crisis. As one of the leading international companies for live communication, mac is well-prepared for the challenges of the future.
Among the 700 projects this year, there are many flagship projects that stand out due to size or complexity. However, we particularly wish to mention the Hannover trade fair industry – one of the leading trade fairs in the German trade fair industry, where we had a presence with many orders. It was where the largest trade fair booth for SAP was carried out – at 1950 square meters. Furthermore, we delighted the VDMA and ZVE industry associations with innovative booth concepts. mac. brand spaces was also working on several booths at the IFAT in Munich. The collaboration with VDMA, an outdoor project for Scania and a booth for Karlsruhe’s Institute for Technology (KIT) are also worth highlighting.