Exclusive: The man behind Reseller Park and TransformIT Europe

Could you provide our readers with some background on Global Fairs TT-Messe and explain how long your company has been organizing trade fairs in Germany and across Europe, including both technology and sustainability-focused events?

After leaving the NTPlus/Teleprofi Group, which I co-founded and which is now integrated into the ALSO Group, in 1995, I organized my first B2B joint stand at IFA Berlin in 1997, then as now the world’s leading trade fair for consumer electronics. At that time, the goal was to bring PC and peripheral technologies, which were rapidly entering the consumer market, into the traditional consumer electronics retail sector as well as into the emerging large retail chains such as MediaMarkt and Saturn, with exhibitors like HP, Logitech, NEC, and Packard Bell.

A similar development took place at Photokina in Cologne, where I introduced digital cameras and peripherals to what was then the world’s largest photography trade show.

Starting in 2012, I organized the “Center of SmartBuilding” theme parks for the Smart Home and Smart Building sectors at ISE Amsterdam as well as at the Frankfurt Messe sister fairs “Light & Building” and “ISH”, until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

You also created and co-organized the well-known “Planet Reseller” at CeBIT. At its peak, CeBIT attracted nearly one million visitors. How does this historical experience influence your current strategy for the Reseller Park at IFA and other events?

In 2003, I developed the idea for “Planet Reseller” at CeBIT and successfully operated my own channel platform there, focused on IT components, telecommunications, and mobile communications, until the trade fair ended in 2018. My long-standing partnership with the IPT/IGT/ICB trading platforms also began during this period.

From the outset, my projects were designed for B2B and international audiences. Within the European and international trade fair landscape, the function of the internationally recognized former CeBIT “Planet Reseller,” with the same B2B channel focus, has long been firmly established at IFA Berlin, in part with many of the same exhibitors. With 200 tech distributors, the IFA Reseller Park has grown into the largest marketplace for the consumer electronics distribution scene in Europe.

CeBIT famously drove the greatest post-war transformation over two decades — the global shift of the computer world into business and society across all industries. The success of this transformational trade fair inspired me to create a cross-industry, international GreenTech trade show: TransformIT Europe.

How does the new TransformIT Europe differ in structure, focus, and target audience from your long-established and successful Reseller Park concept at IFA?

As the son of a farmer, I have always felt deeply connected to nature. Already in the early 1970s, I learned about the warnings from the Club of Rome regarding environmental destruction and the warming of the atmosphere caused by CO₂ and other climate-damaging gases, the result of burning fossil fuels.

I never understood why global decision-makers did not immediately reduce or halt this dangerous trend as scientists had recommended. According to 99% of the world’s scientific community, this development threatens humanity’s survival on our only planet. And even back then, early approaches to solar and wind energy were already emerging.

Today, we have enough green technologies available to become climate-neutral within a few years. However, many of these solutions are still not broadly available or widely implemented. This is precisely why I developed and launched the concept of TransformIT Europe.

You held the first TransformIT Europe in Brussels this May. Did the event meet your expectations regarding visitor numbers, exhibitor engagement, and overall industry impact in sustainable technologies and digitalization?

The kick-off conference in May at Brussels Expo was a high-caliber event and a successful springboard for the first full TransformIT Europe trade fair, which will also take place in Brussels from May 5 to 8, 2026. Numerous well-known sustainability companies participated, including AfB, Germany’s largest nonprofit IT refurbisher, as well as EnOcean, Wilo, and Molano. Major corporations such as BASF, Bosch, Schneider Electric, Siemens, T-Systems, and ABN AMRO were also represented.

In addition, organizations like KNX and TCO Certified, the Steinbeis Center for Circular Economy, as well as universities and research institutions, sent their experts in sustainability and emerging green technologies.

A central insight was highlighted repeatedly: GreenTech can only be marketed efficiently and brought into real-world application through a cross-industry approach particularly in fields like smart buildings, smart cities, and smart green mobility. It also became clear how urgently Europe needs its own data sovereignty as digitalization accelerates; without it, widespread adoption of GreenTech across Europe is at risk.

The roughly 200 participants were enthusiastic about the kick-off conference, as reflected in the videos on our website at www.transformit.eu and on YouTube.

You describe TransformIT Europe as Europe’s leading trade fair for sustainable technologies and digitalization. Which key elements or innovations distinguish it from other European tech trade fairs?

TransformIT Europe is a transformation-focused trade fair, intentionally conceived as such from the very beginning. It is about GreenTech, not “business as usual.” Unlike the countless industry trade fairs where GreenTech remains a small niche, here it is the sole and central theme.

The goal is to help providers of green technologies, products, and solutions generate more business by enabling them to meet buyers and users from all sectors in one place at Brussels Expo.

It is entirely about advancing GreenTech business and optimizing market access — from retail-ready products to complex structural digital solutions. Simply identifying and leveraging dormant synergies across industries is likely to accelerate Europe’s IT-driven green transformation significantly.

Which exhibitors would you like to attract to TransformIT Europe — and why should companies invest in presenting their latest sustainable technologies and solutions at this trade fair?

Our ideal hall layout, divided into eleven main thematic areas, includes exhibitors from all these sectors showcasing outstanding GreenTech products and solutions. The aim is to give each exhibitor the opportunity to reach all relevant industry segments among the professional visitors.

This is certainly an ambitious task for a brand-new trade fair. That is why we offer every exhibitor an individualized target-group visitor service, ensuring that audience engagement is not left to chance.

We have also been promoting the fair and its exhibitors for some time now through continuous social media activity and partnerships with specialized trade media across Europe. Additionally, we have brought an experienced media team on board to ensure strong visibility for the GreenTech fair, supported by the already high level of interest in this unique event format.

Is TransformIT Europe open to speakers, and if so, what criteria must companies, experts, or innovators meet to be considered for a presentation in May 2026 in Brussels?

TransformIT Europe is first and foremost a pan-European trade fair. The accompanying conference and the Masterclasses reinforce its character as an “educational fair,” which is essential when major transformations must occur within a short period of time. There are already numerous digital and sustainability conferences, but most remain purely theoretical.

Here, however, it is the trade fair itself and the business activity on this GreenTech platform, that drives transformation and reshapes markets toward a greener economic and social model. Just as the introduction of computer technologies once changed the world.

The issue is not a lack of insights, but a lack of implementation. The necessary technologies already exist, but they have not yet reached the market or society at scale. TransformIT Europe aims to change that.

Primarily, exhibitors with outstanding products and solutions to combat climate change and environmental degradation should occupy the speaker slots and Masterclasses complemented by inspiring high-profile keynote speakers who can provide strong impulses and arguments for accelerating GreenTech adoption, for example through stronger EU technology standards in areas like Smart City infrastructure.

Could you describe a typical visitor profile for TransformIT Europe — including company size, industry, purchasing power, and areas of interest — to give our readers a clearer idea of who attends the event?

At first glance, the target groups and professional visitors may appear quite heterogeneous when looking at the broad thematic spectrum in the hall plan. However, there is one major common denominator shared by two key segments: First, visitors who want to market GreenTech, and second, visitors seeking to implement complex sustainability systems within their company, organization, region, or city (Smart City).

This includes retail marketers interested in refurbished products, buyers of environmentally friendly materials as alternatives to plastics, stakeholders in climate-friendly energy and construction solutions, and IT system integrators. It also includes companies and public authorities entering the ESG software market or looking for solutions in data and cloud sovereignty, Smart City applications, smart building, urban gardening, or AI-optimized mobility systems (eMobility).

Where will the exhibition take place in May 2026, how many exhibitors are planned, and how many visitors do you expect on site?

TransformIT Europe will be held permanently at Brussels Expo and we will launch the first edition in Hall 7. We expect at least 100 exhibitors and, in the best-case scenario, more than 200.

Predicting visitor numbers for a debut event is always challenging. Exhibitors’ target groups vary significantly: some seek maximum footfall, such as those in the rapidly growing retail refurbishing market, while others aim to meet only a handful of top-level decision-makers from business and politics, for example to discuss infrastructure concepts for cities.

It is therefore entirely possible that the fair could be successful for most exhibitors with around 4,000 professional visitors. At the same time, even 20,000 visitors over four days might still leave room for more.

What is certain is that we will invest heavily in visitor marketing on behalf of our exhibitors including individualized invitation services for their most relevant customer segments.

In your view, what would make TransformIT Europe 2026 a success — in terms of visitor satisfaction, exhibitor business outcomes, media coverage, or new partnerships in sustainable technologies?

We must not forget that more than 25 million companies in Europe must transform themselves into climate-neutral and environmentally friendly organizations within the next 20 years. What has already applied to large corporations since 2025 will become mandatory for all companies starting in 2028 and 2029: compliance with ESG regulations by submitting an annual audited report documenting emissions and environmental performance, supplemented by a roadmap outlining which measures will be taken and within which timeframe to achieve the targets set by the European Net-Zero Act.

The CSRD regulations are currently being streamlined in the so-called “omnibus procedure” to ease the burden on smaller companies.

As mentioned earlier, exhibitors’ expectations differ greatly. This is why we place great emphasis on discussing their goals in advance so we can tailor our visitor marketing accordingly. Naturally, we also invite the press and we are pleased about the strong interest already emerging.

The kick-off conference clearly demonstrated the tremendous appetite for networking within the GreenTech community. We expect the Brussels fair to become Europe’s largest GreenTech business network. Cross-industry partnerships are almost inevitable; they are, in fact, one of the core objectives of TransformIT Europe.

How will the Reseller Park at IFA continue to evolve, and which experiences from past CeBIT events are informing your strategy to ensure that the Apple-iPhone segment and the broader B2B secondary market remain relevant at the show?

Fortunately, IFA itself has committed to sustainable development, demonstrated, for example, by its agreement with Cradle to Cradle. The shared focus on a green future by the world’s leading consumer electronics trade fair and the integrated Reseller Park provides a strong foundation for stability and sustainable growth.

Both the climate- and environmentally conscious processing approach of the Reseller Park and the increasing sustainability focus of IFA exhibitors, for example through repairability, reinforce this trend. Given the rising importance of sustainability, this will benefit both platforms.

Refurbishing is a comparatively easy way to advance sustainability in the consumer electronics sector. After strong growth in recent years, high growth rates are also expected in the future. This strengthens both IFA itself and the Reseller Park, ensuring a stable leading position for both in the years ahead.

Given the growing importance of sustainable technologies and the increasing interest in secondary markets and trade-in solutions: How does TransformIT Europe integrate circular-economy principles into its trade fair concept to promote environmental responsibility? And how do you ensure that the event remains relevant for companies trading refurbished, repaired, or resold technology devices — such as Apple iPhones — across Europe?

Circular economy, recycling, and refurbishing are integral components of the TransformIT Europe concept. Refurbishing plays a particularly vital role because it is the most resource-efficient method of returning like-new products to the market with minimal energy and material consumption. It also creates numerous service-sector jobs directly within European consumer markets.

What matters most is that the entire market structurally aligns itself with this new commercialization model across all aspects: vocational training, the structure of physical and online marketplaces, product labeling that clearly informs consumers they are buying a highly sustainable item, certification systems, and public perception. A refurbished product is not an inferior one, on the contrary, it is often more valuable because it is demonstrably more sustainable and of thoroughly tested quality.

This also requires a shift in public awareness, as well as a kind of sustainability “seal of quality” for refurbished products. We are not talking about cheap devices simply because they are pre-owned; rather, the purchase of a refurbished device reflects a level of climate and environmental awareness. After all, 80% of European consumers are climate- and environmentally conscious to some degree.

That means this positioning must also be reflected in sales arguments and promotional strategies. Refurbishers, distributors, resellers, retailers, and e-tailers all need to communicate the added value of sustainable products to their customers. Our Brussels GreenTech fair serves as an ideal platform to support this educational and marketing process.

What trends do you see for the future of European technology trade fairs — particularly regarding sustainability and digitalization — and how does Global Fairs TT-Messe plan to maintain its leadership position?

Nearly all industry trade fairs I know are now attempting to integrate sustainability into their communications and exhibition offerings. GreenTech development will certainly continue there as well, because in many areas businesses think far more long-term than some politicians.

Nevertheless, on established trade fairs, GreenTech often remains a niche tucked away within traditional industry silos with only a limited number of sustainable products and solutions waiting for market adoption. Meanwhile, most visitors of these fairs remain primarily interested in “business-as-usual” products. In this context, GreenTech cannot win the visibility race, much like organic products that remain confined to small sections in major supermarkets.

In contrast, TransformIT Europe, held annually at Brussels Expo, places GreenTech as the sole cross-industry focus. As a result, the event attracts exclusively visitors who are genuinely interested in sustainable technologies and this is the key differentiator.

TransformIT Europe is therefore an impulse-giving trade fair that can inspire other events as well, accelerating Europe’s digital and sustainable transformation. Many other trade fairs will benefit from this and that is a good thing, because it ultimately helps both the climate and the environment.