Tobias Gröber, head of the Consumer Goods Trade Show, a division of ISPO parent Messe München, will depart the company in April after 28 years to explore the next phase of his trade show career. The ISPO Group expects limited disruption as Exhibition Director Lena Haushofer and her team assume Gröber’s responsibilities.
Christoph Rapp, head of Sales and Marketing, and Saskia Rettenbacher, head of Event Management, are noted to be well-positioned to continue ISPO’s reach as the largest sports business event with its upcoming annual show, which will be held this year from December 2-4, 2025.
Rapp and Rettenbacher’s direct reporting line is to Harald Kirchschlager, Executive Director Corporate Strategy & Development, Messe München.
Inhorgenta Munich will remain under Stefanie Mändlein. Christine von Breitenbuch will continue to manage IAA Mobility.
“After 28 years at Messe München full of challenges, successes and experiences, it is time for me to start a new chapter and take the next step in my professional career in the trade show industry,” shared Gröber.
“I look back on my time at Messe München with great appreciation and, at the same time, look forward to the exciting tasks that lie ahead of me. Over the past decades, I have been able to work with a highly motivated and committed team and with great people in my consumer goods sectors. That makes me grateful and proud.”
The company said in a media statement that Gröber’s career at Messe München is a textbook success story after starting at Messe München as an intern after college in 1997.
“As early as 1999, he took on responsibility as a project manager and quickly proved his flair for innovative concepts and his ability to inspire people,” the company said Gröber. “In 2004, he was appointed division manager for consumer goods fairs and thus also took over the management of the renowned Inhorgenta Munich. In 2020, Gröber also took over one of the largest and most important automotive trade fairs, the IAA Mobility.”
Messe München said Gröber has played a lasting role in shaping the sports and outdoor industry.
“We would like to thank Tobias Gröber for his extraordinary commitment, which he has shown from day one at Messe München and with which he has contributed to the success of our company,” offered Munich trade fair bosses Stefan Rummel and Reinhard Pfeiffer. “Tobias Gröber has managed his trade shows creatively, with innovative concepts and with great industry knowledge in both good and difficult times, and has inspired people for them.”
Image courtesy Messe München GmbH
