B2B marketing in Munich: what a campaign for your company would look like
I help B2B companies in Munich turn one trade fair into a pipeline of named accounts, through a workshop day, a project run with your team, or advisory every month. Below is a fictional Munich automation software company and the eleven-week plan I would run for it around automatica 2027 at Messe München, with real venues, prices and travel routes.
I'm based near Zurich and work for companies in Germany and Switzerland. Workshops can run on site or remote. The company in this scenario is made up; every local fact carries its source.
A fictional Munich automation company as the example
This is a fictional example, so the plan has something concrete to chew on. Taktfeld GmbH is invented: 30 people in Munich, software that lets a machine operator teach a cobot cell a new small-batch job in an afternoon, without writing robot code. The goal for the scenario, also invented: qualified demos with 10 of the 30 manufacturers on the list within eleven weeks.
Automation is a real Munich strength. Messe München runs automatica, which it calls the leading exhibition for smart automation and robotics. The 2025 edition drew close to 49,300 visitors from more than 90 countries and about 800 exhibitors, according to the organizer's final report. "Automation for the Mittelstand" was one of its named focus topics.
The buyers sit nearby. VDMA Bayern calls itself the network for 500 VDMA member companies in Bavaria, and many more contract manufacturers and metalworkers never join an association. For Taktfeld I'd build a short list of 30 named manufacturers with 50 to 500 employees and two people in each: the head of production and the manufacturing engineer who'd run the cell. Thirty firms is a list sales can call one by one, the same size as an ABM pilot.
My take: the manufacturing engineer is the person who decides whether a demo turns into a pilot. Owners sign, but they ask that engineer first.
Which trade fairs fit an automation campaign in Munich?
For automation software, Munich has one stage that matters: automatica at Messe München, which the organizer holds every two years. The 2025 edition was in June, and the next one runs from 22 to 25 June 2027, all halls at the East Entrance, in parallel with LASER World of PHOTONICS and World of Quantum. Everything else in the plan is built around those four days.
| Fair | When and where | Audience | My call for Taktfeld |
|---|---|---|---|
| automatica | Every two years per the organizer; June 2025, next 22 to 25 June 2027, Messe München | Robot makers, integrators, users from industry | The anchor: small package stand, booked demos |
| LASER World of PHOTONICS | Same days as automatica, parallel at Messe München | Laser and optics buyers | Walk through for partners, no budget |
| productronica | November, Messe München; next edition 16 to 19 November 2027 | Electronics manufacturing, PCB and SMT | Only if the list holds electronics makers |
| SPS | November, Nuremberg | Factory automation and industrial AI | Visit to research the list, outside Munich |
SPS in Nuremberg runs in late November, with more than 1,000 exhibitors and industrial AI as its main topic, according to the organizer Mesago. I'd still keep Taktfeld's money in Munich. The target list drives in, and the demo cell stays close to home.
Where do the buyers travel, and does out-of-home pay off?
Munich's big hubs carry huge crowds, and almost none of them run a production floor. On an average day in 2024 about 264,000 people passed through München Hauptbahnhof, per the federal government's answer to the Bundestag. Munich Airport handled 43.4 million passengers in 2025, a preliminary figure from the airport. For a list of 30 manufacturers, both are broadcast media.
- U-Bahn: line U2 runs from the Hauptbahnhof to Messestadt West and Messestadt Ost in just under 20 minutes without changing, per Messe München. Messestadt Ost is the stop for the East Entrance, where automatica sits.
- Car: drivers reach the grounds from the A94 via the exits Feldkirchen-West and München-Riem, and a dynamic traffic guidance system leads them to the car parks.
My plan spends nothing on posters. Here's my view: a production manager from Lower Bavaria or Swabia is more likely to drive in on the A94 than to pass a screen at the Hauptbahnhof. Taktfeld reaches that person better with a letter on the desk four weeks before the fair.
How would the fair week run?
Taktfeld goes to automatica as an exhibitor with a small stand and a working cell, and every meeting is booked before the halls open. The organizer's 2027 price list sets the frame: a row stand costs EUR 279 per square meter plus a mandatory communication fee of EUR 1,230, before VAT. For a small team the simpler choice is the smallest package stand, Modul S: 9 square meters plus 2 of storage, stand construction, power, cleaning and the communication fee included, for EUR 8,290.
The one detail I'd build the invitation around: exhibitors get an unlimited number of one-day ticket vouchers for their customers, per the same price page. So both people at each of the 30 firms get a printed letter in week five, four weeks before the fair, with a free ticket and a fixed 30-minute slot at the stand. The package stand includes the vouchers too. The ask is simple. Bring a drawing of one real part, and we teach the cell that job while you watch.
My rule of thumb: a slot with a time on it gets kept, a general "visit us" doesn't. Sales calls each firm a week after the letter to confirm the slot and the part.
After the fair, two open days at the Taktfeld office in Munich catch the people who couldn't come.
Which digital channels and local networks carry the plan?
Online, the Munich plan stays small and serves the letter. LinkedIn posts warm up the named list, the chamber and the regional cluster lend credibility, and the website carries one page per offer: the slot booking for automatica and later the open days.
- LinkedIn: no ad budget. LinkedIn's help pages set a floor of 300 member accounts per ad set, and 60 named people sit far below it. Instead the person who signs the letters connects with the 60 and posts short clips of the cell learning a part, not product banners. More in the guide to B2B marketing strategy.
- IHK für München und Oberbayern: with more than 400,000 member companies it calls itself the largest IHK in Germany. Its industry events are a good place to meet owners outside the fair.
- Cluster Mechatronik & Automation: the Bavarian network for mechatronics and automation, profiled by Bayern Innovativ, with an address in Augsburg. Good for introductions.
- Language: German throughout, prices in EUR, the letter signed by a person. My view: a Bavarian Mittelstand owner reads a letter from a Munich company with a name on it. A generic campaign email gets deleted.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
The campaign runs eleven weeks, from late April to early July 2027, with automatica in week nine. List and offer take two weeks, followed by six weeks of letters, calls and LinkedIn posts, the fair week, then two weeks of open days and follow-up. Letters, stand and events come to roughly EUR 9,400 to 10,900 in cash, and the letters themselves are the smallest line.
| Weeks | Task | Guide value (EUR) | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | List of 30 firms, two people each, offer | Covered by the project fee | Price list, see below |
| 3 to 8 | LinkedIn posts and connections, no ads | 0 | 60 people are below LinkedIn's 300 floor |
| 5 | Postage for 60 letters as Großbrief | 108 | Deutsche Post, EUR 1.80 each (2026) |
| 5 | Print, envelope, insert for 60 letters | 480 | Assumed EUR 8 per piece |
| 6 | Follow-up calls, 20 minutes per firm | Internal, about 10 hours | Assumption |
| 9 | Package stand Modul S, 9 square meters, build included | 8,290 | Organizer price list 2027 |
| 9 | Moving the demo cell across town | Up to 1,000 | Assumption |
| 10 to 11 | Two open days at the office, follow-up | 500 to 1,000 | Assumption, mostly catering |
The letters cost about EUR 590 in cash: 60 pieces at Deutsche Post's 2026 Großbrief price of EUR 1.80 for an unfolded A4 page in a large envelope, plus print and insert. The discounted Dialogpost doesn't fit: it needs at least 200 pieces even for a single postal region. Deutsche Post has announced higher prices from January 2027, still pending approval in November 2026; the letters go out in May 2027, so recheck postage before the send. The stand is the big line. Skip it and invite the 30 firms to the Taktfeld cell in Munich during the fair week, and the cash drops to about EUR 1,100 to 1,600. The free ticket vouchers then fall away. On my side, this is a Momentum Project; the price list starts it at EUR 7,800. Guide price: depending on scope and effort the price may be higher; it is fixed before the project starts. For splitting a budget like this across channels, see the guide on marketing budget allocation.
How would you measure the Munich campaign?
Count the campaign against the 30 firms on the list. What share booked a slot, kept it, came to an open day, and asked for a pilot cell within 90 days?
- Slots booked before the fair, per firm, as a share of the 30. That number in week eight tells you whether the stand will be busy.
- Slots kept and parts taught live at the stand.
- Open day visitors from firms that missed the fair.
- Pilot requests and deals opened within 90 days of automatica. The scenario target is qualified demos with 10 firms.
- Searches for the Taktfeld name and visits from Bavaria, against the period before launch.
Where should a Munich company start?
Munich gives an industrial B2B company a rare advantage: the leading fair for its market comes to its doorstep every two years. Use it as the deadline for the whole campaign. Name the firms, put a time slot in their hands, and show the product doing their job.
The pattern works beyond robotics: one home fair, a named list, a reason to come with a concrete task. The go-to-market strategy guide shows how this fits a whole market plan, and the B2B lead generation guide covers turning demos into steady pipeline. The service page for B2B marketing consulting lists every format with its starting price.
Planning around automatica or another Munich fair? Book a 30-minute call and bring the fair date. We'll work out which firms belong on your list and what they should bring to your stand.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with companies in Munich?
Yes, Munich included. I'm based near Zurich, and my clients sit in Switzerland and Germany. Workshops can run on site or remote. The format and dates for a fair campaign like this one go into the offer, so both sides know them before work begins.
Is a stand at automatica worth it for a small software company?
It can be, if the meetings are booked first. The 2025 edition drew close to 49,300 visitors. For 2027 the organizer lists row stands at EUR 279 per square meter plus a EUR 1,230 communication fee, before VAT. The smallest package stand, 9 square meters with the build included, costs EUR 8,290. A small stand with booked demos beats a big one waiting for walk-ins.
automatica in Munich or SPS in Nuremberg?
They answer different questions. automatica runs every two years at Messe München, next in June 2027, and centers on robotics and automation; SPS runs in late November in Nuremberg, with industrial AI as its main topic in 2026. For a Munich cobot vendor with a Bavarian list, I'd exhibit at automatica and visit SPS to research the list.
What does a fair campaign like this cost in Munich?
In the Taktfeld scenario above, letters, stand and events total roughly EUR 9,400 to 10,900 over eleven weeks, before VAT. The package stand is EUR 8,290 of that; 60 letters cost about EUR 590 in postage and print. My fee is separate: a Momentum Project, starting at EUR 7,800 and agreed in writing before work begins.
Sources
- Messe München: Schlussbericht automatica 2025 (June 2025)
- automatica: Opening hours and dates 2027 (2026)
- automatica: Exhibitor prices for automatica 2027 (2026)
- productronica: Opening hours, next edition 2027 (2026)
- Mesago Messe Frankfurt: SPS Smart Production Solutions, Nuremberg (2026)
- Deutscher Bundestag, hib: Straftaten an Bahnhöfen, Reisende pro Tag 2024 (February 2025)
- Flughafen München: Flughafen München setzt 2025 seinen Wachstumskurs fort (January 2026)
- Messe München: Travel information Messe München (2026)
- VDMA: Landesverband Bayern (2026)
- IHK für München und Oberbayern: Ihre IHK (2026)
- Bayern Innovativ: Cluster Mechatronik & Automation (2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Targeting options for LinkedIn ads (2026)
- automatica: Stand modules (package stands) 2027 (2026)
- Deutsche Post: Letter prices in Germany 2026
- Deutsche Post: Dialogpost minimum quantities and prices
- PC-WELT: Deutsche Post raises letter postage from January 2027 (October 2026)
Thomas PohleB2B marketing advisor in Zurich. More than ten years in B2B marketing at Link11, Beekeeper and smino, most recently as Head of Marketing. CEO and co-founder of TEISENDA. Researched and drafted with AI tools, checked against the sources listed above. More about Thomas
