O-STA

Messe Berlin: Harald Wolf Begins Four Day Visit to Japan

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 2005--

Meetings With Leading Representatives of the Consumer Electronics Sector - Destinations: Tokyo and Osaka

The IFA 2005 (Internationale Funkausstellung, 2- 7 September) is the reason for the trip to Japan by the Berlin Mayor and Senator for Economics, Labour and Women's Affairs, Harald Wolf, from 5 to 8 April. He is being accompanied on his visits to Tokyo and Osaka by Dr. Christian Goeke, Chief Executive Officer of Messe Berlin, and by Jens Heithecker, Director Information & Communication of Messe Berlin and IFA Project Manager. Their journey emphasises the importance of the intensive business contacts in the consumer electronics (CE) field that have existed for many years between the Land Berlin, its trade fair company, the organisers of this event, Gesellschaft fuer Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationselektronik GmbH (gfu), and the CE industry in Japan. These meetings are intended to help to develop business contacts with some of the major exhibitors at the IFA 2005 and to strengthen the existing close collaboration with them.

In Tokyo a meeting will take place between Harald Wolf and Fumio Ohtsubo, President Panasonic AVC Networks Company & Senior Managing Director, who will be introducing the international keynote addresses at this year's IFA. Fumio Ohtsubo is internationally acknowledged as one of the leading figures in the CE sector, and the organisers and executive company of the IFA, gfu and Messe Berlin GmbH, will be welcoming him on 2 September at the start of a series of industry events.

Harald Wolf will also be spending some time in Osaka, where he will hold discussions with the senior management of Sharp Electronics. In addition to Toshishige Hamano, Corporate Senior Executive Director and Group General Manager of International Business Group, others attending these talks will be Daisuke Koshima, Group Deputy General Manager - European Operation, International Business Group, Hans Kleis, Chief Executive Officer of All European Sales Subsidiaries and Chairman & Managing Director of Sharp Electronics (EUROPE) GmbH, and Frank Bolten, President, Managing Director, Sharp Electronics (Germany) GmbH.

According to Harald Wolf: "The purpose of our trip to Japan this year is to continue our in-depth discussions with prominent representatives of the CE industry. Important business contacts already exist, underlining the vital worldwide role of the IFA as a stimulus for growth in Europe and in Berlin. The combination of the IFA and the city of Berlin offers an outstanding location for investment for companies in the CE sector, and not just those from Asia."

Messe Berlin GmbH

Michael T. Hofer

Group Press and Public Relations Director

Tel.: +4930 3038-2270

Fax: +4930 3038-2071

hofer@messe-berlin.de

or

gfu

Press and Public Relations

Roland M. Stehle

Tel.: +49 911 3777900

Fax: +49 911 3777901

stehle@gfu.de