Holtmann Group (Holtmann GmbH & Co. KG, Mesomondo GmbH and Expomondo GmbH) has been an integrated service provider for trade shows and events since 1950, headquartered in Langenhagen, Germany. Holtmann is one of the leading trade fair and event service providers in Germany and the world.

Holtmann GmbH & Co. KG, Mesomondo GmbH and Expomondo GmbH are now united under Holtmann+.

The company brand has not been up to date, like many traditional and large enterprises, despite significant changes since 1950. This is a challenge faced by many companies that were born before the digital age. The logo was not custom and had not changed in years. There was no organizational color in today's sense, brand strategy and brand design were out-of-date. Maybe because Holtman's was focused on other aspects of the business like company development rather than the brand. Brand development was not included in this business' and other honors and successes.

The challenge was the incompatibility of the brand's image and message with the company's current personality. This required a distinct strategy. As a matter of fact, there has been a lot of tradition and heritage since 1950, which is admirable. Furthermore, it was necessary to create a modern image of a forward-thinking company to operate today and tomorrow.
On the other hand, the Holtman company had been developed since 1950. Holtman had several sister companies, including Expomondo, Mesomondo and others. Each had a separate field of activity but was related to its mother company. It was a challenge to balance a 70-year-old business reputation, as well as today's market requirements. Companies created over the years, each playing a separate instrument, compounded this challenge.

The need for a house shake was fundamental! Creating an integrated brand strategy, attractive brand design and modern visual language and brand communication for Holtman and its sister companies. This, in addition to representing the credibility of a 70-year-old company, can be sustainable both today and for the next 70 years.

In 2018, as Holtmann Design- and Brand Consultant, along with rebranding and brand strategy transformation, the definition and design of a distinct image and identity for Holtmann and Holtmann Group Companies (Holtmann GmbH & Co. KG, Mesomondo GmbH and Expomondo GmbH) was put on the agenda.

The first step was to audit the Holtmann brands/companies and their current position on the market and among competitors.

In the 360° Brand Audit Holtmann brand audit, more than 50 factors such as Brand Strategy Audit (Brand name, message, and claim, brand essence and purpose, brand values, brand vision, brand mission, brand purpose, brand architecture, brand story), Brand Design Audit (Logo, colors, typography, imagery, visual language, design system, graphics, illustrations, icons), and Brand Communications (Website, social media channels, E-mails, company presentations, catalogues and brochures, exhibitions, campaigns) were reviewed and revised.

After the analysis of the Holtmann companies, it was time to look at the competitors. More than 100 exhibition companies in Germany and worldwide were carefully analyzed. In the future, this document would serve as a basis for designing and writing strategy for brands.After three months of deep research and analyzing more than 100 international trade fair and event companies in Germany, we found about 30 companies that use the word Messe+Event in their subclaims, title or slogan. More than twenty companies also used black and white as corporate colors.

My suggestion was to define a brand architecture and create a new (sub) brand with a completely different and unique image, as well as to develop Holtman with a completely fresh approach. Also proposed using the company's unique feature, the year of establishment, as the USP in addition to the distinctive corporate design.

Holtman Since 195O was born as an umbrella brand (Dachmarke) of orange and white as a main color, silver and anthracite as the accent color. Traditional Holtman but, instead of black and white, a combination of gray, anthracite and orange was chosen as the accent color.

There were no other trade fair and event companies in Germany at that time using such a corporate color combination. Our goal was to create an innovative,, relevant brand with an emphasis on design rather than construction. There are two distinct images createdd in the minds of the audience; one, the serious color of anthracite and white symbolizing the company's seventy years of experience; and the other, an orange and white combination symbolizing a young and ambitious approach to gaining market share.

Holtmann Since 1950, has been arranged as a master brand in umbrella brand architecture, along with Mesomono, Expomondo, and other sister companies as sub-brands. In the end, we have the company's uniform design, with its unique, custom styles that each relate to each other. One brand name, two characters, a different image and message and more market share.

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