President Putin will be accompanied by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who this year will again officially open the world's most important technology event.

Hannover, Germany and Princeton, N.J – February 27, 2013 - Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, will be attending HANNOVER MESSE 2013. The Russian head of state will be in the Hannover Congress Centrum for the opening ceremony on Sunday, April 7, 2013, and will also take part in the traditional opening tour of HANNOVER MESSE on Monday, April 8, 2013. On both occasions, President Putin will be accompanied by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who this year will again officially open the world's most important technology event.

"We are delighted to have received confirmation of President Putin's visit," said Dr. Jochen Köckler, member of the Board at Deutsche Messe AG. "His presence offers convincing evidence of the international status enjoyed by HANNOVER MESSE and at the same time underlines the importance of the Partner Country program."

Every year a different country is invited to step into the spotlight and act as the Partner Country at HANNOVER MESSE. This year, the Russian Federation will be the focus of attention, not only within the exhibition itself but also throughout the entire program of forums, conferences and events that traditionally accompanies the world's leading trade show.

In addition to an extensive array of products and technology at the central Russian stand in Hall 26, the Partner Country will benefit from the broad range of keynote topics featured at HANNOVER MESSE and take advantage of the opportunity to highlight the strengths of Russia as a business location and the world's sixth largest economy. Russian exhibitors will leave their mark on every keynote theme featured at Hannover. For example, the Russian Ministry for Energy will demonstrate the diverse technology and potential offered by the country's energy sector. Occupying a display area of more than 10,000 square feet in Hall 13, the presentations will focus on energy generation and distribution as well as the modernization of the power supply network.

The group display staged by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science in Hall 2 will focus on cooperation projects and industry-related research.

The city/region of Moscow and the city of St. Petersburg are heavily involved in the trade show Metropolitan Solutions, which will be located in Hall 1. This year marks the launch of the event as a trade fair in its own right. The premiere will highlight the importance of the applications and technical solutions that industry has to offer metropolitan areas and the so-called megacities – now and in the future.

The organizers expect Russian cities and regions such as Novosibirsk, Leningrad, Sverdlovsk, Kaluga, Kirov, Tomsk and Tatarstan to be represented with delegations of exhibitors or joint displays. Finally, there will be a strong Russian presence in forums and a number of high-calibre conferences involving key speakers from politics and business. The program kicks off on April 8 with the German-Russian Business Summit, which is organized by the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations. Russia's Ministry for Research and Development has also planned a series of informative events during the trade fair.

For more information, please contact Aryan Zandieh at (312) 924-1688 or azandieh@hfusa.com.

About HANNOVER MESSE (the Hannover Fair)

The world's leading showcase for industrial technology is staged annually in Hannover, Germany. The next HANNOVER MESSE will be held from April 8 to 12, 2013 and feature Russia as its official Partner Country. HANNOVER MESSE 2013 will comprise 11 flagship fairs: Industrial Automation • Motion, Drive & Automation (MDA) • Energy • Wind • MobiliTec • Digital Factory • ComVac • Industrial Supply • IndustrialGreenTec • Surface Technology • Research & Technology. The upcoming event will place a strong emphasis on industrial automation and IT, energy and environmental technologies, power transmission and control, industrial subcontracting, manufacturing technologies, services and R&D.

About Hannover Fairs USA

Hannover Fairs USA (HFUSA) provides global fair exhibitors lead generation and product launch support across target buyers and distribution networks worldwide. HFUSA works closely with exhibitors to help them maintain their competitive position on and off the show floor and to connect with a broad range of new market audiences. For more information, go to www.hfusa.com.