From signature folders to digital signatures: How Messe Düsseldorf is digitizing its contracts

About Messe Düsseldorf

Messe Düsseldorf is one of the world’s leading trade fair companies. Around 40 events are held each year at the Düsseldorf location, including approximately 20 leading international trade fairs in sectors such as mechanical and plant engineering, medicine and healthcare, lifestyle & beauty, leisure, and retail and skilled trades.
With around 736 employees and a state-of-the-art exhibition centre, it is one of the most important platforms for international industries and markets.

Initial situation: Signature folder instead of digital process

In the indirect procurement department at Messe Düsseldorf, numerous contracts cross the desk – from work and framework contracts to contract renewals. Before the introduction of Paperless, day-to-day work looked like it does in many organisations:

• A physical signature folder circulating through the building
• Waiting until authorised signatories were in the office
• Leaving documents at the assistant’s desk if someone was not present
• Processes that, as Alexander puts it, “dragged on quite a bit”

At the same time, a major infrastructure project was underway: the office complexes were to be renovated, combined with a move into temporary office containers. It was clear that in this phase, not everyone would be permanently on site. Analog signature processes would become even more impractical – and a real productivity killer.

Objectives: Contemporary digitalisation & independence

For Alexander Dohrn and his team, there were two central objectives:

1. Process digitalisation
   The contract approval process was to become contemporary, digital and efficient – without paper, walking routes or media breaks.
2. Location-independent working & future readiness
   During the renovation, the signature process had to function smoothly even when employees were not in the office. At the same time, the geopolitical situation played a role:
   • Stronger independence from non-European providers
   • Clear focus on data protection and GDPR compliance
   • A desire for a solution “Made in Germany”

The selection process: Evaluation matrix instead of gut feeling

As an experienced procurement professional, Alexander Dohrn carefully evaluated the market. From January to May, the following steps were taken:

• Comparison of major market players and smaller providers
• Creation of an evaluation matrix with must-have, should-have and could-have criteria

With a particular focus on:

• Data protection & GDPR
• Data sovereignty (hosting & development in Germany/Europe)
• Flexible licensing model and a scalable number of users

It was also important not to start with an oversized setup. Messe Düsseldorf was looking for a solution that:

• Can be introduced in a lean way
• Can grow with evolving requirements
• Does not “get out of hand” if user numbers and use cases increase over the course of the project

The solution: Paperless as a “Made in Germany” digital signature platform

With Paperless, Messe Düsseldorf found exactly what it was looking for:

• Digital signatures for all contract types
  Paperless is currently used for different types of contracts – from work contracts to framework agreements and contract renewals.
• GDPR-compliant German solution
  Paperless is developed in Germany, hosted in Germany and operated entirely in-house – a strong argument for organisations with high demands on data protection and compliance.
• Feature set on par with market leaders
  According to Alexander, Paperless “can do everything the big competitors or the market leader can – and some things more, or differently.”
• Lean start, clear growth perspective
  The solution could initially be introduced in a focused way within procurement, with the option to gradually connect further use cases across the company.

Results: More speed, fewer steps, higher security

With Paperless, the classic analogue signature processes were replaced by a fast, digital workflow. Concretely, this means:

• No more signature folder wandering through the building
• No dependency on whether a person is currently in the office
• Location-independent approvals – particularly important during the move to office containers
• A traceable, digitally documented signature process

At the same time, the decision in favour of a German, GDPR-compliant solution creates a high level of trust – both internally and with partners and service providers.

Recommendation: “I can really recommend it to everyone”

Alexander Dohrn recommends Paperless not only internally, but also in his private environment. Whether to entrepreneur friends or people in his family – wherever contracts need to be signed, he sees a clear added value.

“Basically for anyone who has to sign documents. Paperless is a German company, GDPR-compliant, and can do everything the big competitors can – and a few things more, or differently. I can really recommend it to everyone.”

– Alexander Dohrn, Procurement, Messe Düsseldorf

Conclusion: A contemporary signature process for a modern trade fair company

With Paperless, Messe Düsseldorf has:

• Digitalised its contract processes in procurement
• Chosen a future-proof, German and GDPR-compliant solution
• Introduced a platform that started lean but can grow with the company

Paperless is an attractive alternative to international market leaders – especially for organisations with high requirements for security and digital sovereignty.