Cornelia Lutz to become Senior Director and Exhibition Director for BAU

There is a new leadership for the world’s leading trade fair for architecture, materials and systems. From May 15, 2025, Cornelia Lutz will take over both as Exhibition Director for BAU and as Senior Director for the entire BAU Network, comprising BAU, digitalBAU, BAU China, Fenestration China and Glasstech Asia. She succeeds Matthias Strauss, who has ended his career at Messe München after more than 15 years at his own request.

“With Cornelia Lutz, we have an experienced trade fair organizer joining BAU who also knows us very well. Her expertise and industry knowledge make her a perfect fit for us, and we look forward to working with her,” says Messe München CEO Reinhard Pfeiffer, introducing the new Exhibition Director.

Expertise in trade fairs for the craft sector

Cornelia Lutz began her career at Messe München around 25 years ago. After holding various positions in the trade fair industry, she worked for the last eleven years at the Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen (GHM).
In addition to the strategic development of events, she was also responsible there for designing and implementing the “Zukunft Handwerk” congress, which makes her a driving force for future topics in the craft sector. Cornelia Lutz also initiated the annual specialist conference for female entrepreneurs and women in the craft sector.

In her position as Senior Director Exhibitions, she will be responsible not only for the events of the BAU network but also for f.re.e., the travel and leisure fair, and INTERFORST, the international key trade fair for forestry and forestry technology. She will report to Falk Senger, Head of Division IV. Returning to Messe München as Senior Director and Exhibition Director for BAU has a special significance for Cornelia Lutz: “I am excited about the new challenge and am looking forward to developing and implementing innovative ideas and concepts for BAU together with the team. I am sure that I will be able to constructively contribute my wealth of experience of the past years from various perspectives in the trade fair world.”

Matthias Strauss is leaving Messe München after more than 15 years

Her predecessor Matthias Strauss left the company in March at his own request. Reinhard Pfeiffer looks back with gratitude on the many years of working with him: “Matthias Strauss shaped the BAU Network and set the strategic course for a successful future. He also knew how to further develop the trade fairs and establish valuable partnerships. I would like to express my sincere thanks to him for his commitment.”