The HanseMesse Rostock was opened on 19 April 2002 on the site of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2003 (IGA 2003) as the new fair and exhibition centre for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

It is situated on a prime site on the bank of the river Warnow and within sight of the Baltic Sea. It will exert great international and forward-looking influence on Scandinavia and the Baltic region.

The design and planning of the HanseMesse were carried out by the distinguished Hamburg firm of architects v. Gerkan, Marg & Partner (gmp) who have designed, among other buildings, the New Leipzig Fair, exhibition halls in Düsseldorf and Hannover, and fair centres in such important international cities as Rimini, Italy and Nanning, China.