LEVALLOIS-PERRET, France — UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released the 34th edition of its Global Exhibition Barometer.
This report takes the worldwide events industry’s pulse and explores areas of concern, projected growth and more.
As 2025 kicks off, organizers across the globe seem positioned for continued success and predict the use of AI to drive efficiency in key functions, though economic and political headwinds remain areas of concern.
Trade Show Executive (TSE) looked at UFI’s findings in the U.S. and compared them to worldwide trends.
1. Operations are Increasing
Sixty-five percent of respondents in the U.S. reported increased operations in the second half of 2024 and 78% predicted increased operations for the first half of 2025.
This is above global trends — 61% of all respondents saw increased operations for the second half of 2024 and 58% expected increased operations for the first half of 2025.
2. Revenue is Growing
Revenue for those surveyed in the U.S., when indexed by 100, increased by 4% from 2023 to 2024 and is predicted to grow by 21% from 2024 to 2025.
According to the report, revenue growth in the U.S. from 2023 to 2024 was smaller than the global industry’s reported growth of 16%. However, the report’s projected revenue growth in the U.S. from 2024 to 2025 is larger than its global projected rate of 18% growth.
3. Staffing is Expected to Remain Stable or Increase
Events industry employment in the U.S. also looks positive, with 40% of American respondents planning to add additional staff (compared to 46% globally) and 60% seeking to keep current staff numbers stable (compared to 51% globally).
4. Americans are Concerned about Competition, Geopolitical Challenges and Economic Issues at Home and Abroad
Respondents around the world provided UFI with their top three most important short- and mid-term business issues.
In the short-term (12-18 months), “Competition from Within the Exhibition Industry” and “Geopolitical Challenges” were the concerns that were supplied the most (19%) by American respondents. “State of the Economy in Home Market,” “Internal Management Challenges” and “Global Economic Developments” were not far behind (15%).
Globally, “State of the Economy in Home Market” was the most pressing issue (23%).
This concern rises in popularity for Americans when shifting to a mid-term outlook (three to five years) — 27% listed “State of the Economy in Home Market” as a key mid-term issue.
“Global Economic Developments” and “Competition from Within the Exhibition Industry” were the second-most popular issues (23%) in this time frame.
Globally, the top three pressing mid-term issues were “Global Economic Developments” (20%), “Geopolitical Challenges” (15%) and “Sustainability and Climate” (15%).
“Sustainability and Climate” was not a key issue for most American respondents in either the short-term (4%) or mid-term (5%).
5. AI is Impacting Sales, Marketing and Customer Relations, Research and Development, Event Production and More Areas
More than 90% of global respondents asserted that AI will impact the events industry, though its predicted effects and current usage vary.
In the U.S., the majority of respondents believed that AI will affect “Sales, Marketing and Customer Relations” (89%) and already use it in this area (67%).
“Finance and Risk Management” and “Other Support Functions” saw the next-highest potential impact (67%), with “Other Support Functions” having a current use of 22% and Finance and Risk Management having a current use of 11%.
Globally, “Sales, Marketing and Customer Relations” also saw the highest potential impact and current use (86% and 54%), though “Research and Development” (82% and 49%) and “Event Production” (62% and 27%) were the runners-up in potential impact and current use.
To find the full Barometer, click here.
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