PARIS — Some important industry metrics are up in the latest edition of UFI’s Global Exhibition Barometer. The survey ended in July 2018 and includes data from 312 companies in 55 countries.
For the first time in more than a decade, all four global regions reported a “positive turnover development.” Operating profit is up, too, with more than 40% of companies from all regions reporting a 10% increase over 2016. Nonetheless, 2018 numbers are predicted to decline.
In terms of top business issues for the trade show and events industry, No. 1 remains the “state of the national/regional economy,” followed by intra-industry competition and global economic developments. Additionally, there’s been slightly more digitization within the industry.
“Bringing people and industries together is and remains great business,” UFI Managing Director and CEO Kai Hattendorf told Trade Show Executive. “And just as the global economy had been growing in all global regions simultaneously, so has the exhibitions and business events industry.”
The business model of international exhibitions also is resilient to political, social and environmental challenges, Hattendorf went on, “and that is reflected in the expectations for the coming months. While fewer companies expect their profits to grow in the double digits than did so a year back, the signs still are pointing to profitable growth on the global scale.”
The study can be downloaded at www.ufi.org/research
Reach Kai Hattendorf at (33) 1 46 39 75 00 or kh@ufi.org
