UK exhibitions fuel £9.4 billion in trade: report

The UK exhibition industry is fuelling £9.4 billion in trade for the country’s economy, a new report reveals.

Research by the Events Industry Alliance (EIA) found the bounceback from pandemic closures has been strong for the nation’s coffers, also bringing in millions of visitors.

Other top stories of the week include:

• Easyfairs announces 19% jump in revenues
• Event industry’s most influential revealed 
• ExCeL London unveils sustainability strategy

Smart marketing is key to reaching more people and making your exhibitions a success. Learn how in our Events Amplified ebook – an insider’s guide to modern event marketing.

Read on for your full Week in Events roundup ⤵️

UK exhibition industry drives £9.4bn in trade: EIA report

UK exhibitions are now generating £9.4bn in trade after a bounceback from lockdown closures, according to a new report.

EIA’s latest economic impact study reveals the industry is on a solid growth track and is driving 6.1 million visitors to the country.

Chris Skeith, EIA director, said: “Pre-pandemic, the industry steered £11 billion of trade into UK business and although we are not quite back at those levels, we are making significant progress.

“The events industry has proven its resilience and enduring presence, accounting for nearly £5bn of GDP, that’s not far off the 2019 report.”

Andrew Harrison, director of EIA, added: “Organisers, venues and suppliers collectively serve approximately 123,000 exhibitors and generate 99,000 jobs.

“The report clearly demonstrates the force of the events industry.

“We see the opportunities to drive incremental and considerable economic growth and are ready to take them.”

The study, developed in collaboration with UFI and compiled by Oxford Economics, provides a detailed breakdown of the exhibition industry spending and its impact.

Easyfairs announces 19% jump in revenues

Annual revenues for Easyfairs have increased by almost 20%, according to figures.

The findings show this grew by 19% to €193.8 million for the year 2022 to 2023.

Financial reports from the company also reveal EBITDA jumped 25% from the previous year to €35.6m.

Easyfairs CFO Marc Hellemans said: “We have more than weathered the storm of Covid. We’ve emerged stronger than ever.

“We have achieved more than 15% organic growth through a mix of volume recovery and launches.

“In March we fully refinanced all bank debt until the end of 2027, strengthening our liquidity position with pre-Covid terms, putting us in an excellent position to develop new and future activities.”

Easyfairs Group CEO Anne Lafère added: “The more the world goes digital, the more value people place on the ability to meet face to face. We offer real-life social media!

“Easyfairs is a clear post-Covid winner within the industry based on the steepness of the rebound not only in financial results but also in the number of exhibitors and visitors and customer satisfaction.”

Anne added the company was also working on its own “AI value creation roadmap.”

She said: “It has great potential on the one hand to increase the efficiency and job satisfaction of our talents, and on the other, to enhance the experience of all participants at our events and venues.

“We are convinced that AI will further boost existing revenues and generate entirely new revenue streams.”

Event industry’s most influential revealed 

The event industry’s most influential people have been revealed in a new index.

Eventprofs from around the world took part in the Eventex vote to rank their colleagues in he list, which is comprised of the “most exceptional individuals” from around the globe.

It highlights those who have made an impact with their creativity, vision and capacity for innovation.

Ovanes Ovanessian, co-founder of Eventex Awards, said: “The Eventex Index of the top 100 event superstars shines a light on some of the worthiest individuals whose creativity, innovation and achievements keep inspiring and raising the bar for the rest of the industry.

“These remarkable professionals deserve recognition and we are honoured to facilitate this process. Congratulations to everyone included in the list.”

Nominations and votes are entirely made by the events community to determine the final list.

This year, Eventex also recognised the most influential individuals by sector and region, with several smaller indices together with the main top 100 index.

ExpoPlatform’s CEO was among those named as one of the most influential eventprofs in the world.

Tanya Pinchuk, who is also co-founder of the company, was listed in the top 100 across the globe as well as in the top 50 for both the UK and event technology categories.

ExCeL London unveils sustainability strategy

ExCeL London has stepped up its commitment to Net Zero Carbon Events with the reveal of its sustainability strategy.

The initiative aims to reshape the events landscape into a state that is carbon-neutral, resource-efficient and equitable to all stakeholders. It is based on five pillars:

LATEST: #ExCeLLondon, part of @ADNECGroup, has today published its new Sustainability Strategy outlining its roadmap to #netzero ?

Read more… https://t.co/4NtwMjFGtK#ConnectingLives #ESG #Sustainability pic.twitter.com/jUTlxKAd99

— ExCeL London (@ExCeLLondon) November 8, 2023

Humaid Al Dhaheri, chairman of ExCeL London, said: “ExCeL London’s Net Zero Strategy aligns with, and bolsters, our overarching sustainability ambitions under our corporate umbrella.

“We take pride in ExCeL London’s sustainability efforts, as they resonate with our pledge to generate long-term value for all stakeholders through ethically sound and sustainable practices across our operations.”

ExCeL’s CEO Jeremy Rees added: “Sustainable development is fundamental to our success.

“By shaping the future of our events into one that is net zero, resource efficient and equitable, we aim to be a sustainability leader within our industry.

“I’m proud to say that our Sustainability Strategy is not only embedded in our business planning process but is fully supported by our owners ADNEC Group, the ExCeL Board and the wider ExCeL team.”

The strategy was crafted with input from more than 600 stakeholders representing event organisers, exhibitors, visitors, employees, suppliers, event industry partners and the local community around ExCeL.

ExCeL is London’s biggest event venue and a signatory to the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. At ExpoPlatform, we want to help you build better events and communities. Please get in touch and ask for a demo here. Thank you ?