EUROPE - The European exhibition industry is “sound and stable”, according to the president of the European Major Exhibition Centres Association (EMECA).
Piero Venturell, speaking after the association’s two-day general assembly in Stuttgart, said that although the recession and credit squeeze continue to affect individual regional exhibition markets on the continent, most major European exhibition centres are looking optimistically to the future.
He claimed Germany, together with Switzerland, are proving to be “strong pillars of stability”.
EMECA, which represents 19 European major exhibition centres, said digital services are the new industry growth driver, with centres increasingly extending business on the Internet and through mobile applications.
Europe’s reputation for innovation in this field has been underscored by ICT and operations awards presented by global exhibition organiser association UFI to exhibition companies in Madrid and Frankfurt.
Revenues are also developing steadily in southern European countries, according to Venturelli.
“Many exhibition organisers and siteoperators, such as those in Italy and Spain, have done their homework and made their structures and processes leaner over the past years,” he said. “This means they now have the financial scope for investing more in exhibitor andvisitor acquisition. At the end of the day, this enables them to maintain stable revenues.”
Venturelli added a note of caution, however, highlighting the trend throughout Europe that companies must make “more effort for the same return”.
He also celebrated EMECA’s 20th anniversary by declaring there were no more national exhibition markets in Europe, “only a common European exhibition market, which is the leader in global competition, for example with Asia and the Americas”.
A recent study by KPMG shows the economic effects initiated by exhibitions at EMECA venues amounts to €16bn (US$21bn) and secures more than 360,000 jobs in Europe. Almost 38 million visitors attended the major European exhibitions in 2011.
With the inclusion of smaller events, EMECA claims every fourth EU citizen visits an exhibition at least once a year, atrend it claims is rising.
“The world meets at Europe’s exhibitions, despite financial and euro crises,” commented Venturelli.
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