More exhibitors attended trade fairs in Germany in the first half of 2018, according to preliminary figures released by AUMA, The Association of the German Trade Fair Industry.
In the first half of 2018, international and domestic trade fairs registered roughly 2% more exhibitors and 1% more stand space than their respective events in previous years, according to AUMA.
While the growth figures are lower than those for the full year 2017, when exhibitor participation rose by 3.7% and stand space by 3.1%, Germany’s second half-year calendar for trade fairs in 2018 includes several larger trade fairs with good registration figures and final results. Visitor numbers remained at roughly the same level as the previous year – a respectable result with approximately 10m attendees per year.
AUMA says the positive exhibitor figures can be explained by an above-average increase in foreign participation rates, despite protectionist measures that have been announced and, in some cases, implemented in some countries.
Domestic attendee numbers also remained steady – as in the previous year, these figures signify a reversal in the slight decline over the years prior to that.
“It is right, and important, for the business community and therefore the exhibiting community to continue to pursue their business opportunities with cool heads in spite of some risks in foreign trade,” AUMA Chairman Walter Mennekes said, commenting on the new results.
For the full year 2018, AUMA is projecting, therefore, slightly better overall growth than in the 1st half-year.
The growth in exhibitor and stand volume numbers from the expected total of 178 trade fairs will, however, slow somewhat to around 2-2.5% when the full year numbers are known, AUMA predicts.
