Global Exhibitions Day vindicates the role of trade fairs in reviving the economy after the Covid-19 crisis

With the aim of highlighting their value, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) is dedicating International Fairs Day to emphasising their importance as drivers of economic reconstruction in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. It highlights their role as an exceptional showcase for presenting products and services and offering opportunities to generate business, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, which represent the backbone of any economy and for which face-to-face events are a leading sales channel.

The Easyfairs Group, a Belgian multinational that implements 220 events in 17 countries and which, in the 2018-2019 financial year, generated revenues in excess of €171 million, joins the messages of Global Exhibitions Day (GED2020), a celebration that is being commemorated simultaneously in nearly 90 countries.

Matt Benyon, regional CEO of the group, said: “The contribution of exhibitions to the global economy should not be underestimated, with a total business sales output of €275 billion as a result of their exhibiting activity. By bringing qualified buyers face to face with suppliers, the events will play an important role in stimulating business and helping to rebuild the economy in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.”

Notably, Easyfairs decided to play an active role in the fight against COVID-19 and made its facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden available to its local and national authorities. It has made its Flanders Expo, Antwerp Expo and Namur Expo sites in Belgium available to host academic exams in May and June. In Sweden, several venues have also been set up to help conduct COVID-19 tests.

More than 32,000 fairs are held each year. According to UFI, €251 billion in business sales are generated annually in the various business sectors that attend these shows, and an exhibitor can assume that for every euro he invests, he will get a return of two euros during the event, and eight euros during the post-event period.

Thus, face-to-face events are the fastest way to reconnect with the market, as they showcase the new trends, innovations and ideas brought by the most cutting-edge companies.

In relation to Spain, the Spanish Trade Fair Association (AFE) quantifies the economic contribution generated by the trade fair industry at 5,000 million euros per year. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis has led to the cancellation of nearly 100 trade fairs in our country. Once the pandemic has been overcome, the trade fair sector will provide the meeting place for entire industries, regionally, nationally and internationally.

MetalMadrid and Composites Spain, as well as Empack and Logistics & Automation, are fairs of the Easyfairs group and will be held at IFEMA this autumn.

MetalMadrid is preparing its XIII edition, enhancing the prominence of Composites Spain, the only fair in Spain dedicated to composite materials and their applications. It will be held on 30 September and 1 October.

Empack 2020 will place greater emphasis on robotics as a star element to achieve the best results in the packaging sector. The Packaging Innovations area will continue to showcase the latest in POS and designer packaging. It will be held on 25 and 26 November.

In Logistics & Automation, automation and all those technologies that help to improve efficiency will be the main protagonists. It will be held within the framework of Empack 2020.