Global exhibitions day to raise awareness

The first ever Global Exhibitions Day will take place on 8 June 2016. It will bring together the global exhibition industry to raise awareness about the value of exhibitions, celebrate the professionals working in the industry and make a new generation of leaders aware of the opportunities the exhibition industry has to offer.

Launched by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, together with association partners from all around the world, Global Exhibitions Day is a combination of efforts from across the exhibition industry.

UFI is coordinating all global efforts from a GED project office it has set up in Paris. “We are very pleased by the outstanding support we’ve received from more than 30 associations, dozens of UFI members, organisers, venues and service providers and hundreds of individuals,” said UFI President Sergey Alexeev.

“There are many meaningful national and regional projects promoting the value of the exhibition industry, and we are delighted to be able to cater them all under the umbrella of Global Exhibitions Day. This initiative has activated the industry to not only share one cohesive voice but to make all efforts count.”

As one of the synergies and partnerships around Global Exhibitions Day, UFI is happy to share new industry figures that display the direct value of trade shows. Exhibitions take place everywhere – from the smallest market place to the world’s mega venues. Today, and on every day of the year, an average of 85 major trade shows are taking place in the economic centres of the world.

Exhibitions engage large crowds. Globally, 260 million people visit major trade shows every year to drive their business forward. The accumulated space that these major exhibitions allocate to their exhibitors over the course of the year represents a spectacular total surface area of 124 million square meters, the equivalent of 30,000 football fields. Exhibitions generate a substantial amount of business and create valuable jobs.

Annually visitors and exhibitors spend around €100 billion on and around exhibitions. Globally, 700,000 people get their paychecks through working directly with our industry. UFI is supporting and connecting numerous efforts and events to mark Global Exhibitions Day. National events are set to take place in more than 20 countries. These include a Conference and Gala Dinner in Hong Kong organised by the Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA).

The Thai Exhibition Association (TEA) will coordinate a “Power of exhibitions” forum with courses on topics such as “How to exhibit”. Meanwhile, in Australia, special “spotlight events“are being organised through the Exhibition & Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) in connection with their annual Leaders Forum. A conference is taking place in Moscow, initiated by the Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs (RUEF). The Central European Fair Alliance (CEFA) will arrange specific lobbying actions. In Paris, the Union Française des Métiers de l’Evénement (UNIMEV) will coordinate a “Global Exhibitions Day Run”.

Also on 8 June, US colleagues will talk to lawmakers on Capital Hill at the US Exhibition Day together with an alliance of US associations brought together by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE). And Germany’s Institute for the Trade Fair Industry, part of AUMA, will host a special open house for professors and students.

Besides these national activities, many exhibition organisers, venues, and service providers are preparing their own company-wide activities for Global Exhibitions Day. To view the full list of actions reported to the GED project office at UFI, please see the attached “#GED16 Global Actions” document, or go to our website www.ufi.org/ged, where the list of activities is updated on a regular basis.