• 4.7 million exhibiting companies welcomed 318 million visitors in 2024
• €368 ($398) billion of economic impacts on hosting territories, supporting 4.3 million jobs

Paris — 20/05/2025: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is releasing today new research data covering the year 2024 alongside other existing data for the first time which unveils some new trends since 2019.

The UFI Global Exhibition Industry Statistics report estimates that 32,000 exhibitions were held worldwide in 2024, a similar number to pre-pandemic. Their activity, measured by the space rented by exhibiting companies, is close to the level of 2019: 138 million sqm against 143.7 million sqm, showing a slight decrease of -0.8% per year on average. Additional research from the “Global Exhibitors and Visitors Insights / Net Promoter Score” report produced by Explori shows that satisfaction from participants has improved post-pandemic, between +10 and +31 points for visitors, and +20 and + 29 points for exhibiting companies, depending on the region of the world.

The new Global Economic Impact of Exhibitions (2024) report, produced by UFI and Oxford Economics, evaluates the direct output generated by the production of exhibitions and other exhibitors and visitors’ spending at €150 ($162) billion. This first level of impact, which includes inflation, benefits not just the exhibition industry, but all related sectors, such as accommodation, restaurants and transport, and it has increased by 3.8% per year on average since 2019. Adding on the indirect and induced impacts generated in the economy, the total global economic impact of exhibitions on hosting territories reaches €368 ($398) billion in total output and €215 ($233) billion in total GDP, corresponding to 4.3 million full-time equivalent jobs.

“These reports demonstrate the resilience and recovery of our industry and whilst the numbers and size of individual exhibitions may have changed, from a global perspective we can see customer satisfaction has increased, and the economic significance of our industry remains hugely important to our industry, our host cities and the markets we serve” says Chris Skeith OBE, UFI Managing Director and CEO.

Detailed results

Europe was the largest market in terms of visitors, welcoming 102 million in 2024 (32% of the total worldwide). North America ranked second, with 89 million visitors, followed by the Asia-Pacific with 84 million visitors.

Since 2019, the total space rented by exhibitors has performed differently across regions, with average annual trends varying from -1.4% in Europe to -0.9% in Asia-Pacific, -0.4% in Central and South America, -0.3% in North America, stable in Africa, and +0.9 % in the Middle East.

Direct spending related to exhibitions (including organiser operations, exhibitor investments, and visitor expenditure) totalled €150 ($162) billion. When accounting for indirect and induced effects across supply chains and local economies, the sector’s total contribution reached €368 ($398) billion in total output: €175 ($189) billion in North America, €108 ($117) billion in Europe and €73 ($79) billion in Asia-Pacific.

Overall, exhibitions globally generated a total output of €78,800 ($85,200) per exhibiting company and €8,500 ($9,200) per square meter of venue gross indoor exhibition space.

The ‘Global Economic Impact of Exhibitions’ report shows the far-reaching impact of the exhibition sector, which generates €215 ($233) billion of total GDP supported by exhibitions globally would rank the sector as the 57th largest economy globally, larger than the economies of countries such as Hungary, Qatar, Nigeria, and Ecuador.

The report was produced by UFI in collaboration with Oxford Economics and is based on comprehensive industry data and econometric modeling covering more than 180 countries.

How to access the full reports

In line with UFI’s mission to provide vital data to the entire exhibitions industry, both reports are available free of charge on the UFI website at www.ufi.org/research.

Attachments:

• Cover of the “UFI Global Exhibition Industry Statistics” report
• UFI “Global Economic Impact of Exhibitions” infographic

Note to editors: The attached infographics highlight some core results announced in this release. They are free to use with the copyright UFI.

Download this Press Release

• Tenth Global Exhibitions Day to be celebrated on Wednesday, 4 June 2025
• This year’s theme is “Exhibitions Unleash Potential”
• Call for community to use GED 2025 Toolkit to celebrate globally

Paris — 13/05/2025: With less than one month remaining until Global Exhibitions Day 2025, the exhibition industry across the world is preparing to drive visibility and demonstrate its impact.

Celebrated each year on the first Wednesday of June, the tenth edition of Global Exhibitions Day (GED) will take place on Wednesday, 4 June 2025. This year’s theme, “Exhibitions Unleash Potential,” showcases how exhibitions empower individuals, elevate organisations, and drive economic and social growth through direct in-person interactions and connections.

Key Campaign Pillars

This year’s campaign centres around four key areas where exhibitions unleash potential:

1. Industries: Exhibitions foster collaboration and spark innovation, propelling entire industries forward.
2. Individuals: Exhibitions enable new, emerging and established talent to grow and succeed.
3. Communities: Exhibitions power economic development and societal progress for countries and communities.
4. Companies: Exhibitions amplify reach, build brands, foster connections and drive revenue through face-to-face engagement.

UFI President, Hugh Jones, comments: “On Global Exhibitions Day 2025, we recognise how exhibitions serve as powerful platforms that unlock potential across multiple sectors and communities. They create space for new ideas to emerge, for talent to thrive, and for industries to grow through meaningful exchange and collaboration. This day is an opportunity to celebrate the people and partnerships that drive progress and to highlight how exhibitions continue to shape a more connected and dynamic future.”

How You Can Get Involved

Resources and tools to help you celebrate GED 2025 can be found on the campaign website. Some ideas on how to get involved include:

• Plan and host your own GED 2025 activity or campaign.
• Engage government officials to endorse and recognise the exhibition industry.
• Personalise the GED 2025 toolkit with your unique visuals and story.
• Partner with local media to raise awareness of GED and the exhibition industry.
• Showcase your GED initiatives on social media using #GED2025.

Managed by UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, GED 2025 is supported by over 70 national and international industry associations.

For questions, please contact: ged@ufi.org.

To learn more about Global Exhibitions Day, please visit the campaign website.

Attachments:

• Global Exhibitions Day 2025 horizontal visual
• Global Exhibitions Day 2025 vertical visual

Download this Press Release