AEFI ECONOMIC OBSERVATORY ON THE TRADE FAIR SECTOR
The twenty-fifth quarterly survey on trends in the trade fair sector conducted by the AEFI Economic Observatory for the April-June 2015 period indicates a static overall situation, with figures essentially in line with the previous quarter and with the corresponding period last year. This is a positive factor, bearing in mind that in the 2015 trade fair calendar some international exhibitions, because of their cyclical nature, are not present, and in even years they were concentrated above all in the period in question.
The results indicate the robust character of the sector, above all considering the progress of our economy, which saw a drop in industrial output in June.
The survey, which involved 25 AEFI-member Italian trade fair districts highlights – through the positive and negative balances defined on the basis of responses from members who took part in the analysis – a stable situation for all the indicators considered: number of exhibitions, exhibition space taken, visiting exhibitors and total turnover.
The growth of the number of exhibitions is consolidated, with 52% of respondents who recorded a static situation. The balance (+16%) of districts that recorded an increase (32%) and those that indicated a decrease (16%), however, remained positive. A greater differential with respect to the same period the previous year, which was +12%, but a decrease if compared to the first quarter of this year, when it was +25%.
The number of exhibitors remained stable, with a zero balance from the overall responses of the members.
A balance of +8%, on the other hand, was recorded for the exhibition space taken: the figure, despite being lower compared to the previous quarter, is an improvement if compared with the same quarter of the previous year, when it was +4%. The greatest contribution to the increase in total space taken was made by EU exhibitors, with a balance of +8%.
The visitor intake increased for 32% of the members involved in the survey and was the same for 32%.
The stability of the sector is also reflected in the development of the turnover, which in the quarter in question marked an increase for 28% and a static situation for 32% of members involved in the survey.
The outlook for the next quarter July–September 2015, is positive, both with regard to the space taken, with an increase forecasted for 24% of members, and the total number of visitors: 28% of districts that took part in the survey indicate growth.
AEFI – the Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association – was set up in 1983 with a view to generating synergies between the most significant Italian exhibition districts. Specifically, AEFI would like to be seen as a privileged partner for operators and institutions alike, and its role is to support members through the development of activities and programmes in the sphere of training, marketing, promotion and research, as well as to provide services for trade fairs through the activities of its Committees: the Exhibition Hub Technical Committee, the Administrative-Legal Committee, the Trade Fairs Network Committee, the IT and Technical Innovation Committee, and the new Initiatives and Programmes Committee.
On an international scale, AEFI represents Italian trade fairs in UFI-Union des Foires Internationales. Chaired by Ettore Riello, AEFI includes 34 member exhibition districts, which organise over 1,000 events a year over an overall exhibition area of 4.2 million square metres. Most international trade fairs, and 85% of all trade fairs, which take place each year in Italy, are held in AEFI-member exhibition districts.