UFI's 34th Global Exhibition Barometer confirms the recovery of the professional exhibition industry worldwide, with positive outlooks for 2025.

Exhibition space sold is up +9% globally vs 2019, +2% in Europe, but down -2% in France. Country-level gaps are stark: Spain (+13%) and Italy (+15%) are leading the pack, while the UK is flat, Germany is down -12%, and China down -8%.

On activity levels, 92% of surveyed companies expect "normal" or "growing" activity for H1 2025 (up from 86% a year earlier). Global revenue for professional exhibition players is forecast at 137% of 2023 levels (129% in Europe, 113% in France).

Mid-term priorities (12-18 months) for industry players include domestic market conditions, global economic development, and geopolitical challenges — with French players showing heightened sensitivity to sustainability and climate issues.

92% of exhibition industry players worldwide believe AI will impact their business, up 9 points from mid-2023. The most affected functions are sales and customer relations, R&D, and event production — a trend consistent across global, European and French markets. The report notes France shows above-average AI adoption compared to European and global benchmarks.

Globally, a survey across 180 countries puts the economic impact of exhibitions at €368 billion (direct, indirect and induced) in 2024, supporting 4.3 million jobs. The sector spans 1,423 event venues, 4.7 million exhibitors and 318 million visitors, generating an average €8,500 per sqm of gross indoor exhibition space, or €78,800 per exhibiting company.

These figures confirm the shift already seen in venue capacity: Asia-Pacific overtook Europe in 2024 in global exhibition space share (39% vs 37%), reversing Europe's historical leadership — a trend that has been building since the 2010s.

Article written with the assistance of AI. Source: 2025 Event Data Book, UNIMEV; The Global Exhibition Barometer (February 2025), UFI