UFI Global Barometer released:exhibition industry expects solid global growth in 2018

– UFIs Global Barometer shows that 44% of companies in the exhibition industry increased their operating profit in 2017 and more than 70% of companies anticipate revenue growth for 2018

– Importance of the economy in home markets continues to increase as focus on global economic developments declines further

– Majority of companies expect to generate up to 10% of revenue from new business models within 5 years

– 38% of companies plan to develop operations in at least one additional country

On 30 January 2018， the 20th edition of UFIs Global Barometer for the exhibition industry reports strong results for 2017 and very good prospects for 2018 in terms of turnover growth. The top business issues remain the state of the economy in home markets， and global economic development – the first one rising in importance， the latter ones importance declining.

Results also indicate that a very large majority of companies is looking to develop new activities， while a significant proportion is also considering investments in new geographical markets. Revenue generated from new business models is expected to grow considerably in the coming years as the exhibition industry embraces evolving business models.

Size & Scope

The 20th edition of the barometer presents a global overview of industry data， broken down into company types and 17 separate market profiles. This editions data is based on input from a record 290 participants from 53 countries and regions.

The study delivers outlooks and analysis for 14 major markets： Australia， Brazil， China， Germany， India， Indonesia， Italy， Macau， Mexico， Russia， South Africa and Thailand， the UK and the US.

“Globally， the exhibition industry is growing at a healthy rate. Companies around the world are looking into expanding their activities within and beyond their present activities and geographic borders. In parallel， new business models are under development， and many players in the industry expect them to deliver a relevant share of their companys revenues in the coming years”， says Kai Hattendorf， UFI Managing Director / CEO.

Turnover and operating profit

70% of companies around the world declared an increase in turnover for the second half of 2017 while 72% anticipate an increase for the first half of 2018 and 77% for the second half. Companies in several markets are well-positioned to out-perform these previsions in 2018： Brazil， Germany， Macau， the US and the UK， whereas a significant level of uncertainty still exists for many countries in Asia， including most parts of China.

In terms of operating profit， most markets maintained or improved a good level of performance in 2017： 44% declared an increase and 43% a stable profit. A majority of companies declared an increase their operating profit in 2017 in nine of the markets analysed： Brazil， China， Germany， Indonesia， Macau， Mexico， the Middle East， the UK and the US.

When asked about the revenue share expected from new business models （such as different event formats， digital revenues or marketing services）， a majority of participants responded that they expect this revenue to represent between 5 and 10% of total revenue in five years time， and more than 10% in ten years time. One quarter of the companies is expecting these new business models to generate a share of more than 25% of their revenues in ten years time.

Top Business Issues

The top business issues for the coming year remain the “State of the economy in the home market”， （for 25% of the respondents），“Competition from within the industry” （21%）， “Global economic developments” and “Internal challenges” （16% each）. This means that“Global economic developments” have become less important than in previous years. Detailed results indicate that “Competition from within the industry” is the top business issue in the following 4 markets： China and Macau， India and Germany.

The full results can be downloaded at www.ufi.org/research. The next UFI Global Barometer Survey will be conducted in June 2018.