Physical events are still the mainstream,with online events being a complementt

Fu Bingbing

Xabier Basa？ez Llantada， president of Spanish Trade Fairs Association（AFE） tells the reporter that the situation of the exhibition industry in Spain and in other European countries has been very difficult， due to the almost total stoppage of activity from March 2020 to the first months of 2021. Spain has been a pioneer in relation to other countries， by recovering the activity incipiently at the end of March of this year and recovering a good rhythm of celebrations in the last four months， in which， according to their data， more than 200 shows will take place， which is excellent news. Of these， most are face-to-face， although there are also some with a hybrid format， and they believe that this format will continue in some cases. The celebration of these trade fairs they think will lead to the full recovery of the activity in 2022.

Xabier Basa？ez Llantada says， the pandemic is being controlled quite effectively in the different regions and cities in Spain， with an average cumulative incidence below 45 cases per 100，000 inhabitants. Regarding vaccination， 88% of the Spanish population has received the complete vaccine. There are still preventive measures， in terms of capacity， use of masks inside and safety distance， but the face-to-face exhibitions are being able to be held relatively normally. Between March and July， some 50 face-to-face shows were held， some of them international in scope， although the majority were of regional or national scope. At this time， the exhibitions are of all kinds， professional and public， regional， national and international， although some of the latter have moved to 2022. The events held have not yet reached the usual size，nor do they bring together exhibitors and visitors to figures prior to the pandemic， but the data is being quite satisfactory， according to what the organizers transmit.

The challenges are digitization， sustainability and the internationalization

Xabier Basa？ez Llantada introduces to the reporter that Spain is a country with extensive experience and trade fair tradition. It is also one of the leading countries in Europe in terms of population and economically. Thousands of companies use the exhibitions annually as a promotional and marketing tool， to contact potential customers， present novelties， reinforce their image， etc. The trade fairs offer affects many sectors and there are well-known events that attract companies and visitors from many countries. Xabier Basa？ez Llantada points out that the challenges are mainly related to digitization and sustainability， as well as to the internationalization of the trade fair activity. Organizers in Spain are committed to improving the value proposition for their clients， with more interesting content， demonstrations， training and experiential activities， networking solutions， incorporation of technological advances such as virtual reality or augmented reality. The exhibitions in many cases will offer online content， with which to increase the geographical and temporal scope of the trade fairs themselves.

Xabier Basa？ez Llantada tells the reporter that apart from the measures and aid that have been applied to Spanish companies in general， there have been no specific measures for the sector， except for the no prohibition of holding fairs during the first months of 2021， different to what has occurred in other European countries. This has allowed Spain to be the first European country to resume activity this year， albeit for certain exhibitions， mostly regional and national in scope. From the central government there have been some statements and personal presence in some specific trade fairs， as well as in relation to their association， in whose annual meeting they were able to count on the presence of the Minister of Industry， Trade and Tourism of Spain， Mrs. Reyes Maroto. The professionalism and experience of the organizers is leading to overcome difficulties， regain the confidence of exhibitors and visitors， and regain size and pre-pandemic figures， if the economic situation continues to grow. In any case， in the sector they are confident that activity will grow until it consolidates again almost entirely throughout 2022.

Optimistic for the recovery of international events

“From my point of view， any event that is being held after the almost complete shutdown of the sector is a success and an example for the industry， of which we can all rejoice. The International Tourism Fair （Fitur）， in Madrid， or the Mobile World Congress， in Barcelona， held in May and June 2021， respectively， served as the spearhead， and were succeeded by other trade fairs in different cities of Spain. Regarding the world exhibition industry， I would say that it is difficult to generalize as it currently depends on the economic situation of each country and the state of control of the pandemic. In any case， I am optimistic. I am confident that activity will gradually recover in all countries until it reaches pre-pandemic levels. I also believe that some trends accelerated by the pandemic such as digitization will contribute to making an industry more competitive that will be able to offer better services and more added value.”says Xabier Basa？ez Llantada.

The physical events are the main base of business

“From what the experts say， it seems that we will continue to live with this virus for a long time， becoming like a flu that we suffer from every year. In any case， it has not yet disappeared， and we have to be prudent to avoid regrowth and for this to affect our activity again. Physical events will undoubtedly be mainstream， with online events being a complement in some cases. People need to relate physically， build trust， do business looking into each others eyes， have experiences lived in person. Lets not forget that physical events are the main base of our business. There is no doubt that these will be enriched with technological elements， but the main base will be the physical and face-toface component.” adds Xabier Basa？ez Llantada.