PARIS — It’s time to stop comparing activity levels to pre-pandemic levels. That’s the conclusion of Kai Hattendorf, managing director and CEO of UFI, the global exhibition industry association, based on the results of the 30th Global Barometer survey, a recently released compilation of information from 367 companies in 56 countries and regions.
Not only do 80% of these companies expect to be operating at a normal level by June 2023, but revenues for 2023 are expected to average 94% of 2019 levels, up from 80% in 2022.
“We can stop focusing on ‘post-pandemic recovery’ and move on,” said Hattendorf. “This 30th edition of our Barometer confirms that the recovery phase is coming to an end in most markets around the world. While each market has its own specificities, the global focus has shifted to the challenges ahead. Internal management, especially in terms of personnel, and the need to further develop digitalization are at the heart of concerns worldwide.”
At UFI, trends and trade shows go hand in hand
While there are strong indications that the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us in most markets, some markets, led by China, will take longer to recover. Overall, the proportion of companies reporting “business as usual” has gradually increased from 30% in January 2022 to 72% in December 2022. In terms of operating income, around half of companies are reporting an increase or flat level for 2022 compared to 2019 levels.
The highest levels of “normal activity” for the first half of 2023 are expected on average in Brazil (98%), Turkey and the United States (95%), the United Kingdom (90%), Italy and Thailand (88%), and Spain and the United Arab Emirates (85%).
The report also touched on other topics, including hosted purchasing programs, which half of respondents have used. Only one in four respondents said they were satisfied with the programs, and two-thirds reported mixed results.
In a special trend review for the 30sth In the latest edition of the UFI Barometer, 30% of respondents ranked “the impact of digitalization/competition with other media” as their most pressing issue (nearly double from 14% in 2015), replacing “global economic developments/state of the economy domestically,” which remains a top concern for 29% of respondents in 2022. A majority of respondents (57%) said they believe there is “a push towards hybrid events, more digital elements at events,” showing that the digital components used throughout the pandemic are still relevant. “Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business” has dropped from 29% in 2020 to just 5% in 2022.
For all regions, the top business issue is “internal management challenges,” with 67% of respondents identifying “human resources” issues, 31% identifying “finance” and 44% identifying “business model adjustments” in the “internal management challenges” category.
Overall, the UFI barometer attributes the positive outlook for 2023 to the possibility of holding exhibitions everywhere except in some locations in China.
Learn more about the 30th Global barometer here.
Reach Kai Hattendorf atkh@ufi.org