ATHENS, Greece – THE European Association of Major Exhibition Centres (EMECA) celebrated its 30th anniversary at its Autumn General Meeting in Athens last week, with many members reporting strong attendance at their respective facilities.
“2022 is a good year in terms of exhibition numbers, which shows a rapid recovery of our industry. Most EMECA members will soon be close to pre-pandemic results,” says Ricard Zapatero, President of EMECA.
The 75% reduction in trade fairs in 2020 resulted in a drastic reduction in costs for all members, who were faced with a variety of practical and strategic challenges and restructuring. Today, EMECA members have seen the launch of an impressive number of new trade fairs in 2022.
Zapatero attributed this rebound to factors such as the return of additional (previously postponed) trade shows, the return of a good number of trade shows due to the pace of even-year events or large one-off institutional events. The increased use of digital tools to enhance the real-world experience as well as an impressive number of new shows organised or launched in Europe and around the world were both cited as factors contributing to the return of all EMECA members.
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NürnbergMessethe exhibition company that managed the EMECA event, shares Zapatero’s optimistic view of the future. “We expect sales to jump well above €200 million and our net loss to decrease significantly compared to the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021,” said NüRoland Fleck, Co-CEO of rnbergMesse Group, said: “Last year, two thirds of NüThe rnbergMesse trade fairs had to be cancelled or postponed, but more than 80 percent of the planned events are expected to take place this year. “In total, we expect to be able to hold 136 events worldwide this year, which is an impressive demonstration that the lights are back on. People want to get together. We have also seen that our digital and hybrid formats are well received,” added Fleck.
To support the continued development of the fusion of virtual and in-person events, guest speaker Fabian Nappenbach, Ddirector HTC’s Director of Product Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa presented an overview of the cutting-edge metaverse technology, applications and business opportunities at the EMECA General Assembly. He focused on the potential uses for conferences or meetings at this stage, feasibility, acceptance and costs. Members agreed that it will be very important to experiment and follow developments closely.
EMECA expects a full recovery in turnover in Europe by 2023 for most members. But it’s not all rosy. Profits will take longer to return to pre-pandemic levels. EMECA venues and exhibitions face several challenges, such as remaining restrictions on travel from Asia, potential pandemic measures during the winter, inflation, high personnel and material costs, energy prices, the effects of the Russian war in Ukraine and uncertainty in general. “All these factors also affect customers, exhibitors and event participants,” said Zapatero.(Text wrapping jump)
Contact Ricard Zapatero at +32 2 535 7250; Roland Fleck at +49 9 11 86 06-0