UFI has released its first Global Barometer report of 2022, and the outlook for the continued recovery of the global exhibition industry this year is bright. The sector continues to be impacted by the pandemic, and the widespread effects of the unexpected war in Ukraine remain to be seen, but the overall picture is optimistic.
The percentage of companies that are seeing a normal level of activity has grown to 36 percent as of January, up from only 18 percent in July 2021. Even more promising is that almost two-thirds of companies (62 percent) expect to be back to normal by the summer.
In terms of exhibitions restarting, half of respondents report that local exhibitions are already open where they’re based, and another quarter predict that they will reopen in Q1 of this year. National and international exhibitions are unsurprisingly slower to restart, with 44 percent and 27 percent of respondents indicating that these types of trade shows are currently open, respectively.
The lifting of travel restrictions was still overwhelmingly cited (by 70 percent of companies) as the number one factor that would aid the full-scale return of trade shows — as it was in UFI’s July 2021 report — but we now have reason to hope that this won’t be as much of an issue for much longer as many regions, including Europe, begin to lift restrictions on travel.
When it comes to the future of exhibitions, respondents reaffirmed that the pandemic has confirmed the value of face-to-face events, but they also expect to see a push towards hybrid events and the inclusion of more digital elements at events — although this number is slightly down from six and 12 months ago.
Sustainability will also be a key consideration for events moving forward — 69 percent of companies expect that they will reach net zero emissions by 2050, with 54 percent indicating that they are on track to reach that goal before 2050.
“The sun is finally rising at the end of a long, dark pandemic,” said UFI Managing Director and CEO Kai Hattendorf in a statement. “The perspectives for 2022 are brighter and continue to improve quickly. As the industry bounces back, the key issues now facing companies are around internal management issues and the impact of digitisation. As the value of physical events is constantly reinforced, we are well on track to achieve pre-pandemic levels of activity.”