UFI to celebrate 11th GED

/

Paris, 15th January: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, announced its 11th edition of Global Exhibitions Day (GED) to be celebrated on Wednesday, 3rd June 2026, with the theme of “Exhibitions drive opportunities”.

UFI also refreshed the GED logo after a decade. The more contemporary and modern design reflects the evolution and future-facing ambition of the exhibition industry.

Three core messages will be highlighted under the 2026 theme:

1.     Exhibitions drive opportunities for People

2.     Exhibitions drive opportunities for the Planet

3.     Exhibitions drive opportunities for Performance

UFI President Panittha Buri commented, “Exhibitions are essential drivers of economic and societal progress. They bring friends together across borders and industries, supporting people through skills development, employment, and international collaboration. They help shape the future by advancing national and global sustainability objectives, and by strengthening business performance through trade, investment, and innovation. Global Exhibitions Day 2026 calls on governments and policymakers to recognise and support the exhibition industry as a proven contributor to growth, competitiveness, and long-term impact.”

Montgomery expands into aviation & safety training sector

/

U.K., 21st January: Montgomery Group will invest in Halldale Group, a leading global media and events business serving the aviation training, simulation and safety community. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Established by CEO Andy Smith 30 years ago, Halldale Group’s flagship events include World Aviation Training Summit (WATS) in Orlando, Florida; European Aviation Training Summit (EATS) in Cascais Portugal, and Asia Pacific Aviation Training Summit (APATS) in Bangkok, Thailand in 2026. Halldale also manages business publications of Civil Aviation Training (CAT) and Military Simulation & Training (MS&T) Magazines, and also online communities.

Under the acquisition, Halldale will complement Montgomery’s existing global events and media businesses and facilitates its plan to develop new event formats with alternative revenue streams. It will also bring new sector expertise and further strengthens its presence in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Halldale will continue to operate under its existing brand, with its senior leadership team remaining in place.

Andy Smith, Founder and CEO of Halldale Group, said, “Halldale has always been built around serving a highly specialist global community and promoting best practices in training, creating meaningful connections across safety critical enterprises. Joining Montgomery Group gives our business the scale, expertise and long-term backing to accelerate its growth, invest further in its events and media brands, and continue delivering value to aviation, military and safety critical training operations worldwide.”

GLOBUS partners to expand int Tier-2 city in China

/

China, 15th January: GLOBUS Events (formerly VNU Exhibitions Asia) has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Qiyang International Exhibition Group Co., Ltd., to invest in the Qiyang’s series of catering industry exhibitions, including Qiyang Hotpot Exhibition, one of the China’s leading catering industry exhibition platforms.

The new investment will mark GLOBUS Events’ entering the Food & Beverage (F&B) exhibition sector and expanding into Tier-2 city markets in China.

Qiyang Hotpot Exhibition was founded in 2015, and it now has events in Beijing, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Chengdu and Nanjing, with a total exhibition area of 250,000 m2 and about 500,000 professional visitors every year.

Mr. Edwin Tan, CEO of GLOBUS Events, was quoted, “This is a powerful alliance that combines both organizers’ strengths in operational expertise, industry connections, and market access. This investment enables GLOBUS Events to enter the F&B exhibition sector through a market-leading platform with strong regional reach. Qiyang’s deep industry expertise and access to China’s fast-growing Tier-2 cities will complement our operational capabilities and long-term growth strategy.”

After the transaction, a new joint venture, GLOBUS Qiyang (Zhengzhou) Exhibition Co., Ltd., will operate Qiyang’s exhibitions.

Informa posts revenue growth of 12.5% in 2025

/

London, 20th January:  Informa PLC released its latest 2026 market update expecting Group Revenues to be over £4.0 billion (US$5.4 billion), which represents a year-on-year reported revenue growth of over 12.5%.

The company expects the Adjusted EPS to be about 55.5p (US$0.75), which will be a year-on-year increase of between 10.5% and 11%.

In 2026, Informa targets a higher underlying revenue growth at about 6%, with B2B Events underlying growth of more than 7%.

The 2025 Share Buyback Programme of £350 million (US$471 million) completed in December, with 42.8 million shares bought at an average share price of 817p (US$10.99). The 2026 Share Buyback Programme started with an initial minimum investment of £200 million (US$269 million).

Quick takes

/

UFI appoints new Research Coordinator

UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, announced the appointment of Raya Al Taher as its Research Coordinator. She will work with Research Manager, Christian Druart, and Research Coordinator, Natalia Limonova-Bonnel, to conduct analyses and reports supporting UFI’s strategic insights for the global exhibition industry.

SNIEC posts record breaking 2025

The Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) posted a record year in 2025, hosting more than 110 exhibitions and events of across various sectors. The venue welcomed over 6 million professional visitor numbers during the year.

Messe Berlin partners to host wind energy events in Singapore

Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) announced the partnership with Messe Berlin Asia Pacific (MB APAC) to expand its WindEnergy Hamburg, a world-leadership trade fair of the wind energy industry, to Asia. RECHARGE Wind Power Summit Asia-Pacific powered by WindEnergy Hamburg in Singapore will take place at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, scheduling from 19th to 20th May 2026. A three-day WindEnergy Asia-Pacific powered by RECHARGE will be held in 2027 and 2029.

GLOBUS Events partners to launch new events in Southeast Asia

GLOBUS Events (formerly VNU Exhibitions Asia) will launch Southeast Asian edition of its successful events, including DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR and R+T Asia. R+T South East Asia will be part of R+T Alliance, serving the sun shading and doors/gates industry; while DOMOTEX South East Asia will join the DOMOTEX portfolio, serving the flooring and interior finishing industry. The new events will be jointly organised by GLOBUS Events, Messe Stuttgart and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd., the joint venture between Deutsche Messe and Fiera Milano in China.