UFI: strong growth in exhibition industry

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Paris, 29th January: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released its latest edition of the Global Exhibition Barometer report, offering fresh insights into the current state of the exhibition industry.

Almost half of the respondents reported an increase in activity of more than 5% in their domestic market in 2025. One-third of the companies forecasted an annual increase in operating profits of more than 10% in 2026. The report also showed AI usage continued to rise worldwide, and about 37% of the companies considered the necessary to improve the format of exhibitions.

Chris Skeith OBE, Managing Director and CEO at UFI, commented, “This edition of the Global Exhibition Barometer confirms what we are seeing across the industry: strong, steady growth and a sector that continues to adapt at pace. We see solid growth in rented space and operating profits across many markets, alongside a notable acceleration in the use of AI to improve efficiency and customer experience.”

The latest edition of this biannual research was concluded in December 2025 and it featured data from 378 companies in 57 countries and regions. The report included outlooks and analyses covering 19 countries and regions: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, the UAE, the UK, and the USA – as well as five additional aggregated regional zones.

Messe Frankfurt India expands Media Expo

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Mumbai, Maharashtra, 2nd February: Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India, the Indian subsidiary of the international exhibition organiser, Messe Frankfurt, collaborated with BusinessLive Trade Fairs, to evolve Sign India Expo into Media Expo.

Under the collaboration, Media Expo Kochi and Media Expo Hyderabad will be launched while Sign India Expo Chennai will transit under Media Expo Chennai. Therefore, Media Expo’s portfolio will increase from three cities to five, including Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai and New Delhi. It also brings together the two exhibition brands from the industry to create a unified and impactful industry trade fair platform.

Media Expo has been held in Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai, and will become the primarily exhibition platform in Kochi, Hyderabad and Chennai, transitioning from Sign India Expo. While Sign India Expo was held across India, with a particularly deep presence in the Southern markets.

Mr Raj Manek, Executive Director & Board Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia Holdings Ltd, said, said, “South India continues to be one of the most dynamic and opportunity driven regions for the printing and signage industry. This collaboration with BusinessLive Trade Fairs allows us to expand Media Expo’s footprint while offering the industry a stronger, more centralised platform that supports long-term growth and meaningful engagement.”

Messe München’s 25th anniversary in China

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Shanghai, 30th January: Messe München’s subsidiary Messe Muenchen Shanghai Co., Ltd posted sales of €128 million (US$150 million) in its 25th anniversary.

Messe München’s two CEOs, Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer and Stefan Rummel, were quoted, “With the founding of our subsidiary in Shanghai, the shareholders of Messe München took a bold and visionary step at the time. Today, China is not only Messe München’s strongest foreign market, but our local presence also provides important impetus for trade, networking, and growth for the domestic and international economy.”

Messe München Shanghai now has over 170 employees in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, organising more than 15 events in China, featuring more than 12,000 exhibiting companies and attracting over 1.6 million visitors. On the other side, more than 17,000 guests and over 2,000 exhibitors from China visited Munich.

Quick takes

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Haymarket posts £11.5 m profits in FY2025

Haymarket Group released its financial results for the year ended 30th June 2025, reporting the total turnover of £175 million (US$236 million), with annual earnings of £11.5 million (US$15 million). The results also saw positive growth in the UK, a steady performance in Germany, and Asia recording the best performance in over a decade. However, the US profits dropped due to a combination of challenging healthcare market conditions, political elections and the significant impact of fluctuating exchange rates.

IEG expects €265m of revenues in FY2025

Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A. (IEG) released its preliminary results for the 2025 financial year, expecting consolidated revenues of €265 million (US$311 million), increase 6% year-on-year. Adjusted EBITDA will be €71 million (US$83 million), up 9% over the figure in 2024. The company also announced the approval of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, to strengthen the path already mapped out, focusing decisively an organic growth through the company’s core business.

Tourism figures for the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore

The Philippine government positions tourism as a core pillar of national development, aiming at driving inclusive economic growth in the coming years. In 2025, the country recorded 6.5 million foreign visitors and returning overseas Filipinos, generating an estimated 694 billion pesos (US$11.8 billion).

In Vietnam, the country welcomed 21.2 million international travellers and 137 million domestic tourists in 2025, generating US$39 billion. In 2026, Vietnam will continue to expand its e-visa facilities and provide visa exemptions, to attract tourists.

A total of 16.9 million international visitor arrivals to Singapore were recorded in 2025, up 2.3% year-on-year. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) forecasted international visitor arrivals in 2026 to be between 17 and 18 million, with tourism receipts of S$31.0 billion (US$24.1 billion) to S$32.5 billion (US$25.3 billion).

Melbourne to host world’s largest conference on lung cancer in 2029

Melbourne will host the World Conference on Lung Cancer in 2029, presented by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and secured by the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB), to study and eradication of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. It is estimated to attract more than 6,500 delegates from over 100 countries to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

STB and CCPIT sign MoU for exhibition industry

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Singapore/China, 22nd January: Last week, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and he China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to cooperate in the exhibition industry.

The three-year agreement focuses on three key areas:

1.     Exhibition Facilitation Support: CCPIT will encourage Chinese exhibition enterprises and institutions to organise international economic and trade exhibitions in Singapore, while STB will provide assistance;

2.     Joint Promotion Efforts: CCPIT and STB will strengthen publicity efforts and promote international exhibitions in key economic sectors where in the two countries share synergies in, to support Singapore and Chinese enterprises expand international cooperation and enhance their global presence;

3.     Deepening MICE Exchange and Cooperation: CCPIT and STB will promote knowledge exchange and explore in-depth cooperation in shared focus areas.

Mr. Wu Shengrong, Director General of the Exhibition Management Department (Office of International Exhibitions Bureau and World Expo Affairs) of the CCPIT, said, “The signing of the Memorandum between the CCPIT and the STB is an important measure to deepen China-Singapore cooperation in the exhibition industry. It holds great significance for strengthening industrial chain ties between China, Singapore and Southeast Asia and boosting regional economic prosperity. It is anticipated that through the practical cooperation between our two institutions, positive contributions will be made to deepening exhibition cooperation in key industries and promoting the development of China-Singapore economic and trade relations.”

GL events posts 5.3% revenue growth in FY2025

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Lyon, 22nd January: GL events Group released its preliminary results for the year ended 31st December 2025, posting revenues for the year of €1.7 billion (US$2.02 billion), a year-on-year growth of 5.3%.

In terms of business sectors, more than 56% of revenues were generated from GL events Live, amounting at €969 million (US$1.1 billion), down 5.4% year-on-year.

The second largest sector was GL events Venues, generating revenues of €514 million (US$604 million), representing year-on-year increase of 16%, primarily driven by operations in France, Europe and Brazil.

The remaining revenues, €238 million (US$280 million), were generated by GL events Exhibitions, jumping 41.5% over the previous year due to a strong biennial cycle.

Olivier Ginon, Chairman-CEO of GL events, commented, “GL events closes 2025 with a remarkable performance, confirming the strength of our strategic vision and the proven resilience of our responsible business model. This achievement would not have been possible without the dedication and talent of our teams. In an international environment marked by heightened volatility, they demonstrated outstanding agility and determination, delivering sustainable, well-managed growth.”

SMHCC to open new venues in Philippines

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Philippines, 21st January: SM Hotels and Conventions Corp.’s (SMHCC) SMX Seaside Cebu and SMXCITE (SMX Center for International Trade and Exhibitions) are scheduled to open in the next few years.

SMX Seaside Cebu will open in the fourth quarter this year, with an exhibition capacity of 18,000 m2, which will be integrated into the larger Cebu South Coast City development.

SMXCITE will open in 2027, with 35,000 m2 of integrated complex, including an 18,000 m2 of exhibition capacity, at the SMX Mall of Asia. It will boast column-free halls, multi-event capacity, and expanded plenary capacity within a highly accessible district.

Walid Wafik, SMHCC’s senior vice president for operations, was quoted, “While regional competitors maintain larger inventories, Pasay’s advantage is integration. The district’s mix of hotels, retail, entertainment, an arena, bay-side lifestyle offerings, and airport proximity delivers a compelling value proposition beyond venue size alone… As we expand to 10 venues nationwide by 2027, this capability-building arm becomes even more critical. Growth in the provinces requires not only world‑class facilities but world‑class talent to operate them.”

Quick takes

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Comexposium’s new Executive Committee

International exhibition organiser, Comexposium, announced to establish a new Executive Committee to accelerate the growth of its brands and to drive its transformation. Following the appointment of Pablo Nakhlé Cerruti as CEO in August 2025, he has appointed eight members to lead the company’s strategy, performance and transformation: Carine Preterre (Managing Director, France Exhibitions), Rodolphe Lameyse (Managing Director, Food & Beverage Division), Driss Tazi (Managing Director, EMEA, US & Group Transformation), Elaine Chia (CEO, Asia-Pacific), Arnaud Boussemart (Group Chief Financial Officer), Ronen Cohen (Group Director, Operations & Purchasing), Morgan Lavielle (Group Director, Communications & CSR), and Sarah Martin (Group Director, Human Resources).

Macau records 40m+ visitor arrivals in 2025

Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released its latest visitor arrivals for the whole year of 2025. Macau welcomed a total of 40,069,360 visitor arrivals during the year, an increase of 15% year-on-year. Same-day visitors grew 25%, while overnight visitors were up by 3.1%. However, the average length of stay of visitors shortened by 0.1 day, at 1.1 days.

Messe Düsseldorf hosts 81 shows in 2025

International exhibition organiser, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, generated €370 million (US$435 million) in sales in 2025, with profits after taxes of €29 million (US$34 million). During the year, the company hosted a total of 81 trade shows worldwide, of which 26 were held in Düsseldorf. In the period from 2025 to 2027, 19 new events are planned or have already been implemented, with seven in Düsseldorf and five new formats in the Gulf region.

UFI to celebrate 11th GED

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

UFI appoints new Sustainable Development Coordinator

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Paris, 8th January: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has appointed Zeeshan Ghazi as its Sustainable Development Coordinator.

In the new role, Zeeshan will advance and advocate for UFI’s global sustainability agenda. He will also contribute to the development of tools, frameworks, and guidance materials for members, coordinate UFI’s internal efforts toward the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) initiative, and engage with international stakeholders to promote sustainable practices across the global exhibition industry.

Zeeshan has more than a decade of international experience in sustainability analysis, ESG frameworks, and the implementation of sustainable infrastructure and resource-efficiency projects. Before joining UFI, he has held roles with international NGOs and government agencies, leading renewable energy and water management initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Adeline Vancauwelaert, UFI COO, commented, “Zeeshan’s appointment marks an important step in advancing UFI’s commitment to sustainability. His expertise and experience will be instrumental in guiding UFI’s initiatives globally. We look forward to working together as we continue supporting our community in driving positive change across the exhibition industry.”

Koelnmesse: preliminary sales €450m

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Cologne, 13th January: International exhibition organiser, Koelnmesse, posted strong results for the year 2025. The preliminary sales for 2025 were €450 million (US$529 million), with a profit of €60 million (US$71 million).

In 2025, Koelnmesse hosted 79 events, including 39 events abroad, supplemented by eight new formats. Around 2.5 million visitors from 214 countries attended Koelnmesse’s trade fairs, showcasing 43,600 exhibiting companies from 120 nations.

In Asia, the company has appointed Mathias Küpper as Regional President Asia-Pacific to help more closely network the subsidiaries in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, China and Hong Kong, and also support development of its trade fair brands in key Asian growth markets. The company will open another subsidiary in Indonesia soon.

CEO Gerald Böse, said, “We are operating in one of the most difficult market environments of recent decades. It is crucial that we remain on course under these conditions and use our resources where we can make an impact. With a long-term perspective, we are investing not only in a building, but also in the quality and future viability of our entire location.”

Hyve posts double digit growth in 2025

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London, 13th January: London-based Hyve Group Limited posted an organic growth of 15% and total proforma revenue of US$391 million in 2025. EBITDA posted an organic growth of 26% in 2025, reaching US$100 million.

The company aimed at driving increasing demand from top-tier companies by focusing its approach on market-leading events, a total of 31 events across 18 global brands. Five new product launches are planned in 2026 and would continue to invest in digitisation to expand customer ROI.

Hyve has completed six acquisitions since launching GO27 18 months ago. The company set out GO27 plan to more than double the size of Hyve by 2027.

Mark Shashoua, CEO of Hyve was quoted, “We’re on a mission to re-define the role of events, and this year we’ve made meaningful progress – from transformative acquisitions and new product launches to key milestones in our technology and people strategies. We will continue investing in world-class B2B events in sectors undergoing significant change, remain active in M&A where there is strategic fit, and further develop our products.”