UFI: further growth expected in 2025 for exhibition industry

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Paris, 11th February: Earlier this week, UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released its latest Global Exhibition Barometer research.

According to the survey research, the exhibition industry continued to grow revenues globally in 2024, at 16% year-on-year, while the growth rate for 2025 will be 18%. Nearly half of the companies plan to increase their workforce in the next six months, with another 51% will keep current staff numbers stable.

Chris Skeith OBE, Managing Director and CEO at UFI, commented, “UFI’s Barometer research has provided like-for-like benchmarking on key metrics for 18 years, and this new edition shows positive indicators for the year ahead across all markets, which is heartening to see. However, at the same time, it shows some uncertainty around economic environments and geopolitical challenges, demonstrating we operate in an ever-changing world.”

The latest edition of this biannual research was concluded in January 2025 and it featured data from 390 companies in 56 countries and regions. The report included detailed analysis covering 19 countries and regions: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, and the USA – as well as five additional aggregated regional zones.

ABEA and AIPC announce partnership

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Australia, 12th February: The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) has announced the partnership with the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC), to deliver tailor-made leadership training program for convention centres from June 2025.

The first event for the alliance in Australia will be the AIPC Academy, the flagship educational initiative. The ANZ Academy will be held in June 2025 for five days. The program will cover topics in leaderships and convention centre management, combing expert lectures and hands-on exercises to equip participants with actionable insights they can apply in their venues. It will be hosted by Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).

Peter King, Chair of ABEA, said, “I’m thrilled we can bring this outstanding management program to the ANZ region, whilst removing a big part of the financial threshold for participation. It will be the first, but definitely not last outcome of the partnership between these two great associations.”

RELX’s exhibitions business up 31% in profit in 2024

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London, 13th February: The RELX Group, the parent company of RX Global (formerly Reed Exhibitions), has released its financial results for the year ended 31st December 2024. Revenue in RELX’s exhibitions business recorded underlying growth of 11%, amounting at £1.2 billion (US$1.6 billion). Adjusted operating profit for the year was £398 million (US$499 million), which increased 31% over the previous year.

The company attributed the growth in its exhibitions business to the improved growth profile of its event portfolio and a favourable first half comparison to the prior year. The business also made good progress on value-enhancing digital initiatives, with increased usage of digital tools for the customers of its face-to-face events.

The company expects the exhibitions business in 2025 to be with a strong underlying revenue growth and an improvement in adjusted operating margin over the year of 2024.

RELX’s group revenue in 2024 was £9.4 billion (US$12 billion), representing an underlying growth of 7%. Adjusted operating profit for the year grew 10%, reaching £3.2 billion (US$4.01 billion).

Chief Executive Officer, Erik Engstrom, was quoted, “RELX delivered strong revenue and profit growth in 2024. Our improving long-term growth trajectory continues to be driven by the ongoing shift in business mix towards higher growth analytics and decision tools that deliver enhanced value to our customers across market segments. We develop and deploy these tools across the company by leveraging deep customer understanding to combine leading content and data sets with powerful artificial intelligence and other technologies. This has been a key driver of the evolution of our business for well over a decade, and will remain a key driver of customer value and growth in our business for many years to come.”

Quick takes

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UFI celebrates 100th anniversary

UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, was founded in 1925, and the association celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025. The theme of the celebration is “Honouring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Shaping the Future”. At the same time, UFI also introduces its UFI 100-Year Logo and celebration plans.

New Zealand International Convention Centre to open in February 2026

New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) will open for conferences and events in February 2026. The venue will feature capacity for meetings, exhibitions, pre-function, banquet and performance spaces. Configurable spaces for various events with intimate meeting space, pre-function capacity for 2,700 people, convention capacity for 3,150 and one-off events for 4,000.

BCEC appoints new Communications and Marketing Manager

The managements of Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BECE), ASM Global, has appointed a new Communications and Marketing Manager for the venue. Karyn Sutton will lead the marketing team, for developing, driving and managing the Communication, Marketing, and Engagement Strategy for BCEC.

Tahaluf’s LEAP East expands to Hong Kong

Tahaluf, the leading B2B events organiser in Saudi Arabia, expands into Asia, with the launch of LEAP East, a new show offering insights into the future of technology. The new event will be held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), running from 9th to 11th July 2026, expecting more than 300 expert speakers and 300 exhibitors.