Middle East & Africa
The future of events in the Middle East & Africa
We share some highlights of Jochen Witt’ s presentation at the recent UFI MEA Conference in Cairo. His jwc consultancy also shares some of the data and graphs pertaining to the region’ s exhibition industry and its future development
ith sustained economic
W growth, increased investment in venue infrastructure, and a strong governmental focus on business tourism, the Middle East and Africa( MEA) is emerging as a dynamic hub for international exhibitions and conferences.
The region’ s resilience is evident in its above-average GDP growth forecasts, particularly in the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa. This economic vitality is fuelling an expansion in exhibition space, new event formats, and heightened demand for specialised trade shows.
In specialist exhibition industry consultancy jwc’ s presentation at the recent UFI MEA Conference in Cairo, Egypt, Jochen Witt explored the region’ s evolving exhibition landscape, the rise of key industry sectors such as energy, construction, and consumer goods, and the increasing influence of major international event organisers, as well as trends including the growing importance of return on investment for exhibitors and visitors alike.
According to the IMF World Economic Outlook April 2025, MEA economies are expected to exceed the annual global average growth rate to 2030, coming in at around 4 %, with the US forecast for around 2 % and and EU countries just over 1 %.
Aligned with the general economic trends, Asia and the Middle East are expected to lead global growth in net rented space in the coming years, with the Middle East forecast by jwc to grow 5.5 % in this respect by 2030. Indeed, over the last two decades indoor exhibition venue capacity has doubled in the Middle
Over the last two decades, venue capacity almost tripled in Asia and doubled in the Middle-East
Source: jwc research, World Map of Venues. Note: Includes venues with > 5,000m 2 of indoor exhibition space © 2025 jwc gmbh www. jwc. eu. com April 2025
28 Issue 3 2025 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk