EMECA
EMECA assembles at Excel and joins new industry association triumvirate
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Exhibition Centres Association( EMECA) members are expecting to see revenue growth, a point made clear at the association’ s 2026 Spring General Assembly held at Excel London on 13 May.
EMECA president Elżbieta Roeske, speaking at the meeting, underlined the strategic importance of the exhibition sector:“ Based on the EMECA members’ updates during this General Assembly, we can affirm that the exhibition industry is a very robust industry even in these times of multiple challenges and uncertainties.”
EMECA members’ businesses are proving highly resilient, the Assembly heard, however, challenges indentified included rising costs squeezing the operational margins of venues and organisers, and higher costs for travel, which are altering exhibitors’ and visitors’ booking and spending habits.
Nevertheless, the appetite to meet in person is even stronger, the delegates
affirmed, as exhibitions and events provide expert platforms for all sectors and create trust among the attendees. EMECA members said they are attracting a high number of new shows and other events, both at their home venues, as well as abroad.
Members said they were leveraging cross-selling opportunities, with fastmoving diversification of portfolios beyond trade fairs and congresses and towards sports and entertainment.
EMECA members are expanding their service offerings, especially digital service offerings, to boost sales, investing in digitalisation, data optimisation, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
They also reported upgrading their venue infrastructures for better energy efficiency and introducing smart logistics management to reduce traffic and encourage public transport.
EMECA’ s BELA Award 2026, which recognises the best exhibition launch of the previous year, was presented to PRIVEL, an exhibition organised by IFEMA Madrid, Spain.
PRIVEL is a trade fair dedicated to private label and was held for the first time in Madrid in November 2025. The concept leverages on a sector that holds a dominant position in the Spanish market, with an expansion trajectory across Europe and Latin America, and the strategic intent to establish Madrid as a leading B2B hub for the industry.
The PRIVEL team was able to broaden its reach beyond its natural trend in the food sector, to attract a meaningful proportion of non-food exhibitors and the jury was impressed by the show’ s numbers: 269 exhibitors, across 4,200 net sqm, with 4,800 visitors, and excellent revenue results.
In other news, EMECA has joined two of the world’ s leading events and exhibition associations – ICCA( International Congress and Convention Association) and UFI( the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) in signing an agreement to unite their European advocacy under a single strengthened body: the European Events and Exhibition Industry Alliance( EEEIA).
The move expands the existing European Exhibition Industry Alliance( EEIA), founded by EMECA and UFI in 2012, to formally incorporate ICCA and extend its mandate to cover the full spectrum of Europe’ s business events sector including exhibitions, meetings, conferences, and congresses.
The EEEIA will represent the collective interests of the broader European events and exhibition industry before the institutions of the European Union and key European and international stakeholders. EW www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 3 2026 11