Exhibition News June 2022 | Page 43

Guest editor ’ s column

How will the upcoming recession affect exhibitions ?

EN guest editor Phil Soar says the exhibitions industry has weathered recessions and pandemics very successfully in the past , and the latest hurdle could throw up marvellous opportunities for new and smaller companies to grow fast

Well , are we in a recession ? Arguably not , because GDP is still rising from the very low base of Covid-19 – but the markets are building in a 90 % chance of one , and if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck – it probably is a duck .

So let ’ s work our way through a range of anecdotes and one-liners . Average heating bills going up by £ 1,000 a year ( that ’ s 3 % of average income and 8 % of average disposable income ). Personal tax rates rising this year to their highest level in 50 years . The Brexit factor continuing to have a damning effect on trade at all levels ( still 20 % below where we were with Europe in 2016 ).
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