Research conducted exclusively for EN and sponsored by EventsCase reveals the scale of the impact Covid-19 has on the exhibitions industry , with almost half of respondents ’ companies having had to make redundancies and average revenue expected to continue to decline throughout 2021 . It is not all bad news , however . More positively , business is expected to recover by the end of 2023 , with annual revenue anticipated to be up 29 % in December 2023 compared to December 2020 , see Fig 1 .
|
The research , completed by 316 event business owners between 27 January and 8 February 2021 , also reveals that many exhibitors are looking to reduce their spend . According to the research , respondents hold widespread concerns regarding exhibitors , 76 % of event business owners believe exhibitors may reduce the number of shows they exhibit at , with 66 % believing some may stop altogether .
To counter this , organisers are demonstrating adaptability . For example , a high percentage of organisers are looking at running more frequent , smaller shows ,
|
moving away from the traditional annual big event . While it is not quite the roadshow model , it could indicate an enthusiasm for creating localised communities .
The research suggests a strong appetite for growth , with a third of respondent organisers saying that they plan to launch a new event in 2021 . This is backed up by the revelation that 40 % of organiser respondents are recruiting , primarily sales and marketing roles .
This again is backed up by the fact that respondents say they expect live events to return around summer 2021 ,
|
with respondents anticipating a full recovery , which is deemed a similar level of activity pre-Covid , about a year later , see Fig 2 .
The findings also suggest that organisers have one eye on potential future disruption . To increase resilience , 41 % of respondent organisers say they are planning to diversify their product offering , creating customer packages which combine events with online services and resources , such as content . This reflects a long-term shift towards the ‘ omnichannel ’ model that many anticipate will remain long after the pandemic .
|
Annual revenue |
17 % |
6 % |
68 % 8 % |
+ 29 % |
Number of events you will have run this year |
11 % |
18 % |
59 % |
12 % |
+ 22 % |
% international exhibitors |
13 % |
15 % |
51 % |
21 % |
+ 17 % |
% international visitors |
13 % |
15 % |
52 % |
19 % |
+ 16 % |
Revenue from show content , including educational / conference elements |
13 % |
22 % |
49 % |
17 % |
+ 15 % |
Headcount |
19 % |
15 % |
58 % |
8 % |
+ 14 % |
Share of revenue that is not related to exhibitions |
16 % |
15 % |
52 % |
17 % |
+ 13 % |
Average show price per sq m |
10 % |
23 % |
48 % |
19 % |
+ 5 % |