THE BIG ISSUE
Positive outlook from industry index
The first Size and Scale Index for Exhibition ( SASiE ) report in more than four years shows an optimistic outlook for the industry
The exhibitions industry has shown significant recovery since the pandemic , the latest industry-wide research has shown .
The Events Industry Alliance ( EIA ) – the collective associations of AEO , AEV and ESSA , has published its seventh Size and Scale Index for Exhibitions ( SASiE ) report showing exhibition numbers on par with 2019 .
Current EIA chair and Manchester Central CEO Shaun Hinds said : “ The report identifies and confirms important trends in UK exhibitions as well as describing the key dimensions and characteristics of the sector .
“ It shows that the number of major exhibitions held in the UK ’ s main exhibition venues in 2022 was almost back to pre-Covid levels , showing significant recovery with some indicators on a par or up on 2019 and highlighting the resilience of our industry ”.
This edition of the report is the first since the pandemic and the first true reflection of the post-Covid state of the industry .
Key findings
• While overall numbers of exhibitions were down , the number of trade shows was up on 2019 .
• Overall , gross exhibition size in 2022 was also down on pre-Covid levels but consumer exhibitions had largely recovered ( with a slight increase in size ).
Types of exhibition
• Both venue hire days and exhibition open days were broadly on a par with pre-Covid levels -they were very slightly up for consumer exhibitions .
The study showed that in 2022 there were an estimated 969 exhibitions at the UK ’ s main venues – exactly the same number as there were in 1999 when the AEO first started recording figures . More than a third of all shows were held at the UK ’ s four primary venues ExCeL London , Olympia London , the National Exhibition Centre ( NEC ) and Scottish Event Campus ( SEC ).
Exhibition share - by venue type
There were an estimated 6.11m visits to exhibitions to those venues over the year , with median event attendance 2,800 . On average there were 126 exhibitors per event .
There was a slow start to 2022 with a lower number of exhibitions in January and February – the continuing impact of Omicron but a robust recovery from March .
Despite the slow start to the year , average visitor numbers in 2022 had nearly bounced back to pre-Covid levels ( only 13 % down on the year ).
The average number of exhibiting companies did not show the same recovery as other indicators and was significantly below 2019 .
08 — Summer