Crystal ball time !
Trevor Foley anticipates some New Year trends ast year , the exhibition
L world , as much of the rest of the world , needed two things to happen to improve the industry picture for 2023 . As I write this piece , one of those two things has already come to pass : the opening of travel to , and do business in , China !
This will , of course , be of huge relief to our industry friends in China and to those around the world with portfolios in the country . Let us hope we , and the whole world , does not have to wait too long for the other news we all want , the end of the war in Ukraine .
The news from China will , on its own , be a big boost to the industry in the region and beyond . This comes on top of a large number of conversations I have had with senior industry players , before and since the Christmas / New Year break . None of those conversations have hinted at any kind of pull back or slowing down of business activity . Indeed , it is very much the opposite . tfconnect has more senior roles on its books than ever
Above : Trevor Foley
“ tfconnect has more senior roles on its books than ever and all sides of the industry remain bullish ”
and all sides of the industry remain bullish . Crucially , these roles are coming from organisers , venues and contractors .
There is , of course , the spectre of a ‘ lag ’ effect on our industry . Shows in 2022 experienced high re-book levels which will benefit 2023 shows . There is the possibility that the current economic situation will have a negative effect on 2023 re-book levels . However , from a business perspective , the situation in China will counter this to some extent . Another positive sign for the industry is that M & A activity remains at high levels . This reflects continued confidence in our industry and the Private Equity world remains as interested as ever in our sector .
All of this bodes well for the talent agenda in our industry . I was asked an interesting question recently … “ Are there more roles or more good candidates at the mid / senior levels of our business at the moment ”? The answer is that , right now , there are more talented individuals than positions available at the mid / senior levels . This , needless to say , is a good thing and is another positive health indicator for our industry .
It would be easy to spend time talking about the ‘ R ’ Word ( recession !) and the tough economic conditions for both businesses and households globally . However , what does that achieve ? It merely leads to negativity which can just make things worse . If only the media would take notice of this !
I read a fabulous quote over Christmas which I won ’ t claim credit for . It read “ I hear that there is talk of a recession coming . Just to let you know that I won ’ t be participating ”.
Have a great year .
22 Issue 1 2023 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk