Exhibitions + Congress
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Sector at a Glance
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Contributes circa £11 billion to the UK economy.
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Supporting an estimated 180,000 businesses.
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1100 UK exhibitions attracting circa 9 million visitors per year.
Sector Overview

Exhibitions + Congress

Trade exhibitions are aimed primarily at those working within a particular trade sector and its peripherals. Visitors to trade exhibitions are usually required to establish their trade credentials and buying power.

Trade exhibitions are quite diverse within their industry sector, with B2B services and equipment as the core focus, often in the IT/Telco sectors, alongside more specialist congress events which primarily support the healthcare and pharmaceuticals sectors.

Consumer shows (also referred to as public) are primarily organized to attract the consumer or general public and usually charge for admission. These are strongly orientated to the leisure, lifestyle, wedding and homeware sectors.

The business events sector contributes circa £11 billion to the UK economy. Trade and consumer exhibitions support an estimated 180,000 businesses. The main UK exhibition venues host 1100+ p.a. attracting circa 9 million visitors. Venues, organisers and suppliers including AV, exhibition design and construction companies all work together to deliver exhibitions.

Sector News
‘IL GIARDINO’ Fashion Show By Paul Costelloe Gains High Accolades
The ‘IL GIARDINO’ fashion show created by Paul Costelloe and held at Lindley Hall, has gained high accolades.
Registration for the 10th Anniversary edition of Event Tech Live London is open!
Event Tech Live (ETL) returns to ExCeL London on the 15th and 16th of November 2023 with its usual mix of outstanding educational content and the very latest in event tech innovation. Exhibitors from all corners of the globe will showcase their technology with new launches and never before seen tech hitting the show floor. Content is once again king, and the carefully curated conference programme will see sessions from the likes of FT Live, Belkins, Cvent, George P Johnson, Bloomberg and many more. Visitors are encouraged to register early in order to plan their visit and gain the most from the event. Event Tech Live’s Platform Partner Entegy makes registration quick and easy, so there’s more time to spend browsing the programme and prioritising networking opportunities even before stepping foot in the hall.
Registration for Event Sustainability Live is now open
The first ever Event Sustainability Live (ESL) will take place at ExCeL London on the 15th & 16th of November 2023. Organised by Event Industry News (EIN) and brought to you by the team behind its Sister exhibition, Event Tech Live. ESL aims to help event professionals to reach their sustainability goals. The ESL show floor will deliver the latest trends, innovations, and products from companies and venues providing eco-conscious solutions developed to make events more sustainable.
How to achieve record breaking profits amidst rising costs
ATPI Group’s CEO, Ian Sinderson, explains how the corporate travel company achieved record profits whilst straddling rising costs and labour shortages.
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Research

The event industry’s reliance on data to help it plan for the future, increase its resilience, manage risk and justify investment decisions, is growing year on year.

The engagement and access that The Power of Events (UK) has across all 7 sectors of the industry, enables data gathering and in-depth research projects to be delivered confidently and consistently. This will be primarily facilitated through the new insight app to be launched on 28th Sep 2023.

By bringing the industry and university partners together, research projects will be designed to deliver real benefits to the industry in terms of trend analysis, insights and performance improvements.

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