For the fourth time, the international exhibition industry is celebrating Global Exhibitions Day. The initiator of the Global Exhibitions Day on 5 June 2019 is UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. This year's focus is on the global economic impact of trade fairs and their contribution to the protection of resources.
Exhibitions - a global industry
Trade fairs take place in almost every country in the world. From Chile to China, from Finland to Australia. But also many individual fairs have global significance, thanks to high internationality on the exhibitor and visitor side. Almost two-thirds of the global leading trade fairs of the various industries take place in Germany. This makes the exhibition venue Germany the world's No. 1 in international events.
Foreign Exhibitors on German Exhibitions
Around 60% of exhibitors at German trade fairs come from abroad, and by no means only from Europe. Out of a total of 195,000 exhibitors from Germany and abroad in 2018, 47,000 (= 24%) came from overseas. This gives visitors to German trade fairs access to the global offerings of their sectors.
The export strength of the German economy is closely linked to the participation of German industry in foreign trade fairs. The presence of German companies at foreign trade fairs has been growing accordingly for years. In the meantime, 40% of the companies exhibiting in Germany are also represented at exhibitions abroad (2000: 28%).
Foreign Visitors on German Exhibitions
Over 30% of visitors to German trade fairs come from abroad, and not only from Europe. Of a total of 9.6 million visitors from Germany and abroad in 2018, around 650,000 came from countries outside Europe. This gives exhibitors at German trade fairs access to worldwide demand in their sectors.
Exhibitions - committed to sustainability
Even if exhibitions take place under time pressure - sustainable action is not neglected. Many exhibition organizers have committed themselves to observing environmental protection at fairs. These included waste prevention, recycling and landfilling. In addition, many companies on the exhibitors' side commit themselves to sustainability regardless of their trade fair participation. But, after all, exhibitions have a good eco-balance because they help avoid millions of travel-related individual appointments.
Lower environmental impact thanks to lower travel expenses
With exhibitions one can reach target groups from most different regions at the same time. During an exhibition with 100,000 visitors and 1,000 exhibitors, an average of one to two million conversations take place within a few days. What would be a qualitatively equivalent alternative? The same discussions would have to be conducted at various locations with correspondingly high travel expenses of the dialog partners. These trips, which are avoided thanks to trade fairs, would have significantly higher emissions than the total emissions of a trade fair implementation.
sustainability theory of the "three-pillar model"
The German trade fair industry is oriented towards achieving comprehensive sustainability in the so-called "three-pillar model". Sustainable development then requires the simultaneous and equal implementation of environmental, economic and social goals.
An ecological goal is the saving of resources. This can be in the stand construction sector, but this can also affect electricity, heat and water consumption. Sometimes even offers the opportunity to gain energy, such as photovoltaic systems on the hall roofs or cogenerators. Investing in energy-efficient lighting, ventilation and cooling will pay off financially for the company after a certain amount of time. In addition, material savings have an equal impact on both resource and budget savings.
With social measures such as sponsorship of local charities, involvement in the cultural sphere of the city, avoidance of noise emissions, etc., a greater acceptance in the environment is achieved. Regular employee training leads to higher employee satisfaction.
