Industry records highest number of events in years: report
The events industry has recorded its highest number of confirmed shows in years, according to a new report.
Figures from the the Q3 2023 Event Economy Tracker by The Business of Events show September saw a sharp surge, after subdued activity in July and August.
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Confirmed events surge in September: Q3 report?
September registered the highest level of confirmed shows in recent years, a new report has revealed.?
Numbers from the Events Economy Tracker Q3 2023, by the Business of Events, show the robust growth comes after a quieter July and August this year.
Martin Fullard , director of news and content at the Business of Events, said: “Q3 is characterised by two of the quieter months throughout the course of the year – July and August – therefore it is to be expected that event sizes will generally be smaller and venues reduce their prices to get people through the door.
“This accounts for a drop in the revenue per delegate. However, (…) September saw more confirmed events than any other month over the last few years, but forward bookings appear to be slowing.”
Ongoing challenges include:
Martin added: “The industry is still grappling with the challenges surrounding inflation and high operating costs, for which there seems no end in sight.
“These conditions very much appear to be the norm and we can’t see that changing any time soon.
“One thing remains clear, despite these challenges, people still value face-to-face events. Venues will therefore be hoping for a strong Christmas season in Q4.”
Almost two-thirds of association profs ‘want AI regulation in events’
The majority of association professionals want governments to regulate AI use in event organising, according to a poll.
A total of 63% of respondents backed the idea, while the same percentage said they were concerned about the ethics of using this tech to plan shows.
The survey is part of an upcoming white paper by
The Hague & Partners
Convention Bureau and Ottawa Tourism to explore the ethical implications of AI use
Bas Schot , head of the Hague & Partners Convention Bureau, said: “AI is inevitable, and it is already impacting our lives in many ways.
“Those individuals and organisations thinking it is something that will not impact them clearly don’t realise just how ingrained it is in our world already.
“It is all too easy to just think in terms of generative artificial intelligence, however AI is so much more and we need to harness the power of it in a way that is ethical and positive for everyone.”
Ottawa Tourism ’s vice president, meeting and major events, Lesley Pincombe (Mackay) added: “We wanted to go beyond discussions about what AI can do, to consider how we should be integrating it into our organisations at a human level.
“There is no denying AI can do incredible things. However, should we allow it; when should we apply the brakes, communicate better and focus on humanity rather than technology?”
Other key findings include:
A total of 109 event professionals were surveyed for the white paper. Of these, 61% were from Europe, 31% from North America and the remaining 8% from other countries.
AWE signs agreement with KINTEX to promote MICE development
AWE has signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen collaboration and promote the MICE growth in Asia-Pacific.
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The agreement with Korean International Exhibition Centre (KINTEX) was signed jointly by Irene Chan, CEO of AWE, and Jae Yul Lee, CEO of KINTEX.
Key areas of collaboration under the MoU include:
Irene said: “AWE has maintained close cooperation with the exhibition and entertainment industries in Korea, having successfully hosted numerous remarkable exhibitions and concerts which attracted a large number of international visitors.
“This signing ceremony marks a new chapter in our cooperation, facilitating communication among industry professionals, expanding the scale of conference and exhibition activities in both cities, promoting business and incentive travel, and attracting more large-scale international and regional events.
“Leveraging our strategic location in the heart of the Greater Bay Area, AWE is committed to fostering the thriving development of the MICE industry in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Asian tradeshows rebound despite hiccups: UFI
Tradeshows in Asia have made a strong recovery after post-Covid challenges in the previous year, according to a report by UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry .
The association’s 18th annual tradeshow report in Asia reveals key exhibition markets – China, Japan, India, South Korea and Hong Kong – selling more than 80% of the net space in the region.
The rebound comes after a significant 87% drop in net space sold in 2022 compared to 2019 owing to pandemic-related challenges.
This was primarily due to China shutting its borders for the entire 2022 as a result of its Covid-zero policies.
Mark Cochrane , UFI APAC regional manager, said:? “In 2022, the US and European exhibition markets had begun to move on from Covid-19, but in Asia, many of the restrictions and challenges remained.
“In fact, China’s exhibition industry was non-existent in 2022. As a result, net square meters sold were at the lowest levels since this report was launched in 2004.
“The good news is that in 2023, the industry has rebounded much faster than expected.”
Kai Hattendorf , CEO of UFI, said: “The recovery that we have seen in Asia in 2023 is nothing short of remarkable.
“It demonstrates the resilience of our industry and the irreplaceable value of face-to-face interactions.
“This report is a valuable resource not only for its proprietary statistics and figures, but also for the insight it provides into the trends and challenges that will shape the Asian exhibition industry in 2024 and beyond.”
The report tracks the development and performance of 17 exhibition markets in Asia.
Research was undertaken by the Hong Kong-based Business Strategies Group.
RAI Amsterdam strengthens leadership with two new directors
RAI Amsterdam has added two event industry veterans to boost its leadership team.
Diddy Durant joins RAI as the new director of business development and will drive the promotion of Amsterdam and the exhibition centre for international events.
Annette Bos will be the director of markets and oversee RAI’s 25 national and international exhibition titles.
RAI COO Maurits van der sluis said: “I am delighted to add Annette and Diddy to our management team.
“Together with Bart van der Heijden, Director Events, the team has an enormous network and enormous knowledge and expertise in the industry.
“These are used to the full, to ensure that the many conferences and exhibitions we organise and facilitate – here in Amsterdam and elsewhere in the world – are a great success. ”
Diddy has been part of the RAI since 2012 and played a key role in shaping its international business development.
Annette joined RAI in 2013 and has driven business strategy and growth for the organisation’s Aquatech Global division.
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