IFES Publishes Impact of COVID-19 on Exhibition and Event Services

IFES conducted an international study on the general status quo and expectations in the exhibition and event services industry. A clear statement: In countries where there is a high-willingness to wear a mask for everyday life, trade fairs start almost half a year earlier.

Due to the postponements and cancellations of trade fair events so far, many trade fair and event service providers have got into economic difficulties. For IFES, International Federation of Exhibition and Event Services, this was the reason to ask its members worldwide and to present a comparison of effects, measures and expectations for the individual continents.

"Almost all trade fair planning for the coming months has lost its reliability: organisers, exhibitors, visitors and service providers lack any planning security. As a result, exhibitors have to rely on other distribution channels and service providers are deprived of any basis for business," says IFES Managing Director Uta Goretzky. "The extent to which the industry has been hit varies from country to country or region to region, and here it is important to gain an overview and, if necessary, learn from solutions from other regions of the world!

In Asia and Europe, for example, trade fair organisers in the USA rely 100% on hand disinfection and the wearing of masks, while only three quarters of trade fairs in the USA publish this among their exhibitors and visitors.

In Asia, 60% of the companies surveyed expect trade fairs to be able to take place as early as the first quarter of 2021. In Europe, 75% share this view from the second quarter onwards, while in the USA, three quarters of companies do not expect trade fairs to return until the third quarter of 2021.

The survey was conducted from 11 to 25 September 2020. A total of 86 companies participated in the survey.

The full results of the study can be found on the IFES website.