UFI Releases Third Industry Partners Benchmark Survey

Demand is high for innovation from industry partners to meet the evolving expectations of organisers and venues. This is a core finding from the third edition of the Industry Partners Benchmark Survey, released by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

Developed by the UFI Industry Partners Working Group, the survey benchmarks and assesses the relationships between industry partners/suppliers and exhibition organisers/venues. It also identifies areas for improvement with regard to collaboration. Around 190 companies contributed to the project, the majority of whom are from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

The survey demonstrates that the demand for services remain high and have increased slightly from previous years. Booth construction remains the most relied upon service, alongside staff and security. Communication and marketing are still regarded as the most important elements for event success. There is a decrease in demand for digital services as focus is back on live events. Satisfaction with regards to innovation from service providers has seen a decrease since the last survey.

“This third survey provides a critical snapshot of expectations of industry partners as exhibitions return in full force globally. While overall satisfaction remains high, the feedback shows that we need to continuously innovate and communicate to ensure relevance and to add value to our customers,” says Sebastian Witt, Chair of UFI’s Industry Partners Working Group who led the survey.

UFI President, Geoff Dickinson, comments: “This survey, in its third edition, is a crucial output from UFI’s Industry Partners Working Group, which has been set up for and run by our members – a group of motivated exhibition professionals offering a diverse range of expertise. It highlights the importance of collaboration among exhibition organisers, venue operators and industry partners as part of the larger exhibition ecosystem to deliver innovation and drive success of our industry.”

This third Industry Partners Benchmark Survey was conducted in mid 2023. The Industry Partners Working Group is dedicated to running the survey on a regular basis, in order to reflect the ongoing challenges and impact on the exhibition industry.

The Third Industry Partners Benchmark Survey can be downloaded from the UFI website