Looking back at exhibition industry coverage, how would I compare the headline topics of 2016 with those appearing in our newsfeeds today?
It’s been a decade now since I edited Mash Media’s Exhibition World magazine. So I thought I’d compare the stories I’m lining up this year with the stories that were doing the rounds in 2016. And flicking through old copies of the various trade publications I collected, as well as thumbing through reports and white papers from associations such as UFI, SISO and the EIA, there’s a surprising amount of overlap.
We’ve seen many industries utterly transformed by innovation in the past ten years; the impact of EV technology on the automotive industry for example, or AI’s impact on diagnosis in healthcare. But when it comes to exhibitions, you’d be surprised how little has changed in terms of the topics we write about, despite most of those ten years being spent in complete turmoil.
Here are a few observations that emerge from comparing today’s coverage with that being produced in 2016.
We still talk too much about our industry in isolation
Understanding our place in the marketing mix is far more important than professing our industry’s value and putting together unconvincing economic impact studies. We may share job titles and LinkedIn connections, but to the world outside we’re little more than a marketing option.
I’ve spent the last ten years doing two things professionally: consulting and gardening. One has given me such an obsession with soil that I’m no longer invited to some parties. The other has introduced me to clients in green tech and renewables, construction and tourism. None of them considered exhibitions an industry, and most preferred to spend their marketing budget elsewhere. In fact most of the destinations I spoke to saw little value in assigning even a modest budget to attracting exhibitions, despite being obvious beneficiaries.
To grow our audiences, we need to stop banging the ‘exhibitions are great’ drum and ask people what they hope to achieve with this year’s marketing strategy. At this stage they may want nothing more than access to the communities we create. Once they become a part of these communities, they’ll more readily consider the sponsorship or stands that enable you to profit from their involvement.
The associations that represent us produce economic impact reports that (in addition to internal benchmarking) aim to increase recognition and financial support for the good work we do. They produce comprehensive inward-looking reports such as UFI’s annual 120-page Barometer (1), but what do we really know about those who remain unconvinced by the work we do, or about those in other industries who see what we do as invaluable, but in need of improvement? We should know more about these people’s plans for growth, not what someone from South Korea’s exhibition association is saying about theirs.
Returning to gardening for a second (no, not soil) there’s an interesting point of comparison to be made. Many of the people I work with didn’t care about gardening until the pandemic hit. When it did, the same money they would otherwise have spent at the airport, was spent at the garden centre. They created a sanctuary at home instead of seeking it overseas. And they never stopped. For many, a shady hammock on a summer’s day surrounded by wildlife, and an evening sat around a fire pit with friends makes the Ryanair customer service desk at Heathrow even less appealing.
But they didn’t have to show any interest in horticulture to achieve it. It’s the result, not the method, that matters most.
Which leads neatly into the next observation…
Standalone exhibitions are destined to fail
Back in 2016, a big spreadsheet, a little black book and a few days’ venue hire meant you could sustain a small team and make a reasonable living running an exhibition. However, if that was your main source of income in 2020, you probably lost it when COVID stopped most of us from leaving our homes.
The pandemic sounded the death-knell for many standalone exhibitions, and we’re now painfully aware that resilience is crucial to long-term success, which means building our offering around communities, not exhibition halls and calendars. (2)
Today the trade press and associations are rife with articles about the need to restructure our businesses so that they remain afloat in times of hardship. When a new species of exotic mammal (or biotechnician) coughs in a crowd of humans, or one of the world’s increasing number of right-wing strongmen decides to roll tanks or launch drones across another country’s border, we need to keep the conversations going, not shut up shop.
As Lorenzo Garbujo, JWC’s director and lead editor of the GIPR (Global Industry Performance Review) told Exhibition World at the end of last year:
“The industry has partially stabilised following the post-pandemic rebound, but momentum is shifting towards structural transformation, with evolving event formats and portfolio consolidation in mature markets. Growth has returned, but it is increasingly characterised by shifting business models, innovation, and efficiency rather than pure volume. I think the industry is experiencing change, driven by shifting demographics and AI, but I also believe it can adapt successfully in a world increasingly hungry for genuine human connection.”
And the reason we need to rethink our structure is because…
An exhibition is now the temporary manifestation of a digital community
A decade is a long time, but it’s an epoch when you factor technological progress into the mix. Where once we spoke of digitalisation, apps and basic data tools, we now chew over the impact of AI, data-driven personalisation and technology’s ability to help us reimagine core business processes.
In 2016 one of the biggest industry buzzwords was ‘festivalisation’; the process of expanding our exhibitions into all-encompassing experiences for enthusiasts from that industry. Today the boundaries we need to push are mostly online, enriching the experience for audiences through deep digital transformation. We’re employing AI to identify, model, justify and communicate our core business, using big data to develop greater engagement for exhibitors and visitors. As Exploplatform’s excellent article Online Community Platforms (3) will tell you, exhibitions are just one part of a perpetual content carousel that accommodates ever more diverse (and digital) audiences.
Take, for example, the UK’s industry association the AEO. Its name, an acronym, has evolved over the years; transitioning from the Association of Exhibition Organisers to the Association of Event Organisers in 2007. Today it produces most of its work under the even more broad Events Industry Alliance (EIA) umbrella, positioning it to catch ever-more dynamic, content-rich, creative event formats.
The way I see it, the natural progression is to swap the first two letters around and begin operating as the Industry Events Alliance, because if we know one thing, it’s that exhibitions are just one type of industry event, and industry events only exist to serve industry communities.
Green credentials are now core marketing qualities
The annual Climate Summit Paradox was in full view again last year, when more private jets than ever landed at COP30 in Brazil. However, while the dignitaries, statesmen and elites could bat away criticism from activists and observers incensed by their choice of transport at an event dedicated to climate improvement, Diana from procurement will have a harder job excusing her five planned meetings at a show 2000 miles from the office. Like it or not, our businesses are now built around video calls.
Sustainability and environmental risk, a peripheral topic in 2016 – and one that you’d only read about somewhere towards the back of the magazines I used to edit – is now front and centre. There are plenty of viable alternatives to meeting face-to-face, and more companies than ever now trade on their green credentials. You can learn about some of them here. (4)
The same applies to those who seek to entice Diana and her procurement team. Stand design isn’t just about looking good or visitor experience and engagement; it’s about environmental footprint, repurposing and modularity.
What have I learned?
There are of course, many more observations to make, but they mostly point to one trend. While the editorial agenda of today’s active industry commentators, be they trade press, association or blogger, will no doubt contain the same stock pieces on growing the showfloor, boosting attendance, perfecting pricing strategies and so on, the 2016 staple of operational growth must give way to 2026’s need for strategic transformation.
If we are to future-proof our exhibitions for an ever-more complex and volatile environment, then we need to widen the scope of our coverage to include much more than square metres and registration, because while that may be the business we know, it’s not the business we find ourselves in today.
In some ways it’s a lot like gardening; it’s difficult to grow anything with confidence unless we first understand and prepare the soil.
Links and references
(1) ufi.org website, UFI Global Exhibition Barometer, (February 2025)
(2) Dr Vassilios Ziakas, (University of Liverpool, UK) Centre for Events and Festivals website, Stop planning just one-off events: start building portfolios
(3) Expoplatform website, Online Community Platforms, (2020)
(4) Skyline Exhibits website, How the exhibition industry is going green(er) (September 2022)
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