Interview Hugh Jones
“We want to be acknowledged as a strategic tool for economic growth.”
Photo: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
Photo: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
m+a report: According to the latest UFI Global Exhibition Barometer, the most pressing short-term business issues for the exhibition industry are “State of the economy in home market”, “Geopolitical challenges” and “Global economic developments”. Given your previous work as Global Managing Director in risk and business analysis – which has certainly shaped your view of the markets – what specific risks and opportunities do you currently see for the industry, and how should organisers prepare for them?
Hugh Jones: Post covid, exhibitions at the top of any category should be able to thrive, however, smaller shows will struggle to find increasing visitor numbers. Businesses have cut back on their willingness to send visitors as they have decreased their post-covid budgets. Therefore, we as an industry must work much harder on visitor catchment, not simply exhibitor sales. The way to do that will be to prioritize the visitor segments we want at our exhibitions and deploy specific marketing strategies that capture the share of mind of people within that segment. It’s no longer a “build it and the visitors will come” world.
The analysis also shows that UK companies are significantly more optimistic about the situation of the industry operations in the first half of 2025 compared to both Germany and the European average. In your view, what are the key factors driving this divergence?
Indeed, barometer results indicate increases for 2025 in the UK higher than in France, or Germany, or Spain at several levels: level of operations, revenues, operating profits and additional staff. Italy is also performing above average for revenues and operating profits. This reflects the general economic indicators for UK, Germany and Europe generally; with UK seeing growth of 0.1% in Q4 2024 over previous quarter, compared to zero growth in the Eurozone and -0.2% in Germany. With the election and structural economic challenges, we can see why German companies are generally less optimistic compared to their UK counterparts, who are seeing more stable, albeit weak, growth now.
About UFI
UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry is the global trade association of the world’s tradeshow organisers and exhibition centre operators, as well as the major national and international exhibition associations, and selected partners of the exhibition industry. UFI’s main objective is to represent, promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. The association was founded in Milan on April 15, 1925 by the 20 largest European trade fair organizers at the time: Bordeaux, Brussels, Budapest, Cologne, Gdansk, Frankfurt/Main, Leipzig, Ljubljana, Lvov, Lyon, Milan, Nizhny Novgorod, Padua, Paris, Prague, Reichenberg, Utrecht, Valencia, Vienna and Zagreb. Until 2003, UFI stood for Union des Foires Internationales. Today, UFI directly represents more than 50,000 exhibition industry employees globally and also works closely with more than 72 national and regional association members. It currently has more than 900 member organisations in 90 countries and regions worldwide. Over 900 international trade fairs bear the UFI-approved label, a quality guarantee for visitors and exhibitors alike.
In your inaugural speech at the 91st UFI Global Congress, you said: “We are the ‘E’ in the term ‘MICE’” and criticised the fact that not all governments understand the exhibition industry and its economic impact. In your opinion, which geographical markets have recognised the true value of the industry and what lessons can other regions learn from these examples?
This was not about criticizing governments per se, I was making the point that we as an industry do not talk about the economic and social benefits we bring to cities and countries. It is our job to educate the governments we deal with in a transparent and effective manner. We can’t presume they understand the economic impact we create if we don’t show them how to measure it. The term MICE is widely used within our industry, but the acronym can be confusing for those outside our industry. Globally, we are using the term “business events and exhibitions” because it better reflects what we do to drive economies. Specific to the exhibition industry, we want to be acknowledged as a strategic tool for economic growth by cities and countries globally. While we do leverage local and tourism infrastructure, our economic contribution goes beyond that to drive growth, trade, investment and employment for multiple industries, ranging from mobility to healthcare.
Set up in 2016, Global Exhibitions Day (GED) is held annually on the first Wednesday of June to drive visibility of the exhibition industry locally, regionally and on a global scale. In recent years, it saw activations and activities from industry players in over 100 countries and regions around the world. The 10th Global Exhibitions Day will be celebrated on 4 June 2025 under the motto “Exhibitions unleash potential”. Photo: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
To that end, a growing number of governments, particularly in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, understand the strategic value of hosting exhibitions and trade shows and leverage them to advance their policy and economic agendas. Increasingly, there are dedicated exhibition bureau teams that report directly to the highest level of government. Some of these countries have been featured in our UFI Global Policy Leadership Series, and we have led delegations to some of these countries to engage directly with governments. For other countries and regions looking to advocate with their respective governments, we encourage them to identify their needs, collect critical data and case studies such as the economic impact of exhibitions, and adapt their message to the relevant government stakeholders. It is also important they leverage platforms such as Global Exhibitions Day to engage local media and stakeholders to raise awareness of the industry.
According to the UFI Barometer, “Sustainability / Climate” is only one of the three most pressing business issues in the medium term. Do you think that the industry has not yet recognised the urgency of the topic?
Yes, I do. The sustainability tactics are being discussed at virtually every show with which I am familiar. Reduction in a show’s carbon footprint measure is now tantamount to the show’s overall success, and executives are being held accountable for the size of that footprint. The fact that ‘Sustainability/Climate’ ranks among the top three most pressing business issues in the medium term demonstrates that the industry recognizes its importance despite geopolitical uncertainty and varying economic conditions.
„We need to report reliable data to our stakeholders and will need to create easy ways for visitors to offset their CO2 footprint with audited programs that are not greenwashing schemes.“
Hugh Jones, CEO of RX Global and UFI President
What is encouraging is the significant shift in perception. This evolution signals that sustainability is moving up the agenda and is increasingly integrated into long-term business strategies. Many of the largest exhibition organisers now have dedicated in-house sustainability specialists reflected in leadership positions such as the Chief Sustainability Officer. Expect to see stands made from re-usable building materials, fewer plush carpets, charges for visitors to offset their carbon footprint relating to travel, and venues chosen specifically for their ability to measure and offset their footprint.
What specific measures do you believe should be implemented to drive the decarbonisation of the exhibition industry in a serious and timely manner, and what key levers do you see within the sector?
Our industry acts as a carbon consolidator because a single successful trade show decreases the number of business trips buyers and sellers need to make. However, our industry can represent a “sustainable way of doing business thanks to its huge economic and social impacts, it does have a mixed impact on the environment, and that needs to be scrutinized. The rules for calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions include participants' travel (categorized under "scope 3"), even if it is rarely directly controlled by the event operator (i.e. organizer, venue). Air travel often constitutes the largest portion of an event's footprint, and work is underway to measure the concept of “travel consolidation”. In any case, the exhibition industry is largely engaged in reducing the footprint of activities directly under its control (venue energy, waste, etc.) and is committed to the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative to decarbonization. This collective work is crucial so that the same methodology is used. We need to report reliable data to our stakeholders and will need to create easy ways for visitors to offset their CO2 footprint with audited programs that are not greenwashing schemes.
The UFI Next Generation Leadership (NGL) Grant fosters emerging leaders within the exhibition industry by recognising individuals who demonstrate clear initiative in driving change and innovation in their respective domains. Every year, NGL Grant applicants are asked to focus on a mission that tackles a critical topic facing the exhibition industry. The 2025 mission calls for applicants to explore innovative, unconventional formats to inspire the next evolution of event models. The programme is supported by leading global exhibition organisers Clarion, dmg events, Informa Markets, and RX. Photo: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
Do you see potential in strengthening collaboration between the exhibition industry and other sectors to develop new, innovative business models? Can you give an example that could serve as a benchmark?
UFI is part of the global business events industry and we collaborate through our umbrella body the Joint Meetings Industry Council, which represents the combined interest of 15 major business events industry associations. We collaborate on numerous initiatives around advocacy (such as the EU Dialogue and the Meetings Manifesto) and sustainability (such as the Net Zero Carbon Events). “Format evolution” has also been identified as the mission for our 2025 Next Generation Leadership Grant Programme, which is currently accepting applications until 3 April 2025, and I encourage the industry to stay tuned for their presentation at the UFI Global Congress in Hong Kong this November.
Given the many challenges ahead, what are you most looking forward to during your tenure as UFI President?
In my Presidential Speech at last year’s UFI Global Congress in Cologne, I highlighted three priorities for my term: Talent, Sustainability and Advocacy. 2025 is also UFI’s centenary, and I look forward to celebrating our industry’s achievements and setting the stage for our future.