New research published today by the Events Industry Alliance (EIA) – the collective associations of AEO, AEV and ESSA – has found that the UK exhibitions industry supported £11.7 billion of total economic output in 2025 and more than 127,000 jobs across the country, underlining the sector’s significance to the UK economy.
The UK exhibitions industry plays a crucial role in promoting the UK’s strengths at home and internationally.
It includes events like Farnborough International Airshow, which convenes the global aerospace, defence and space industry, MACH and All-Energy in the advanced manufacturing and clean energy industries respectively, and London Book Fair across the creative industries.
It is an important reminder that, alongside being a vital sector in its own right, the UK’s exhibitions ecosystem is helping to accelerate growth in the UK’s most strategically important sectors, including those identified in the Industrial Strategy.
The study brings this contribution into sharp focus, finding that 1,154 exhibitions took place in the UK in 2025, drawing almost 6.8 million visitors and 139,000 exhibitors, and generating £5.3 billion in direct spending.
The research also shows that every £1 spent directly on exhibitions in the UK generates an additional £1.23 of expenditure in the wider economy, and that each exhibitor supported an average of £84,493 in total economic output over the course of the year.
The findings will strengthen the case for the government to upgrade its support for the sector.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee, after concluding its inquiry into ‘major events’, has made several key recommendations for how the UK government can better support exhibitions.
The inquiry, led by Dame Caroline Dinenage, was launched in July 2025 and set out to examine the challenges faced by the industry and to consider how the sector can tap into new opportunities for growth.
In August, more than 214 trade associations, venues, organisers and suppliers wrote to Lisa
Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, calling for the recommendations from this report to be implemented in full.
Chief among them is the Committee’s call for a standalone, long-term national business events strategy that recognises the critical role exhibitions have in driving the government’s industrial strategy.
Ian Taylor, chief operating officer, NEC, AEV chair and current EIA chair, said: “These figures show exhibitions are a significant contributor to the UK economy and industrial strategy. This government has called for growth in every postcode. Business events are primed to support the significant levers currently in place – but cannot be expected to do so without appropriate backing. Events like Farnborough Airshow are fantastic examples of how business events drive investment into UK supply chains around the country, and events like this are happening every single day.”
The full report, including a breakdown of direct, indirect and induced impacts by output, GDP and employment, is available from www.eventsindustryalliance.com.
