We offer exclusive insights from jwc’s annual Global Industry Performance Review (GIPR)
The Global Industry Performance Review (GIPR) by jwc continues to be a cornerstone of knowledge for professionals and stakeholders in the exhibition industry. The 2024 edition, refined and expanded, will officially be available from 24 January 2025, building on the success of previous editions to deliver valuable insights and comprehensive analysis of the exhibition industry.
Lorenzo Garbujo, senior consultant at jwc and lead editor of the GIPR, provides an exclusive preview of the report and shares early insights with us here.
“We are excited to be able to publish our latest analysis of the international exhibition industry in a shape and form that has even further developed from the already comprehensive report last year. With this 500+ page edition we provide tangible value to the industry’s stakeholders – especially the decision-makers,” Garbujo says.
The report is structured into seven dedicated chapters, commencing with the ‘Global Macroeconomic Outlook,’ which examines the broader economic landscape, and its impact on the exhibition industry.
Market profiles
In the second chapter we delve into ‘Global Exhibition Industry & Market Profiles’, and analyse the key characteristics of major exhibition markets worldwide. Notably, this edition introduces a new focus on the ASEAN and other selected Asian countries, along with an overview of the South America markets.
While European markets are stagnating, regions like the Middle East and parts of Asia are projected to experience robust growth as new venue capacities come online. North America is expected to see moderate growth, whereas the key markets in South America are expected to expand significantly. Differences in net rented space and revenue growth are evident across all regions, with revenues having returned to pre-pandemic levels globally. However, space recovery is anticipated by 2025 in all regions except Europe.
Top 40 exhibition organisations
A staple of the GIPR, the Top 40 Company Performance Review chapter offers a comprehensive analysis of the financial and operational performance of the 40 leading exhibition industry companies. It includes detailed revenue breakdowns by segment and region, operational performance benchmarks, and company rankings.As shown above, the Top 40 exhibition companies returned to pre-Covid revenue levels in 2023 but with much slower growth compared to the pre-pandemic period. From 2010 to 2019, the industry outpaced global GDP with a 5.8% CAGR, led by pure organisers at 8.7%. The post-pandemic trajectory has been slower, with a 1.2% CAGR from 2019 to 2023. However, 2024 forecasts predict a strong 6.6% year-over-year growth.
An analysis of global market shares among the Top 40 organisations reveals a fragmented industry, with the Top 40 now generating 38% of total revenues – a 2% increase from the previous year. A review of 2022/23 rolling averages against historical benchmarks (2008/09) emphasises the role of leaders like Informa in driving growth. Despite having the lowest revenue among top companies in 2008/09, Informa has since achieved the fastest growth, primarily through acquisitions, ultimately establishing itself as the company with the highest turnover in our industry. In the ranking of the Top 20 companies by pure event organising revenue, several changes can be observed with the top three – Informa, RX, and Clarion – generating more revenue in 2023 than the remaining 17 companies combined.
Market deep dives
The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the exhibition markets in China, India, and the GCC, focusing on market size, key sectors, major exhibitions, prominent organisers, and future forecasts. The three regions exhibit distinct market dynamics, yet all share promising growth prospects.
In addition, as one of the most dynamic and rapidly evolving exhibition markets, Saudi Arabia is the focus of a dedicated section in the report. The analysis offers insights into the country’s vision and competitive landscape as well as an overview of market entry strategies for international organisers. It emphasises the role of partnerships and joint ventures to successfully navigate and thrive in this emerging and highly dynamic market.
Top global exhibitions: KPIs and pricing trends
Measuring success in the exhibition industry requires a nuanced understanding of event metrics and pricing dynamics. This year’s newly added top events monitoring chapter explores event KPIs and price levels across various sectors and geographies between 2019 and 2023, providing benchmarks for performance metrics and pricing structures for over 200 exhibitions.
A comparative analysis of net rented space and visitor development across European industry segments in 2023, relative to 2019 levels, reveals a mixed landscape. Sectors such as Energy & Environment and Tourism, Travel, and Education show strong growth, with development rates exceeding +30%. Security & Defense also demonstrates solid performance. In contrast, sectors like Automotive and Consumer Goods remain significantly below their pre-pandemic levels, indicating slower recovery and reflecting structural challenges and shifting customer behaviors.
The report also explores the pricing of exhibition space for key events worldwide, providing the industry’s most comprehensive analysis of pricing structures.
A comparison of average price levels across regions, reveals that the Middle East is the most expensive region for exhibition space, primarily due to its partially limited venue availability, followed by North America. Asia exhibits considerable price variability; however, it is important to note that the reported price levels are heavily influenced by the Chinese market. In this context, the listed prices primarily apply to international exhibitors, while domestic exhibitors benefit from significantly lower rates (also observed in India).
At the country level, UAE leads globally with the highest average square metre price of 600 €/m², followed by Singapore and the UK, In contrast, major European markets like Germany, Spain, and Italy offer more affordable averages around €250/m².
If you are interested in finding out more about this year’s Global Industry Performance Review (GIPR), please see https://bit.ly/GIPR2023 or contact Lorenzo Garbujo under lgarbujo@jwc.eu.com.
