The trade exhibition sector internationally contributes nearly 179 billion euros to global GDP, as well as creating 3.4 million jobs. Picture: IFEMA Madrid

Once again, IFEMA Madrid is celebrating Global Exhibitions Day (GED 2021). This is an international day that seeks to focus attention on the valuable role that trade fairs play in generating employment and wealth. This year, due to the current circumstances, it has special importance for an industry which is going to be key to the recovery of the world economy.

Promoted by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and AFE, the Spanish Trade Fair Association, GED 2021 showcases the great work undertaken by trade fairs around the world in order to guarantee a safe return to face-to-face exhibition activity, adopting perfectly coordinated safety measures and protocols to protect visitors, exhibitors and staff, as well as ensuring an environment that guarantees great business opportunities for all those taking part.

Within such a context, IFEMA Madrid is leading the way in terms of the return to safe face-to-face trade fairs worldwide through its firm commitment to the FITUR International Tourism Trade Fair last month. FITUR 2012 saw the participation of 5,000 companies from 55 countries, with more than 62,000 attending in-person.

Through the celebration of Global Exhibitions Day, the trade fair sector around the world joins forces to highlight the enormous impact that its activity has on the economy and society internationally, representing the epicentre of business generation, tourism, innovation, digitisation and the exchange of knowledge. The day also seeks to promote knowledge and dissemination of the relevance of exhibition activity, its effects and economic and social repercussions. After a period of over a year in which the COVID-19 crisis has brought activities around the world to almost a complete halt, the main message of the campaign once again sought to underline that “Trade fairs are essential to economic recovery”.

The trade exhibition sector internationally contributes nearly 179 billion euros to global GDP, directly involving 4.8 million exhibiting companies and attracting 353 million visitors, as well as creating 3.4 million jobs directly related to fair activities. In the specific case of IFEMA Madrid, 2019 had an economic impact of 5.104 billion euros, a sum that represents 3.8% of the GDP of the city of Madrid and 2.2% of the GDP of the Madrid region, creating 39,343 jobs in the process.

(Source: IFEMA Madrid press reliese)