Corporate events, conferences, and trade shows drive business travel growth, expected to reach $928.45 billion by 2030. Photo Credit: The Meetings Show Asia Pacific
The Asia-Pacific region now accounts for 38.5% of global venue capacity, surpassing Europe for the first time, which has 36.7% capacity, with North America ranking third, at 17.1%.
This is according to the latest edition of the World Map of Exhibition Venues, produced by UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, together with jwc GmbH. The report provides insights into venue capacity worldwide, tracking 1,432 venues, with a combined total of 43.1 million sqm gross indoor exhibition space. In addition to global and regional venue capacity data, the report details 22 global markets with over 300,000 square metres (sqm) of gross indoor exhibition space.
On a country level, China continues to dominate globally, representing 31.3% of total venue capacity, followed by the USA (14.2%) and Germany (7.3%). Collectively, the top five markets (China, USA, Germany, Italy, and France) have grown by 1.1 percentage points to a new total of 63.5% of total space globally.
Mega venues, defined as those with over 100,000 sqm of indoor exhibition space, continue to grow in number, with 83 tracked globally. Europe retains a small lead with 39 such venues, ahead of Asia-Pacific with 38. The remaining ones are North America, with five and the Middle East and Africa with one.
Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO, said: “Exhibition venues are key drivers of the development of our industry globally. The 2024 World Map of Exhibition Venues offers unparalleled insight into the scale and distribution of this vital resource. This is helping industry professionals make informed decisions in an ever-changing global landscape. As a forward-looking indicator, venue developments are investments into future exhibition business. With this in mind, one key development is that Asia-Pacific now offers more total venue space than Europe – for the first time since UFI began tracking venue sizes.”
Venue providers looking to showcase their options and MICE planners eager to explore more venues in the Asia Pacific region should not miss The Meetings Show APAC 2025. It's the perfect opportunity to connect and discover. Register here: https://www.themeetingsshow-apac.com/