Por su interés, reproducimos la nota de prensa original en inglés de UFI del 9-1-26, con las conclusiones de la 36ª edición de su barómetro semestral. Los datos específicos para Europa están a partir de la página 71 del informe y para España en las páginas 99 a la 103.
Vemos en la nota de prensa que, a nivel mundial, el 47% de los encuestados muestra un aumento de la actividad superior al 5% en su mercado nacional en 2025; el 33% de las compañías prevé un aumento anual de sus beneficios operativos superior al 10% en 2026; el uso de IA continúa aumentando; y que el 37% de las empresas considera necesario mejorar el formato general de las ferias.
Paris — 29/01/2026: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has released the 36th edition of its flagship Global Exhibition Barometer report, offering fresh insights into the current state of the exhibition industry.
The results show a positive trend in activity in respondents’ home countries, with 47% reporting an increase of more than 5% in 2025.
In terms of operating profits, 31% of companies report annual growth of more than 10% for 2025, and 33% forecast similar increases for 2026.
Global AI adoption in the exhibition industry is steadily increasing, with 87% of companies now reporting the use of AI – a 4% increase from six months earlier.
Regarding event formats, 37% of survey participants believe all events need improvement overall, while another 58% say it depends on the type of show.
“This edition of the Global Exhibition Barometer confirms what we are seeing across the industry: strong, steady growth and a sector that continues to adapt at pace.
We see solid growth in rented space and operating profits across many markets, alongside a notable acceleration in the use of AI to improve efficiency and customer experience,” comments Chris Skeith OBE, Managing Director and CEO at UFI.
“At the same time, the call for more engaging and interactive event formats highlights the industry’s ongoing focus on enhancing value for participants. These insights will support organisations as they update their strategies and continue to navigate an environment that remains dynamic and diverse across regions.”
Size and scope
This latest edition of UFI’s bi-annual industry report was concluded in December 2025 and is based on data from 378 companies in 57 countries and regions. The study includes outlooks and analyses for 19 focus countries and regions – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, the UAE, the UK, and the USA – as well as five additional aggregated regional zones. It also segments global results for organisers, venues and service providers/suppliers whenever this is relevant.
Rented space
Globally, 47% of respondents report an increase in activity of more than 5% in their country in 2025, while 42% say it remained stable (+/-5%). Only 10% declare a decrease of more than 5%.
The forecast for 2026 is similar to the 2025 results, with 44% expecting an increase in activity of more than 5%, 41% believing it will remain stable, only 8% expecting a decrease of more than 5%, and 7% are uncertain.
Revenues
Global results indicate that most companies foresee:
Operating profit
In terms of operating profits for 2025, 31% of the companies report an annual increase of more than 10%, and 57% declare a stable result (between -10% and +10%). For 2026, 33% of the companies forecast an annual increase of more than 10%, and 58% report a stable profit.
Workforce development
Globally, 39% of companies declare that they plan to increase their staff numbers, while another 57% declare that they will keep current staff numbers stable.
Most important business issues
For the short term:
For the mid-term, there are many differences in the ranking of the most important issues compared with the short term:
Generative AI applications
Globally, 68% of companies indicate that they currently use standard AI tools in at least some of their business functions. In addition, 15% have AI-powered tools integrated into their existing systems, and 4% have already developed proprietary algorithms trained on internal data. Overall, 87% of companies are now using AI (+4% compared to six months ago).
In parallel, 13% of respondents declare having no or almost no use of AI at this stage (-4% compared to six months ago).
In terms of their level of maturity, most companies are still researching or testing solutions in the 3 domains surveyed:
New format of events
Results indicate that while only 37% of respondents see a definite need to update the format overall, an additional 58% consider it depends on the type of show. Only 6% believe no changes are needed.
While a majority of companies from all segments state that the need to improve the format of events “depends on the show”, it’s interesting to notice the different proportions: 7 companies out of 10 among venues, 6 out of 10 for organisers, and 5 out of 10 for service providers/suppliers.
When looking at what improvements matter most, respondents emphasise interactivity and engagement above all. The top two priorities — each selected by 22% — are “Enabling visitors to participate/engage in the event (in product demonstrations/competitions, “gamification”, etc.)” and “Having more interactive and engaging learning formats (possibly including formal recognition, as part of individual professional development)”.
“Organising social events” also ranks highly, with 16% supporting creating additional experiences at the event venue or in special places. “Updating show look and feel (sounds, lights, and signage)” follows at 13%, alongside “Changing the show layout (thematic sections, etc.)” (11%) and “Organising themed days (for multi-day events)” (10%). “Inviting big-name star speakers”, while appreciated, is seen as a relatively lower-impact enhancement (7%).
The 36th Global Exhibition Barometer report was conducted in collaboration with 33 associations.
In line with UFI’s objective to provide vital data and best practices to the entire exhibition industry, the full results can be downloaded at www.ufi.org/knowledge-hub.
The next UFI Global Exhibition Barometer survey will be conducted in June 2026.
Attachments:
Informe original: www.ufi.org/knowledge-hub
