The European Exhibition Industry Alliance (EEIA), which is a partnership between UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry and EMECA, the European Major Exhibition Centres Association, has released documentation, 31 March, that lists support from the EU and national governments in Europe for businesses in general, and the exhibition industry in particular.
“By gathering and sharing examples of general financial measures and dedicated support for the exhibition industry already implemented across Europe, we want to encourage other governments and policymakers to offer the same in their respective markets,” says Barbara Weizsäcker, Secretary General of EEIA and EMECA.
Some positive initial actions were welcomed from the EU, as requested from EEIA, UFI and EMECA, and now additional EU funding will be made available to the EU Member States.
The documentation, the associations hope, may serve the exhibition industry across Europe for respective national advocacy efforts.
Although exhibitions and business events were the first to be shut down, tradefairs are a fast-track to economic recovery once the coronavirus crisis has passed and will deliver the best return on investment for companies to access markets again, the associations underline in their report.
The report also lists examples from across Europe of how the exhibition industry is providing support in this crisis, with initiatives such as converting exhibition halls to temporary Covid-19 emergency hospitals. “This shows how our industry is linked to their local communities, putting concrete actions in place with dedicated staff during crisis situations like the pandemic now,” says Kai Hattendorf, UFI MD/CEO.
More information: www.ufi.org/coronavirus. Similar documentation for Asia-Pacific, Middle-East Africa and the Americas are currently under preparation and will also be available from the UFI website.
EEIA is a co-operation between the European Members of UFI and the Members of the European Major Exhibition Centres Association EMECA.