To provide the industry with up-to-date figures on venue capacities, UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has published its full report on the World Map of Exhibition Venues.
This edition was, for the first time, prepared by jwc GmbH, in close cooperation with UFI.
The report lists the largest venues for all 21 markets whose total capacity exceeds 300,000m2 of gross indoor exhibition space. In total, the report provides data on 1,425 exhibition venues, with a total of 42.1 million square metres.
All exhibition venues with a minimum of 5,000m2 of gross indoor exhibition space, are covered in this global census.
Regionally, Europe still hosts the biggest share of the world’s total venue capacity with 37.2 per cent. With 36.6 per cent, Asia-Pacific has almost caught up, with new space capacities being added across the region as the event industry grows with these markets. With 17.9 per cent, North America stands in third place.
On a country/market level, China is now home to 29.3 per cent of the world’s venue capacity. The US currently holds 14.9 per cent of global venue space capacity, while third-placed Germany is home to 7.5 per cent. Along with Italy and France, these five markets account for 62 per cent of the total world indoor exhibition space.
In terms of size, the number of “mega venues” continues to grow. These are venues with more than 100,000m2 of exhibition space. The World Map now tracks 81 such venues around the world, accounting for six per cent of the total market. Forty of these mega venues are available across Europe, and 35 exist in Asia-Pacific.
More than one-third (35 per cent) of all venues belong to the medium-size segment, offering between 20,000 and 100,000m2, while 59 per cent of venues globally have an indoor capacity of between 5,000 and 20,000m2.
The average size of venues in the Asia-Pacific region exceeds that of any other region, a result of the many infrastructure projects in the region, especially in China.
The 2023 UFI World Map of Exhibition Venues covers the following markets: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, and the US.
Kai Hattendorf, UFI’s CEO and managing director, said: “This updated World Map showcases our industry’s most holistic and complete quantitative dataset. It is remarkable to see that global investments into upgrades and expansions of exhibition venue space have continued throughout the pandemic, a true testament to the power and resilience of our industry’s core business model. Investments into venue space are a win for everyone: for the industries served by exhibitions, and the destinations in which they take place. Our partnership with jwc for this project will facilitate regular editions of this important report.”
The full World Map of Exhibition Venues report is available, free of charge, on the UFI website at www.ufi.org/research or www.jwc.eu.com.
A veteran of STB, Tan has dedicated 18 years to the organisation in various pivotal roles. He was most recently the director for World Expo where he led the whole-of-government efforts to conceptualise, develop, and operate the Singapore Pavilion at Osaka World Expo 2025.
Prior to joining Silversea, he played pivotal roles in shaping sales strategies and enhancing market presence for notable cruise lines.
She brings with her 25 years of experience in sales and marketing within the hospitality industry, and served most recently as regional director of sales & marketing at COMO Hotels.
