The European Exhibition Industry Alliance which is a partnership between the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and the European Major Exhibition Centers Association, is releasing documentation that lists support from the European Union 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 the European Exhibition Industry Alliance and the European Major Exhibition Centers Association.
Positive actions have already been implemented by the European Union, as requested and communicated from three associations, whereby the three European Union institutions collaborated to approve and put in place a such financial support swiftly. Additional, the funding will be made available to their member states.
The documentation may serve to the exhibition industry across Europe for their respective national advocacy efforts. The exhibition and business events were the first to be shut down and will open with delay due to the longer planning and preparation time for such events. Therefore, the industry is specifically concerned by the effects of the coronavirus measures. Nonetheless, exhibitions and trade fairs 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 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, ceo of the global association of the exhibition industry.
The European Exhibition Industry Alliance is a cooperation between the European members of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and the members of the European Major Exhibition Centers Association. Its aim is to represent the common interests of the European exhibition industry towards the European Union institutions and other relevant stakeholders in Brussels. It promotes the impact of the sector, monitors European Union issues and advocates the sector’s common interests in order to maintain a favorable operating environment within the European Union and globally. The European Union and geographical Europe represent the largest region in the exhibition world. For more info, visit www.emeca.eu/.
