What is the state of play in terms of the return of international trade fair business to pre-crisis levels?
Corinne Moreau - International trade shows are still 10 to 20% behind 2018. This is not specific to France elsewhere. The GermansOur main competitors, with an even more international dimension - and far greater communication and promotional resources - were still at minus 30% last year, compared with 20% for France. And even today, the Germans are not calling for a return to 2018 levels.
Will 2024 see a return to these pre-crisis levels?
Corinne Moreau - We will gradually return to 2024 to better scores. But there are personal and professional travel habitsThere have been many changes in behaviour. I'm thinking in particular of travel policies. There are also pricefor transport, accommodation and a whole host of inflationary factors... The teleworking also has an influence. I don't know if we'll ever fully return to pre-crisis levels. Perhaps we should say to ourselves that it's not so serious. We have always advocated quality of visitors. Overall, I think we need to stop thinking in terms of percentages, particularly in our sector. Of course we have to look at visitor and exhibitor figures. But we need to look beyond that. For example, last year Promosalons was in charge of the "Top Buyers" . The target was 40 guests per show, not 2,000! This programme was extremely well received by the organisers and by exhibitors. When you bring in a "top buyer" with major purchasing programmes, and the exhibitor has made the show a success in just one meeting, you've won! And when the top buyer is loyal, it's a long-term phenomenon.
How has the international strategy of French trade shows evolved?
Corinne Moreau - Following the crisis, the organisers refocused on a European promotionbased on the principle that the market Chinese was closed. They are in the process of expanding their international promotion once again. This is not the case for all the trade shows: the Paris Air Show for example, has not stopped talking to China to prepare for the June 2023 edition. And rightly so: Chinese exhibitors and visitors have made the trip!
2023 was a year of rising prices. Has the exhibition sector been affected as much?
Corinne Moreau - This mainly concerned transport and accommodation. When you see how hotel prices have soared, it's hardly surprising that there are fewer visitors... The price of floor space at trade fairs hasn't risen that much. Inflation was limited to 2 or 3%. The proportion of expenditure directly linked to the show itself has fallen significantly compared to that for transport and accommodation.
What does 2024 look like in terms of the timetable?
Corinne Moreau - 2024 will be an excessively strong year, our biggest year for 20 years. This can be explained by the biennial cycles: even-numbered years are reputed to be stronger for international exhibitions, and odd-numbered biennial events that could not be held in 2021 have been held in 2022. So we'll be at 60 trade fairs to be promoted by 2024. It's huge, it's even rare. The exhibition sector will therefore make a huge contribution in terms of business tourism in 2024. And all the bodies, ministries and institutions involved in foreign trade and tourism must therefore take a very serious interest in the trade show sector.
What role will hybrids still play in 2024?
Corinne Moreau - During the crisis, we had to "occupy the field". But today the hybrid events are minimal. Even in Germany, hybrids have not been widely adopted, even less than in France. It's clear that what people are looking for at trade shows is real contact and experience. On the other hand, the hybrid aspect can facilitate upstream communication, and for a trade show that includes cycles of quality conferences, it allows them to be viewed remotely, under certain conditions, and to raise awareness of the brand.
Has teleworking had an impact on the geography and timing of trade fairs?
Corinne Moreau - No, not for the moment anyway. The location hasn't changed. What may change is that a trip to a trade show abroad now has to fit into a week already impacted by two or even three days of teleworkingAnd that leaves little room in the office. Employees and companies will therefore have to make choicesPerhaps by reducing the size of the teams sent to a show. Especially as there is also theCSR effect. Companies' travel policies take these issues into account much more than they used to, and trade shows should do the same. Perhaps we should look at whether participating in a trade show can help companies save carbon by concentrating meetings with international buyers in one place, rather than travelling on a case-by-case basis. Of course, I'm preaching to the choir here, and I don't deny that a trade show generates a carbon footprint. But all that needs to be measured.
A Promosalons summary describes the environmental footprint of a trade show as ". a criterion that has not been neglected, but is not yet decisive "for companies...
Corinne Moreau - This is indeed what emerged from the survey of 700 companies in around twenty countries: CSR is a priority for only 5% of companies overall. So for the moment it's negligible. But if we look at the data in more detail, there are major differences between countries. In some markets, ROI is the only thing that counts. Whereas in a country like Germany, buyers are particularly sensitive to this issue. We need to take this into account, especially as French trade fairs are far from lagging behind on this issue. Even so, the real issue for everyone is to reduce our carbon footprint. Whatever happens, we'll probably have to get fewer people to come, and use digital technology to bring us things that aren't just about travel.
