As almost all professional events take a summer break, it's time for UNIMEV, the French Union of Event Industries, to take stock. Its new Observatory, unveiled on July 29th, reviews the sector's results during the second quarter, and more broadly since the beginning of the year.
A few days after the publication of the CCI Paris Île-de-France report on the performance of Parisian trade shows between April and June, it was therefore the turn of the MICE sector to be scrutinised on a national scale. However, the two reports prove to be consistent, confirming in unison the driving role of trade shows.
Admittedly, over the half-year period, visitor numbers are still down (-6.8%), unlike the indicators relating to the number of exhibitors (+4.8 %) or net floor space (+6.4 %). However, these UNIMEV figures need to be put into perspective: whilst the start of the year saw a slowdown with a 12% year-on-year fall in visitor numbers, the second quarter saw a marked rebound. Exhibitors (+9.3%), net floor space (17.3%) and even visitor numbers (+9.4%): all indicators are positive for trade fairs, according to the UNIMEV barometer. And the results for international trade fairs show even more positive performance (see table).
As might be expected, the Île-de-France region is playing a leading role in this positive trend. The results from trade fairs in the Île-de-France region are boosting the national average across all three indicators: exhibitors (+10.9%), visitor numbers (+5.6%) and exhibition space (+10.9%). For the record, according to the CCI report, the increases stood at +10.7%, +7.4% and 13% respectively.
" In the first half of 2026, the events sector is confirming a gradual recovery, driven by a particularly dynamic second quarter. », summarise the authors of the UNIMEV Observatory. They continue: « Although visitor numbers remain slightly down over the entire period, other activity indicators are progressing, with an increase in the number of exhibitors and net space occupied. Trade shows are driving this recovery, while consumer events continue to face a more fragile dynamic. Île-de-France is concentrating the majority of this acceleration, with progress higher than that observed in the regions on the main indicators. However, this dynamic is largely supported by a few major international trade shows organised in the second quarter, the weight of which strongly influences the consolidated results for the semester. ".
