The sector in general, and the members of the Association of Spanish Fairs (AFE) in particular, celebrate today the GED (Global Exhibitions Day). It is the ninth year that this event promoted by the UFI-The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, based in Paris, brings together the main players in the exhibition sector from more than 100 countries.
The GED is mainly a means to make public the impact and relevance of a sector that is not so well known to the general public, but which is an enormous driving force for destinations. In this edition the GED revolves around a message: “Trade fairs are catalysts for a sustainable future.” Fairs are not only an engine of economic growth, they can also be an engine of innovation by attracting industries and companies to destinations, but, in addition, they can be ‘evangelists’ in sustainable processes of promoting their development, both for the opportunity to bring together communities in a single place, as an international mirror of sustainable practices in the conduct of fairs and events.
The members of the association have joined this campaign and have scheduled different activities to commemorate this day and celebrate it with professionals from other countries and regions: videos recorded for the occasion, sending newsletters and press releases, internal staff events, messages on social networks, banners on the web, institutional statements, group photos with images of the GED, among others.
Feria Valencia, for example, illuminates the dome of the Events Center; The Valladolid Fair develops a day related to the economic impact of fairs; FYCMA, the Málaga Fair and Congress Centre, has designed a mini-campaign on social networks among other actions… these are some of the initiatives at the Spanish level.
The celebration of the GED is, in this edition, especially vindictive in a sector that has not stopped growing since the pandemic stopped, with figures that speak for themselves: 13,000 million euros that contribute 6,500 million euros to the Spanish GDP, indirectly. and induced, and 123,000 direct and indirect jobs generated by the fair activity.
The president of AFE, Xabier Basañez, stated “Celebrating the international day of the sector at a time of growth is a true satisfaction for AFE members. In this edition of the GED we want to highlight the role of trade fairs as catalysts for a sustainable future, while emphasizing their importance as an engine of progress, economic growth and an instrument of connection between people. We join all the professionals from numerous countries who also celebrate this special date for the exhibition industry like us in the 9th edition of Global Exhibitions Day.”
