After the coronavirus pandemic, trade fair companies will have to prepare for more difficult business. 39 percent of German industrial companies that have exhibited at trade fairs to date intend to reduce their participation. This is according to the ifo Business Survey in August. Only 2 percent want to take part in more trade fairs in future, while 59 percent do not want to change their involvement. "Trade fairs will remain important for companies, but they will have to change," says ifo trade fair expert Horst Penzkofer.
Larger companies in particular want to scale back their appearances. For companies with over 1000 employees, the figure is 47 percent, and between 500 and 1000 even 49 percent. "The extent to which this is happening was not surveyed," explains Penzkofer.
Digital formats have apparently become more popular due to the coronavirus crisis and now represent an alternative to traditional trade fairs. 65% of exhibitors want to make greater use of them in the future. Here, too, the big players are ahead: 72% of companies with over 1000 employees and 74% of companies with between 500 and 1000 employees. "The trade fair companies are already in the process of integrating digital instruments into their trade fairs or organizing digital and hybrid events," adds Penzkofer.
48 percent of the exhibiting industrial companies in the survey stated that the lack of trade fair participation had not resulted in any economic losses. For 46 percent, this was the case "to a small extent", but for 6 percent "to a large extent".
