Global Exhibitions Day (GED) is June 1st
Global Exhibitions Day (GED) is right around the corner! This year’s event marks seven years of GED and will be held on June 1.
GED is an exciting industry event that promotes the irreplaceable value of in-person physical exhibitions and face-to-face business events. Read on to learn more about the worldwide conference and prepare for the big day.
What is Global Exhibitions Day?
Global Exhibitions Day is all about advocating for the events industry. The 2022 celebration, in particular, will celebrate the benefits of bringing people together in convention centers and other shared spaces to create opportunities and drive the economy. In a press release, Monica Lee-Muller, the president of UFI — the organization that hosts GED — says that after “the prolonged pandemic,” now is the perfect time to “advocate the contribution of exhibitions to local and global economies.”
This event is a must-celebrate for anyone in the exhibiting industry. It recognizes the power of face-to-face events to create platforms for economic growth and recovery. It also allows attendees to network with other professionals in their fields and build important connections.
The Economic Impact of Exhibitions
Some people are surprised to learn about the positive impact that the exhibitions industry has on economies across the globe. Trade shows and other events — an in-person, hybrid, and virtual — offer a variety of financial benefits, including the following:
- Over $551 billion (€493 billion) in business sales
- Over $334 billion (€299 billion) in expenses from visitors and exhibitors, which contributes to the exhibition industry and the tourism sector
- Creation of over 3.4 million jobs
As you can see, trade shows are about a lot more than just showing off products. They are incredible marketplaces that provide education opportunities, qualified lead retrieval, and social networking activities.
GEDs of the Past
Even though in-person gatherings were harder to have in 2021 and 2020, Global Exhibitions Day (GED) has been going strong for the past seven years. GED 2021, for example, showed that businesses can still get out there and promote themselves in person while still making health and safety a priority. GED 2020, on the other hand, took place mainly online, with a variety of webinars and other socially distanced virtual events. In a statement about the 2020 event, Mary Larkin, former UFI President and President of Diversified Communications, said she was “astounded” at that year’s participation.” Larkin also praised members of the events industry for taking up the challenge and making sure they were “seen and heard by policymakers” and customers. She vowed to “reconnect and rebuild businesses” as exhibitions began to restart throughout the world, too.
How Can You Contribute to GED 2022?
GED 2022 will celebrate the resilience of the events industry over the last couple of years and back up Larkin’s statements from 2020. The folks at UFI have made it clear that they need help making this year’s event “louder and more visible” than ever before on the GED website. After two years of strict protocols and guidelines regarding COVID-19, this is the 1st year that people can gather safely and celebrate the trade show industry face to face with minimal restrictions. It’s no wonder UFI wants to make GED 2022 the industry’s biggest advocacy event yet. All businesses in the trade shows and events sectors are invited to participate in Global Exhibitions Day.
Are you unsure of how to get involved? The following are some specific ways that you can be part of this year’s celebration:
- Stay up to date by regularly visiting the Global Exhibitions Day website
- Join a local GED2022 initiative or create your own
- Follow #GED2022 on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WeChat, and LinkedIn
- Share photos of you and your colleagues, complete with the GED logo
- Share stories — you can talk about a previous exhibit, an exciting product launch, an interesting person who attended your last trade show, ROI statistics from a past event, or an inspiring quote from a past exhibitor
- Create a “voices of the exhibition industry” card and share your thoughts on the future of the trade show industry
- Ask your government officials to endorse and recognize the exhibition industry.
Do you have a different idea not listed above? That’s great! You can participate in Global Exhibitions Day however you want — all businesses and styles of celebration are welcome.
Are You Participating in this year’s GED?
Have you made a plan to participate in GED 2022? Are you going to tune in to a live event or attend a hybrid celebration? If you are hosting an event, be sure to add it to the interactive GDE calendar so others can join in, celebrate, and advocate for the industry alongside you. If you haven’t made plans yet for GED 2022, don’t panic! There’s still time. Reference the list of ways to participate from above and start prepping for the event today.
By: Skyline Exhibits –
