Fairs, appeal to the government. Fears for the effects of war

The currently partial data collected by Aefi's Observatory confirm for the time being that the majority of companies expect stability with respect to previous editions at events in the coming months. A minority, however, expects a contraction, explains President Danese: "Four out of ten complain of last-minute defections or cancellations due to security reasons, albeit not major ones. Much depends on the trade fair calendar: the impact will be more significant for companies that have events with high international participation (especially from the Middle East, Asia and Africa) on their agenda in the coming weeks.

He does not speak of structural repercussions on business, but rather of "greater attention on the organisational level", the President of VeronaFiere, Federico Bricolo: "If the conflict in Iran continues, our objective will be to reduce logistic difficulties as far as possible, to enable buyers and exhibitors to continue to meet in Verona in the best possible conditions. For events with a high international vocation, such as Vinitaly, Marmomac and Samoter, the company is already working "to accompany operators with support in terms of travel information and scheduling of B2B appointments," adds Bricolo.

Francesco Conci, CEO of Fiera Milano, is also confident: 'The difficulty of reaching Europe is an issue. However, barely 2% of our visitors come from Asia, from the area around Iran 1%, so for now the impact is limited. Rather, the biggest concern is about energy costs, although fortunately we produce 35% of the energy we use through the photovoltaic system built on our roofs. Of course, if the crisis does not recompose itself quickly, there could be more significant repercussions on some events scheduled for the second half of the year, such as CPHI in Milan or Host Arabia Riyadh. But the situation is too evolving to make predictions'. In the immediate future, at the end of the month Fiera Milano will host Mostra Convegno Expocomfort, which at the moment has no major cancellations.

From the ICE Agency they say that they are constantly monitoring the initiatives planned in the Persian Gulf region, in the Asian markets affected by potential connection difficulties, and the related incoming to Italia. "In light of the elements currently available, the overall picture does not show any serious or widespread criticalities and the situation appears to be substantially under control at the moment, although requiring the usual attention. Some initiatives have been prudently postponed or rescheduled, while for the others there are no elements such as to foresee significant impacts,' Ice explains.

It is too early to say whether this situation of uncertainty in a strategic area such as the Gulf can in any way benefit events held in Europe. What is certain, on the other hand, is that the strategy of internationalisation and diversification of geographies pursued consistently in the post-Covid years by the major exhibition groups certainly enables companies to reduce the impact of any cancellations or postponements. "There may be a shifting effect of visitors towards more stable areas, such as Europe, but these structural changes do not happen in a few months, so there is a risk that we may miss the 2026 window and have to wait for the next window, one or more years later,' observes Cristian Chizzoli, professor of strategic marketing at Bocconi University. 'Everything will depend on the duration of the conflict. However, I do not expect any structural changes: planning trade fair participation is a strategic activity, linked to specific targets and markets, which are not easily interchangeable'. However, adds the professor, 'if the war lasts for a long time, it will be necessary to reorganise, even moving some fairs to other regions'.