World Exhibition Day

From trade fairs decisive push to close Italy's 'export-gap

Aefi's 'White Paper' with Prometeia presented: global potential demand is greater than Italian companies' ability to meet it

by Giovanna Mancini

4 June 2025

3' min read

Key points

Fourth industry worldwide
Global uncertainties hold back development
"Export-gap" to be bridged: the role of trade fairs

3' min read

Strengthening of the internationalisation of trade fairs; simplification of the regulatory framework and related support measures; promotion of an infrastructure adaptation plan and preparation of a package of measures to support and increase trade fair participation by Italian SMEs.

The development plan for the Italian trade fair sector and companies, which have one of their main growth engines in trade fairs, is structured around these four priority areas of intervention, outlined in the first 'White Paper on the trade fair system' produced by Aefi (the reference association for the sector) in cooperation with Prometeia, which edited the competitive framework and scenario sections, presented at the Mimit headquarters in Rome on the occasion of the tenth World Trade Fair Day, in the presence of the Minister for Business and Italian Trade, Adolfo Urso.

Fourth industry worldwide

The national trade fair industry," reads the report, "is the fourth largest in the world in terms of revenues and number of exhibitors and visitors (behind China, the United States and Germany) and, including the congress sector, generates an annual turnover of 4 billion euros, with 17 thousand employees. Thanks to their ability to diversify their business, investing above all in services to support exhibiting companies, and to strengthen their presence abroad, Italian trade fairs have definitively left the difficulties of the Covid period behind them and in 2024 in most cases recorded record figures in terms of revenues, profitability, number of exhibitors and visitors.

In essence, they have rediscovered and probably strengthened their role as a business accelerator for companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, and a privileged platform for exports. According to Prometeia's report, in fact, 30% of production and 63% of national exports are generated by companies active in five supply chains (agri-food, technology, fashion-beauty, building-furniture and leisure), not by chance the most represented in the activities of the national trade fair system.

From 2021 to 2024, the overall average annual growth of these supply chains was 9% (partly due to inflation), an increase that allowed companies to make up the ground lost during the pandemic and, in many cases, to exceed 2019 levels.

Global uncertainties hold back development

Today, however, geopolitical and trade uncertainties make long-term forecasts more complex, say Prometeia analysts, who estimate an increase of 2% per year to 2030. A slowdown in growth that would also impact trade fairs, for which Prometeia assumes a CAGR of 1%.

"We are aware of a role that must be increasingly challenging for us, just as it is for the government," said Aefi president Maurizio Danese during the meeting at Mimit. The objective is to target export growth through the acceleration that the Action Plan will have to imprint on non-European markets from now until 2030. Trade fairs, as well as companies engaged in an action of recalibration of their commercial targets, have the need and the objective of enlarging their perimeter of action and want to be a fundamental vector of the plan, with the growth of Made in Italy events organised directly in the main target countries'.

"Export-gap" to be bridged: the role of trade fairs

The challenge is not an easy one: in the last ten years, the 'export-gap' between potential demand at global level and the actual ability of Italian companies to meet it has been -13%, equivalent to over EUR 37 billion of lost potential, filled by other exporting countries.

In the absence of significant improvements, Prometeia estimates that this gap will grow to 18% in 2030. "Hence the importance of an integrated plan with all stakeholders, from institutions to trade fairs," said Danese. Italian trade fairs are present today, with their own events, in 12 of the more than 30 'target' markets contemplated in the plan: 90% of the Italian events abroad scheduled in the two-year period 2024-25 were held (or will be held) precisely in those countries, from the USA to Brazil, from China to the United Arab Emirates, from Mexico to South Africa and Thailand.

Industrial policy and country system are the key concepts guiding the strategy for the internationalisation of the Italian trade fair industry outlined in the White Paper, with the aim of closing the gap especially with German and French competitors.

Prominent among the proposals are the development of a partnership between trade fair players, the strengthening of the Internationalisation Fund and the enhancement of coordination between the sector and institutions through the systemic involvement of Aefi, the main representative association.

Giovanna ManciniRedattore ordinario
- @mancinica
Luogo: Milano
Lingue parlate: Italiano, inglese, tedesco
Argomenti: Industria del design e arredo, made in Italy, cronaca di Milano, consumi, industria del commercio, e-commerce
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