Companies in the exhibition sector: buoyant growth and high margins

In 2016, the trade shows and exhibitions sector generated €4.3 billion in sales, which have grown by 4.7% on average between 2006 and 2016, despite a decline in 2009. Trade in the sector comes primarily from business customers, with a quarter of sales coming from foreign customers. At 30%, average profit margins are significantly higher than for the business services sector as a whole, and remain largely unchanged on 2006. Almost half of profit margins are invested. The sector employs 14,700 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. Permanent staff are highly qualified: 45% are managers or associate professionals (FTE). The sector also avails of a significant number of staff on short-term contracts when holding events.