The Number of UK Exhibitions Rose 5% in 2025 to Its Highest Level Since 2015

Indexed to 2015 as 100, the number of UK exhibitions rose to 108 in 2016 and 109 in 2017, eased back to 104 in 2018 and 103 in 2019, dropped to 93 in 2022 and then recovered steadily to 104 in 2023, 110 in 2024 and 115 in 2025. That represents growth of 5% over 2024 and the highest level since 2015. By type the 2025 index stood at 111 for trade exhibitions, 95 for consumer exhibitions and 235 for conferences with an exhibition element. Year on year, conference events continued their post-Covid growth trend, up nearly 8% or around nine additional events; consumer exhibitions were up 6%, an additional 13 events; and trade exhibitions grew by just over 3%, an additional nine events, albeit from a more significant base. The trend analysis covers the sample of venues that have reported consistently since 2015, which in 2025 hosted 60% of total exhibitions.