Methodology

Show statistics

IFBSO has adopted the calculation standards and definitions developed by the international exhibition industry association UFI. These are used throughout this site, and reproduced with the kind permission of UFI.

Members have been asked to confirm whether or not the figures they quote comply with the UFI definitions. Details of the difference between quoted figures and UFI standards are shown where known.

Exhibition size

Total gross exhibition space: the total space provided by the venue operator for use by the organisers, or the total space used by the fair, including circulation. Catering areas, offices, storage, etc are excluded.

Total net exhibition space: total floor space - indoors and outdoors - occupied by exhibitors. This is also called “contracted space”, and may include both paid and unpaid space. It also includes space allocated to special shows having a direct relation to the theme of the exhibition.

Exhibitors

Direct exhibitors only. This includes:

Indirect exhibitors - represented companies, without their own staff and products/services - may not be included on the total.

The nationality of an exhibitor is determined by the address of the exhibiting company/organisation as written on the contract with the organiser. In the case of an address not representing the true nationality of the exhibitor, the organiser may accept the nationality mentioned by the exhibitor on a self-declaration.

Visitors

Visitor: A person attending an exhibition who enters the event with an access document and who is representative of the market audience expected by the organisers and exhibitors. He is counted only once for the entire duration of the fair, regardless of the number of visits (but see “Paying visitors” below). Included in the calculation of "visitors" to an event are:

Excluded from the calculation of "visitors" to an event are:

  1. staff working for service providers,
  2. speakers during the event.

** The inclusion of staff of exhibiting companies in the visitor count is a departure from the UFI standard. The IFBSO AGM decided in 2010 that these should be included in the calculation because of the high degree of B2B business carried out at member shows.

Foreign visitors: Totals are based on the results of registration or representative surveys. The visitor figures are calculated according to the number of admissions to the trade fair centre, whereby one admission is registered per day.

Paying visitors (modified from the standard UFI definition): The number of visitors who gain access to the show by paying an admission charge. It is assumed that multiple-day tickets are used at least as often as is economically worthwhile in comparison with the day ticket, i.e. if a multiple-day ticket costs 30€, and a day ticket costs 20€, the multiple day ticket counts twice. If it costs 50€ (i.e. more than the price of a 2-day ticket), then it counts three times.