Why the UK exhibition industry’s £11.5bn impact depends on good data

A new report from Oxford Economics, released by the Events Industry Alliance, reveals that UK exhibitions generated £11.5 billion in economic output in 2024, supporting over 126,000 jobs and contributing £6 billion to GDP.

These are impressive figures. But here’s a question worth asking: how do we actually know this?

Behind every economic impact statistic is a foundation of data. Someone captured who attended. Someone recorded which exhibitors participated. Someone tracked the metrics that make these calculations possible in the first place.

That “someone” is often invisible. Registration forms, registration systems, check-in processes, data collection – they’re the infrastructure nobody thinks about until something goes wrong. But without them, you can’t prove that any of this economic value exists.

The data that organisers actually need

The report states that exhibitions generate £87,000 in total economic output per exhibiting company. That’s a powerful figure when you’re having budget conversations with stakeholders or trying to prove your event’s worth to venues and sponsors.

But you can’t use that figure credibly if you don’t know:

• How many exhibitors you actually had
• How many visitors came through
• Which exhibitors drove the most engagement
• What happened to the leads that were captured

This is where registration moves from logistics to evidence. The data you collect at registration isn’t just about getting people through doors – it’s the foundation for proving your event matters commercially.

We see this gap often. Organisers know their event was busy. They have a sense that exhibitors were happy. But when it comes time to demonstrate value with actual numbers, the data isn’t there or isn’t usable.

Good registration systems solve this by design. They capture clean data from the start, track it accurately throughout the event, and make it accessible for analysis afterward. Not because data collection is exciting, but because it’s what lets you have confident conversations about your event’s impact.

What the £87,000 per exhibitor really means

The Oxford Economics report breaks down economic impact per exhibitor. But that aggregate figure only materialises when individual exhibitors can capture and act on their own opportunities.

This is where the infrastructure matters practically. An exhibitor’s ability to generate ROI depends on:

• Capturing leads efficiently during the show
• Getting access to that data immediately, not days later
• Having information in a format their CRM can actually use
• Being able to follow up while interest is still warm

Our Engage Scanner app exists to solve these specific problems. It’s not fancy – but then it doesn’t need to be. It scans badges, captures lead information, and exports data exhibitors can use. That basic functionality is what turns conversations into trackable opportunities.

When exhibitors can demonstrate their own ROI clearly, they rebook. When they can’t, they question whether attending was worth it – regardless of how successful the show actually was.

The economic impact figure assumes exhibitors are capturing and converting opportunities. Registration systems that include proper lead capture tools help make that assumption reality rather than hope.

The critical, yet invisible infrastructure

Registration technology sits at an odd intersection. It needs to be robust enough to handle thousands of people reliably, flexible enough to accommodate last-minute changes, and sophisticated enough to capture meaningful data – but invisible enough that attendees barely notice it working.

When it works well, nobody thinks about it. When it fails, it’s the first thing everyone notices.

The £11.5 billion economic impact exists because exhibitions run smoothly enough for business to happen. That requires infrastructure that doesn’t break under pressure:

• Systems that work offline when venue WiFi fails
• Backup processes when printers decide to malfunction
• Data that syncs accurately across multiple entry points
• Teams who solve problems before they become visible

We’ve spent 30+ years building this kind of reliability because we’ve learned that the moments when registration becomes visible are usually the moments something’s gone wrong.

The goal isn’t to be noticed. The goal is to create the conditions where business happens, data gets captured accurately, and organisers have the evidence they need to prove their event’s value.

What provable impact requires from registration systems

The Oxford Economics report quantifies something organisers already know intuitively – exhibitions generate significant economic value. The challenge is proving it.

That proof starts with data captured at registration. Not perfectly – we’re dealing with real events with real complications. But accurately enough to:

• Demonstrate attendance patterns and growth
• Show exhibitor engagement levels
• Track which marketing efforts actually drove registrations
• Provide exhibitors with leads they can act on
• Give venues and sponsors confidence in your numbers

This isn’t about claiming registration technology creates economic impact. Exhibitions create economic impact because they bring buyers and sellers together effectively.

But the systems that handle registration, data collection, and lead capture determine whether you can measure that impact, prove it to stakeholders, and help exhibitors capture their share of it.

When those systems work reliably, organisers can focus on making better strategic decisions rather than firefighting data problems. Exhibitors can follow up on opportunities while they’re still warm. Venues and sponsors can see clear evidence of value.

That’s the infrastructure working as it should – invisible when it’s functioning, foundational to everything that follows.

Trade shows, conferences, consumer events: proving value across event types

The UK exhibitions industry generates £11.5 billion in economic output. That’s not abstract – it represents 126,000 jobs, thousands of businesses connecting, and genuine commercial value being created.

Making sure that value is measurable, provable, and repeatable requires infrastructure that works. Registration systems that capture clean data. Lead capture tools that exhibitors can actually use. Reporting that gives organisers evidence rather than guesswork.

None of this guarantees a successful event. But it creates the foundation that makes success measurable and improvement possible.

Whether you’re running trade shows where exhibitor ROI drives rebookings, conferences where attendance data informs future programming, or consumer events where footfall figures matter to sponsors, proving economic impact isn’t optional anymore. It’s what stakeholders, venues, and sponsors expect.

The quality of your registration infrastructure determines whether you can back up your claims with data, not guesswork.

Get in touch with our team today if you’d like to discuss how registration systems can support your event’s commercial goals.