3 June 2026 - 11th Global Exhibition Day (GED)
On the occasion of the 11th edition of Global Exhibition Day (#GED2026), celebrated worldwide on 3 June 2026, AEFI (Italian Exhibition and Trade Fair Association) and IT-EX (Italian Association of International Exhibitions) launched the social campaign "Fairs, engine of Made in Italy". The initiative includes the dissemination of a video created to enhance the strategic role of the Italian exhibition system in promoting companies, internationalization and the growth of the national economy.
The Italian exhibition sector continues to represent one of the strategic assets of the national economy. In 2026, around 900 events are scheduled across the entire Peninsula, including 276 international fairs and 202 national fairs, distributed over more than 4.2 million square meters of exhibition space. This figure confirms Italy's fourth place in the world, and second in Europe, for the size of its exhibition system.
The 2026 edition of GED, promoted by UFI - The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is dedicated to the theme "Exhibitions drive opportunities", recalling the contribution of trade fairs to the competitiveness of businesses and the development of territories.
This is a theme that perfectly reflects the Italian model. Over the years, fairs, production chains and companies have shared a common path of growth. Each year, Italian fairs generate an overall economic impact on territories of EUR 22.5 billion, equal to 0.7% of national GDP. A development engine that produces direct effects both on exhibiting companies and on the entire economy. According to Prometeia's analyses for the 2025 White Paper on the Italian exhibition system, companies that participate in fairs record growth rates almost double those of companies that do not use this tool, while every euro spent by visitors during exhibition events generates a return of EUR 2.5 for the country's economy.
