Guide to Tradeshow Industry Organizations

One of the basic services of most industry associations these days is global outreach, making them a useful resource for anyone traveling abroad. For American show managers planning shows in Europe, the following exhibition-industry organizations can be a good starting point for gathering information and contacts.

Assn. of Exhibition Organisers – Conceived as the voice of expo operators in the United Kingdom, aeo is a comprehensive organization whose research, events, publications and other resources have given it a broader reach into Europe over the last several years. (www.aeo.org.uk)

AUMA (Austellungs-und Messe-Ausschuss des Deutschen Wirtschaft), the Assn. of the German Trade Fair Industry – This Berlin-based organization mainly supports Germany's show organizers, but is a gold mine of information about Europe's best-established tradeshow nation. (www.auma.de)

European Federation of Assns. of Professional Congress Organizers – U.S. show producers will want to keep an eye on the just-created umbrella group that so far encompasses British, Portuguese, Belgian and Spanish associations of congress organizers. The group – which aims to represent all of Europe eventually – promises to keep members abreast of European Union laws affecting the industry and offer networking opportunities.

European Major Exhibition Centres Assn. – EMECA caters to exhibition companies that are also site owners, a common phenomenon in Europe. Of the 25 such companies on the continent, the Paris-based EMECA claims 19 as members and regularly gathers and reports statistics about them. (www.emeca.com)

Intl. Congress & Convention Assn. – Founded 40 years ago in Amsterdam by travel agents who wanted a piece of the meetings and conventions pie, ICCA has a membership roster 600 strong that includes organizers, destination managers, convention and visitors bureaus, facilities, hotels and other providers. (www.iccaworld.com)

Intl. Exhibition Logistics Associates – Besides best practices and lists of freight forwarders around the globe, IELA, based in Geneva, provides information that can be particularly important to those launching abroad: customs documentation. (www.iela.org)

XM Europe – This four-year-old group, headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, mainly focuses on producing forums where exhibition organizers can exchange ideas and improve skills – hence the partnership, begun in 2002, with UFI. The next joint meeting is the UFI-XM Summer Seminar, June 14-16 at the Hotel Opera in Antwerp. (www.xmeurope.com)

UFI, the Global Assn. of the Exhibition Industry – Begun as the Union des Foires Internationales, the Paris-based organization lately has focused on expanding its reach around the world. UFI meetings have a reputation as accessible networking events for Americans and draw ever larger contingencies of U.S. organizers. (www.ufinet.org)