Markets
Trade Fair Market Ukraine
Ukraine is increasingly looking to the West. The country is currently one of the fastest growing economies in Europe with a GDP growth of 7.3 % during the first nine months of 2007. This is accompanied by financial stability, a good geographical location, visa-free access to the country and a tradition of trade fairs.
The Ukrainian economy, initially fed by the export of raw materials is actually growing substantially for domestic reasons. Therefore a good platform for growth is now in place and the process of consolidation of the exhibition market is already becoming obvious: poor organisers are left behind, while the leaders strengthen their professional positions, as numerous alliances are set up.
The fist decade 1993 - 2003
The Ukrainian exhibition business was reborn after the country’s independence in 1991. In the first decade of the Ukrainian exhibition business (1993 - 2003), several strong leading exhibition organisers have emerged. A very important result of the decade’s work was the launch of two new exhibition centres in 2003, due solely to private sector initiative without any state or municipal funding. The distinguishing feature of the Ukrainian exhibition business is its mainly private ownership, since most of the local authorities are not engaged in this business.
There are about 110 organisers of exhibitions and fairs in Ukraine. They arrange around 550 events annually in 35 cities, 80 % of which are specialized events. As most organisers are not professional teams, most of these events are simply like temporary bazaars. Therefore, only 16 exhibition organisers are full members of the Exhibition Federation of Ukraine, which unites almost all professional market players.
11 events in Ukraine are UFI approved. Only Euroindex and Kyiv International Contract Fair regularly carry out audits of statistical data via CENTREX International Exhibition Statistics Union for Eastern Europe.
The total net area of all exhibitions in 2006 exceeds 400,000 sqm with a number of around 25,000 exhibitors and more than 5.5 million visitors. These are estimated figures due to the lack of audited data.
The leading exhibition organisers in Ukraine include
(the No. 1 company, a UFI and CENTREX member, with a total of approx. 99,000 sqm net exhibition space sold in 2006)
(the leader in business-to-business fairs, a UFI and CENTREX member, with approx. 35,000 sqm net exhibition space sold in 2006)
The company is certified with ISO 9001:2000 international standard.
(based in Donetsk, the No. 1 company outside Kyiv, a UFI member, with approx. 30,000 sqm net exhibition space sold in 2006)
Besides this there are locally active organisers such as Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, International Exhibition Center (IEC) and ACCO International.
International players active in Ukraine are
Currently, the hottest exhibition sector still is that of the construction industry since Ukraine is experiencing a boom in this sector. It is followed by agriculture, motor shows, industrial technology fairs, furniture and the high-tech industry.
The second decade 2003 - 2013
The current major issues in the exhibition industry are: the absence of facilities in some major cities, unfair competition and a lack of transparency, the still high degree of fragmentation in the industry and the low level of international involvement as a result of poor promotion of the country in general. However, Ukraine’s leading event organisers have an in-depth market knowledge, cultivated by years of experience. Furthermore cooperation with foreign partners is going to lead to more internationalization in the coming years. Not least the UEFA Euro 2012 will create an additional impetus for the international recognition of the country and its booming economy including the trade fair sector.
Exhibition Venues: The Ukraine Figures
The absence of modern state-of-the-art exhibition facilities is still an issue in some of Ukraine’s major cities. In 2003 two modern exhibition centres in Kiev, the flagship exhibition city in Ukraine, were launched. After the country gained independence in 1991, Ukraine had only one modern exhibition centre in Donetsk (ExpoDonbass, built in 1983).
(28,000 sqm, a joint venture of Kyiv International Contract Fair, Euroindex, and several smaller market players)
With the opening of a third exhibition hall KyivExpoPlaza is the leading venue in Ukraine’s exhibition market.
(27,800 sqm, subsidiary of Kyiv Palace of Sports)
In 2007 the first new regional exhibition centre in Kharkiv (Radmir-ExpoHall) was launched. Some other centres in major cities are under construction or being projected.
Status: 01/2008
