Easyfairs celebrates 25 years of bringing communities together
Leading events company ends the year on a high note
Brussels, 2 December 2022 – Easyfairs, the leading events organiser, is celebrating its 25 years anniversary. The company recently announced a spectacular recovery from the pandemic years, which brought virtually the entire European events industry to a halt.
“We are back on a high, buzzing with optimism. And that’s also because we stuck to our core mission of fostering connections and bringing communities together, giving them life-changing experiences and showcasing innovations. A mission that is, more than ever, answering visitors’ and exhibitors’ needs to meet up in person and experience products first-hand,” said the company’s founder and Chairman, Eric Everard.
Easyfairs’ own journey into the future is now being led by CEOs Anne Lafère and Matt Benyon, who took over the reins from Everard earlier in the year. “There has been plenty of evolution over the past quarter of a century. Today, we have a strong focus on the digital transformation within our communities and their journey to a net-zero future, for example. We were ahead of our time with the offer of time and cost-effective trade shows with a low carbon footprint and we have enhanced that further through digital technologies and by bringing communities together online,” according to Anne Lafère.
The international expansion of Easyfairs has been another feature of the company’s evolution. Today, Easyfairs organises 200 events in 14 countries, gathering 22,500 exhibitors and 1,100,000 visitors each year. The Group, based in Brussels, Belgium, counts 700 employees spread over 20 offices and also manages eight venues in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden.
“Easyfairs expansion has been in part driven by acquisitions, but also by ‘geocloning’ proven trade show concepts in new countries and regions. We’re looking forward to further growth over the next 25 years through a combination of acquisitions, geocloning and the launch of new show concepts. So watch this space,” Matt Benyon said.
Easyfairs started trading under the Artexis (Art of Exhibitions) brand in Belgium in 1997. The Easyfairs brand first appeared in 2004, expanding rapidly across continental Europe and the United Kingdom. Easyfairs is now one of the world’s top 20 events companies by revenue. The Easyfairs Group’s 2021-22 revenues grew to €163 million, close to pre-pandemic levels.
Awards and accolades have come over recent years, including Belgium’s Manager of the Year 2012, Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 and “Best Managed Company” status for the past four years running.
“Talent development has been central to our success, so we were especially proud to be named ‘A Great Place to Work’,” Everard concludes.