Eric Everard honoured and UK Packaging team win at EN Awards
The 19th edition of the EN Awards took place on 27 March and brought together hundreds of events industry professionals for an evening of celebration and recognition. It was a particularly special night for Easyfairs.
Easyfairs founder and chairman, Eric Everard, received the prestigious Exhibition News (EN) Pioneer Award – a distinction that celebrates leaders whose innovation, vision and bravery have transformed the events industry. It is a well-deserved recognition for someone who has been reshaping our sector for nearly four decades.
Eric organised his first European Student Fair at the age of 24 and went on to launch Easyfairs in 2004 with a disruptive, cost-effective event concept that has since expanded across 16 countries. Under his leadership, Easyfairs has grown into a global top 20 event organiser and venue manager, recognised as a “Best Managed Company” for seven consecutive years and reaching Platinum status in 2025.
In 2024, Eric sold his majority stake while reinvesting alongside Cobepa and Inflexion, ushering in a new chapter with three equal shareholders. Along the way, he has served as Chairman of UFI, sat on several prominent boards, and has been recognised as Manager of the Year by Trends-Tendance (Belgium).
During the ceremony, the award was introduced with warm and personal tributes from Group CEOs Anne Lafère and Matt Benyon.
Anne highlighted the consistency of Eric’s vision and his people-centred leadership over three decades of working together: “I have had the privilege to walk alongside him, to learn and grow every single day, and to support him in all his new adventures. He is a true visionary leader, a real entrepreneur who knows exactly when to accelerate… and when it is time to pull the plug and focus our energy on what really works. One of his greatest strengths has always been to surround himself with top talents – complementary in skills, fully engaged and loyal. Attracting great talents has been one of the real keys to his success.”
Matt reflected on 17 years of partnership and the impact Eric has had on his own journey: “I first met Eric in the middle of the global financial crisis in 2008/2009 and I was blown away by his vision and by his ambition for his small start-up business. He strives to succeed in every call, every discussion, every meeting and every event that he has ever organised. Congratulations for this incredible award, we are all so proud of you and what you have achieved. I have no doubt whatsoever that this next chapter in our growth will be as successful as the last one.”
The evening held another major highlight for Easyfairs UK, which was delighted to receive the Best Event Partnership Award with BCMPA for its packaging events – a strong testament to the power of collaboration and to what can be achieved when great partners come together with a shared purpose.
The EN Awards also underlined the breadth of Easyfairs’ achievements, with 13 finalists across 10 award categories, reflecting the strength and diversity of our teams and events portfolio.
A huge congratulations once again to Eric Everard on his Pioneer Award and to all the teams behind our EN Awards success, including the winners and every one of our finalists.
A big thank you to everyone who contributes to making the Easyfairs community – and the wider events industry – so special. Moments like these are a powerful reminder of how fortunate we are to be part of such a dynamic and inspiring industry.
