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Large European Cities
While there is no pre-existing information to fully answer your question, we have used available data to pull together key findings, including the following: (a) between 2014 and 2016, the French Riviera saw a drop in the percentage of business trips that were for conferences and exhibitions, (b) the events market in France was a €2.4-billion industry in 2012, (c) the revenue of GL Events, a key player in the events market in France and Europe, breaks down into: revenue from live events (52.5%), revenue from venues (32.3%), and revenue from exhibitions (15.2%), (d) the cost per event attendee in Europe ranges from $342 to $720, and (e) the size of the global events industry is estimated at $560 billion.
Below you will find an outline of our research methodology to better understand why some information you have requested is publicly unavailable, as well as a deep dive into our findings.
METHODOLOGY
Our searches for information on the events industry in the French Riviera (including Monaco), in France, and in Europe as a whole yielded limited data, which we found is not sufficient to triangulate the revenue of the events industry and its corresponding breakdown into revenue from event agencies and direct event revenue. There are reports on the global meetings and events industry, but these reports are mostly focused on percent changes in the number of events, the number of attendees, and the cost per attendee. Only a few articles and reports discussed the European market, and they do not provide information on revenue or spending breakdown.
To supplement the data provided in these industry reports, we looked for the financials of a key player in the events industry in France and Europe. The financials provide insight into how overall revenue splits into revenue from live events, revenue from venues, and revenue from exhibitions. We looked for information on sales of event tickets and extended our search beyond recently published sources as well.
FINDINGS
Côte d'Azur (French Riviera)
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Information on the events industry in the French Riviera (including Monaco) is very limited. What we found were only a few figures relating to conventions and exhibitions in the French Riviera. It appears that the French Riviera has 8 convention and exhibition centers. Based on information on people traveling to the French Riviera by air, it appears there had been a decrease in convention attendees. In both 2014 and 2015, the number of convention attendees was 250,000, but in 2016, this number dropped to 150,000. Data on air travelers to the French Riviera revealed that there were also a few changes in how business trips were distributed by purpose. For example, the percentage of business trips to the French Riviera that were for conferences or seminars dropped from 32% in 2014 to 22% in 2016. Below you will see what fraction of business trips in 2014, 2015, and 2016 were for conferences or seminars, exhibitions or trade fairs, or education or training.
Conferences/seminars: 32%
Exhibitions/trade fairs: 11%
Education/training: 3%
Conferences/seminars: 29%
Exhibitions/trade fairs: 9%
Education/training: 3%
Conferences/seminars: 22%
Exhibitions/trade fairs: 9%
Education/training: 4%
The average amount spent each day by convention attendees increased from €210 in year 2012-2013 to €225 in year 2014-2015.
France
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This year, it is expected that the cost per meeting/event attendee in France will range from $350 to $865. The cost varies depending on the type of meeting or event. The cost is lowest with sales or marketing events, while the cost is highest with incentive events. Of the meetings and events to be held this year in the country, 24% are conferences or trade shows, 19% are sales or marketing events, 19% are training events, 11% are internal team meeting events, 11% are senior leadership board meetings, 10% are advisory meetings, 9% are incentives, and 8% are product launches. Between 2018 and 2017, spending on meetings or events within organizations has dropped by 1.3%. Based on meeting and event activity levels in 2017, Paris ranked fifth after London, Barcelona, Berlin, and Amsterdam. In 2016, Paris ranked fourth. It was expected that 90% of meetings and events in France in 2017 will be held in large-city locations.
Sales of event tickets in the country is projected to reach US$1.260 billion. This amount is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.4% to US$1.942 billion by 2022. Please note, however, that this amount is inclusive of tickets to sporting events, music events, and the cinema. Not more than half of the event ticket sales in the country this year will come from sporting or music event tickets, as it is expected that sales of cinema tickets will reach US$0.612 billion.
Since there is limited information on the events market in France, we looked at the performance of GL Events, which is one of the key providers of event services and solutions in the country. Based in Lyon, France, the company saw its French sales increase from €391 million in 2012 to €483 million in 2016, and its international sales increase from €434 million in 2012 to €470 million in 2016. The company operates worldwide, but within Europe, it operates in the following countries (apart from France): England, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Italy, and the Netherlands. In 2016, live events accounted for 52.5% of the company's total revenue, exhibitions accounted for 15.2%, and venues accounted for 32.3%.
Europe, excluding France, accounted for 22% of the GL Events' revenue in 2016. France accounted for 51%. Between 2015 and 2016, the company's revenue from live events increased from €486.4 million to €500.5 million. Revenue from exhibitions decreased from €166.4 million to €145.0 million, while revenue from venues increased from €289.6 million to €307.6 million.
Europe
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We have found a report indicating that the events industry in Europe may contribute at most €1,500 billion to the European Union's GDP. This largely contradicts, however, the estimate that the global events market is a US$560-billion industry.
It is estimated that, each year in Europe, there are over 10,000 major events with over 10,000 visitors each.
Sales of event tickets (sporting event, music event, and cinema tickets) in Europe is expected to reach US$13.047 billion this year. The amount is expected to increase to US$18.965 billion by 2022 at a CAGR of 9.8%. Of the expected sales of event tickets this year, US$4.843 billion is expected to come from music events.
In 2014, there were 2,321 exhibitions, 735 organizers, 64.6 million visitors, and 24.7 million square meters of rented space recorded in 23 countries belonging to the European Union.
This year, it is expected that the number of training events and product launch events in Europe will increase by 0.9% and 0.7%, respectively, while the number of conferences or trade shows will decrease by 0.8%. The number of attendees is expected to remain flat, however. Seventy-seven percent of meetings/events are expected to be held in either resort properties, luxury properties, or mid-tier properties. Cost per attendee in Europe is expected to vary depending on the type of meeting or event. It is projected to range from $342 for training events to $720 for incentive events.
Expected increases in event marketing budgets in several markets in Europe bode well for the events industry in the region. In Belgium, nearly 60% of the event marketing budget is allotted to integrated agencies or 360-degree agencies, while the rest of the budget is allotted to other types of agencies.
CONCLUSION
While the exact details you requested could not be determined using publicly available data, our research led us to the following findings: (a) between 2014 and 2016, the French Riviera observed a decline in the fraction of business trips that were for conferences and exhibitions, (b) the events industry in France had a revenue of €2.4-billion in 2012, (c) live events, venues, and exhibitions account for 52.5%, 32.3%, and 15.2% of GL Events' revenue, respectively; GL Events is a key player in the events market in France and Europe, (d) in Europe, the cost per attendee ranges from $342 to $720, and (e) the global events industry is a $560-billion market.