Trade fairs in Europe

Europe has a trade fair tradition that goes back to medieval market towns and now runs on large, purpose-built exhibition centers. Its calendar runs from Spain to Poland and Turkey and covers industry, technology, travel, food and consumer goods.

Trade fairs in Europe grew out of medieval market towns, and the tradition survives in cities that still hold their exhibition calendar on dedicated grounds. Germany is known for its industrial shows, with electronica in Munich for electronics and SPS in Nuremberg for smart industrial automation. The country page is Germany. Italy hosts food and machinery shows, such as Cibus Tec in Parma for food and beverage technology and EIMA International in Bologna for agricultural machinery. See Italy.

Spain and the United Kingdom bring travel, events and urban topics. IBTM World for the business events industry and Smart City Expo World Congress both take place in Barcelona, while WTM London gathers the travel and tourism industry at ExCeL London. Madrid is served by IFEMA Madrid, and London and Birmingham host fairs at ExCeL and the NEC.

Further east, Warsaw hosts a long list of shows at Ptak Warsaw Expo. Istanbul, where Europe meets Asia, is home to Plast Eurasia for the plastics industry. Moscow hosts shows at Crocus Expo, among them MITEX for tools and equipment.

Many industrial shows run on a two-year cycle. Visitors can also choose by field: industry fairs in Europe sit beside art, leisure, construction, technology and transport events, each with its own calendar and its own exhibition cities.