UK companies make up three of the top five exhibition organisers in the world, according to Stax, a global strategy consulting firm’s annual ranking.
The Stax Top 20, published on 3 September 2025, ranks the global exhibition industry’s leading organisers based solely on their exhibition-organising revenues in 2024.
Informa maintains its position as the world’s largest and most successful organiser, achieving a record-breaking $2.74 billion in exhibition-organising revenues, including the acquisition of Ascential. RX is in the second spot, with double-digit revenue expansion.
Clarion has slipped to fourth place in the rankings, as Germany’s Messe Frankfurt climbs one spot to third with over 20% year-on-year revenue growth. France’s Comexposium takes fifth place.
Noteworthy year-on-year growth, according to the 2024 global organiser revenues, further highlights the success of the British-based exhibition organisers.
Hyve, for example, rose to eighth in the rankings, having nearly doubled its revenues, reflecting both portfolio strength and the acquisitions of HLTH and POSSIBLE. While dmg Events grew by approximately 70%, driven by strong performance in the energy and infrastructure sectors, as well as Middle Eastern growth.
For decades, European institutional organisers, often tied to city-owned venues, anchored the global exhibition hierarchy. But their leadership is wavering.
While Messe Frankfurt, München, and Düsseldorf remain Top 10 players, their revenue growth since 2019 has been incremental. In fact, not so long ago, there used to be five Messen in the Top 10.
In contrast, groups like Informa, Clarion, Hyve, Easyfairs, and IEG, regardless of ownership model, have achieved faster expansion (35%-50% growth) through acquisitive, international, and asset-light strategies.
The most impressive trajectories over the 2023-2024 period are those of UK companies, including dmg Events, CloserStill Media, and Terrapinn (a new entrant to the Top 20 this year). They have doubled or even tripled revenues over the period, driven mainly by powerful organic growth engines.
Meanwhile, the aggregate revenues for the Top 20 in 2024 were 20% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels ($10.0 billion vs. $8.35 billion), confirming that the global exhibitions industry has not only recovered but also grown.
The operators gaining ground are those with the freedom to move capital, launch in growth regions, and scale sector communities, rather than being tied to physical venues and local mandates.