Utrecht, 14 April 2025 – Under the title ‘Moving forward sustainably together’, Koninklijke Jaarbeurs is today publishing its integrated annual report. The report details the progress made on its strategy and the value created for customers, staff and society. The focus included increasing customer satisfaction, developing new (trade fair) concepts and strengthening its international position as a conference venue.
Highlights
- In 2024, Jaarbeurs welcomed 2.3 million visitors to Utrecht.
- Event organisers rated Jaarbeurs with a score of 7.9.
- The number of major multi-day trade fairs and (international) conferences organised by third parties rose from 38 in 2023 to 49 in 2024.
- The gender breakdown at Jaarbeurs is almost equal, with 51 per cent men and 49 per cent women.
- Gender equality is a key issue within the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) policy. At Jaarbeurs , men and women receive equal pay for equal work; there is no gender pay gap.
Successful events and new initiatives
Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of Koninklijke Jaarbeurs:“Jaarbeurs can look back on a successful year, having hosted 24 of its own trade and consumer fairs in Utrecht. Various new initiatives were launched, including the Impact Fair, DigiBouw, Travel & Tech, Future Facade and the European Smart City Expo (ESCE). In addition, the IPON education trade fair and the IPON.nl knowledge platform were acquired to strengthen our position in the education market.”
Leading international events venue
Jaarbeurs has further strengthened its position as a leading international events venue. The number of major multi-day third-party trade fairs and conferences, including the prestigious international conferences EFMC-ACSMEDI Medicinal Chemistry Frontiers 2024 and the Future Green City World Congress, rose from 38 in 2023 to 49 in 2024. In addition, 2,903 smaller conferences and meetings took place.
International trade fairs
From the Netherlands, Jaarbeurs organised four international trade fairs in 2024: VIV China in Nanjing, Health and Nutrition Asia in Bangkok, VIV Africa in Kigali and Cybersec Europe in Brussels. Through its stake in VNU Asia Pacific (VNU AP), nine international trade fairs and various conferences were organised in South-East Asia.
Financial
The year 2024 was characterised by efforts to strengthen the customer-focused organisation, raise financial awareness within event management and bolster activities in the support services sector. The positive result in 2024 was significantly influenced by the sale of the stake in the Chinese joint venture VNU Exhibitions Asia (VNU EA). This sale enables Jaarbeurs to position itself more strongly both in the Netherlands and internationally, outside China.
Sustainability
In its 2024 annual report, Jaarbeurs presents its results for the first time in accordance with the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) framework.
Photo: In collaboration with Better Together Agency, Jaarbeurs launched the first edition of the Impact Fair in 2024 – Photographer: Samuel Wagner
