Asociación Internacional de Ferias de América

What Asociación Internacional de Ferias de América does

AFIDA (Asociación Internacional de Ferias de América) is a non-profit industry association founded in 1969 in Colombia that integrates exhibition venues, organizers, and suppliers in the Iberoamerican trade show, congress, and conventions industry. The organization represents 50+ member organizations across 16 countries, with current and past leadership drawn from major venues such as IFEMA Madrid, Corferias, Expo Guadalajara, La Rural (Buenos Aires), and Fexpocruz (Bolivia). AFIDA is headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia, governed by a rotating Comisión Directiva, and operates with no external parent company or equity investors.

The association's product portfolio centers on member services rather than technology products. Core offerings include a semi-annual AFIDA Magazine, a web-based events calendar covering exhibitions across Iberoamerica, an annual congress (the 55th edition held in Bucaramanga, Colombia in 2026), exclusive training sessions and diplomas developed with industry experts, and a member exchange program enabling cross-border knowledge sharing. The technology stack is minimal — primarily the calendar platform — and there is no proprietary software, no AI/ML capability, and no application product. Distribution is event-driven: AFIDA acquires and engages members through congresses, training, the magazine, and a presence on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.

AFIDA's revenue model is recurring membership dues from member organizations, supplemented implicitly by congress sponsorships and media partnerships. Pricing for membership fees is not publicly disclosed. The association maintains a broad alliance network spanning UFI, IAEE, ICCA, EMECA, and regional bodies such as AFE (Spain), AOCA (Argentina), AMPROFEC (Mexico), Ubrafe (Brazil), APCE (Portugal), and AIFEC, alongside media partners across Latin America. The go-to-market is direct-contact, association-led, and relationship-based rather than technology-mediated.

Name

Asociación Internacional de Ferias de América

Legal name

Asociación Internacional de Ferias de América

Website

https://afida.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFIDA is a non-profit industry association founded in 1969 that connects 50+ exhibition venues, organizers, and suppliers across 16 Iberoamerican countries through membership services, an annual congress, training programs, a regional events calendar, and an industry magazine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: AFIDA generates revenue through membership fees from over 50 member organizations from 16 countries across Iberoamerica. Members include exhibition venues, organizers, and suppliers in the trade show, congress, and conventions industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AFIDA is a non-profit international industry association that connects exhibition venues, event organizers, and industry suppliers across Iberoamerica through membership-based services. It delivers a portfolio of offerings including a semi-annual industry magazine, a centralized events calendar platform, an annual congress, professional development sessions, and member exchange programs designed to promote member events and foster knowledge sharing across the trade show, congress, and conventions industry.

Product overview

AFIDA is a trade association serving as a platform for exhibition venue operators, organizers, and providers in the trade show, congress, and conventions industry across Iberoamerica. Rather than offering a unified software product, AFIDA provides a portfolio of member services including a semi-annual industry magazine (Revista AFIDA), an events calendar platform, annual congresses, professional development sessions, and member exchange programs. These services collectively promote members' events, facilitate knowledge sharing, and support industry professionalization across 16 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AFIDA Magazine (Revista AFIDA) Semi-annual industry publication highlighting news, trends, and member activities in the Iberoamerican trade show, congress, and conventions industry; produced for AFIDA members and the broader exhibition community.
• AFIDA Events Calendar Web-based calendar platform showcasing trade shows, exhibitions, and events across Iberoamerica with dates, locations, and links to participating venues; used by members and the public to discover industry events.
• AFIDA Congress Annual congress bringing together AFIDA members and industry experts to share knowledge, experiences, and success cases across the Iberoamerican trade show industry; the 55th edition was held in Bucaramanga, Colombia in 2026.
• Professional Development Sessions Exclusive training sessions for AFIDA members developed with industry experts on specialized topics of interest to the trade show community, including diploma programs for industry professionalization.
• Member Exchange Program Program enabling AFIDA members to exchange knowledge on specific topics through calls, video conferences, or in-person visits, fostering cross-border best-practice sharing across the Iberoamerican exhibition industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 50+ member organizations across 16 countries
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UFI - Global Association of the Exhibition IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFIDA is a member of UFI, the global association for the exhibition industry. AFIDA participates in UFI initiatives including the Global Exhibitions Day and collaborates on industry surveys such as the UFI Barometer.
• AOCA - Asociación Argentina de Organizadores y Proveedores de Exposiciones y CongresoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFIDA and AOCA collaborate on joint initiatives including AOCA Global Sessions, an educational program for industry professionals. The partnership strengthens knowledge exchange and cooperation between the two organizations.
• IAEE - International Association of Exhibitions and EventsminorOthersListed as an allied organization supporting the AFIDA network.
• ICCA - International Congress and Convention AssociationminorOthersListed as an allied organization supporting the AFIDA network.
• AFE - Asociación de Ferias EspañolasminorOthersSpanish exhibition association listed as an ally, with joint congress benefits for AFIDA members.
• SISO - Society of Independent Show OrganizersminorOthersListed as an allied organization supporting the AFIDA network.
• AIFEC - Asociación de Informadores de Empresas y Entidades Organizadoras de Congresos, Ferias y ConvencionesminorOthersListed as an allied organization supporting the AFIDA network.
• EMECA - European Major Exhibition Centres AssociationminorOthersEMECA distinguished IFEMA MADRID with award for Best Exhibition Launch in Europe. Listed as media partner and ally.
• Ubrafe - União Brasileira de Feiras e EventosminorOthersBrazilian exhibition and events association listed as an allied organization.
• APCE - Associação Portuguesa de Centros de ConvençõesminorOthersPortuguese convention centers association, joint congress with AFE offering preferential rates for AFIDA members.
• AMPROFEC - Asociación Mejicana de Profesionales de Ferias, Exposiciones y ConvencionesminorOthersMexican professional association for exhibitions and conventions listed as an ally.
• The Meetings IndustryminorOthersAFIDA is listed as a member and supporter of The Meetings Industry organization.
• CorferiasminorOthersColombian exhibition venue listed as sponsor and ally of AFIDA.
• ExploriminorOthersListed as an allied organization supporting the AFIDA network.
• StaxminorOthersListed as an allied organization supporting the AFIDA network.
• AOCAminorOthersListed as an allied organization, also partner in joint AOCA Global Sessions initiative.
• Eventos LatamminorOthersLatin American events media outlet listed as a media partner.
• Factor MeetingsminorOthersMeetings industry media outlet listed as a media partner.
• Ferias y CongresosminorOthersExhibitions and congress media outlet listed as a media partner.
• Punto MiceminorOthersMICE industry media outlet listed as a media partner.
• Meetings PanamaminorOthersPanama meetings industry media outlet listed as a media partner.
• Revista EventosminorOthersChilean events magazine listed as a media partner.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AMPROFEC - Asociación Mejicana de Profesionales de Ferias, Exposiciones y Convenciones: AMPROFEC is the Mexican national association of fairs, exhibitions and conventions professionals. Listed as an AFIDA ally, AMPROFEC operates a parallel function to AFIDA in Mexico and serves a directly overlapping member base.
• AOCA - Asociación Argentina de Organizadores y Proveedores de Exposiciones y Congresos: AOCA is the Argentine national association of exhibition organizers and providers. AFIDA and AOCA run joint AOCA Global Sessions and AOCA is also a media partner. Both serve the same industry segment in overlapping geographies.
• AFE - Asociación de Ferias Españolas: AFE is the Spanish national association of fairs and exhibitions and is listed as a core AFIDA ally. Both associations serve exhibition venues and organizers, share joint congress benefits, and represent the same industry segment in overlapping geographies (Spain vs. Iberoamerica).
• Ubrafe - União Brasileira de Feiras e Eventos: Ubrafe is the Brazilian national association of fairs and events. Listed as an AFIDA ally, Ubrafe represents the same industry segment in Brazil, with overlapping membership among Brazilian venues and organizers also represented in AFIDA.

Regional players

• EMECA - European Major Exhibition Centres Association: EMECA is the European association of major exhibition centres. Listed as an AFIDA media partner and ally, EMECA operates in a parallel regional trade association role but serves European (not Iberoamerican) exhibition venues.

Broad incumbents

• SISO - Society of Independent Show Organizers: SISO is an international association of independent exhibition organizers. Listed as an AFIDA allied organization, SISO serves a similar constituency (exhibition organizers) with networking and best-practice sharing, though at a global rather than regional level.
• IAEE - International Association of Exhibitions and Events: IAEE is a global association serving exhibition and event professionals. Listed as an AFIDA ally, IAEE provides education, certification, and advocacy for the exhibitions industry, paralleling AFIDA's member services in Iberoamerica.
• UFI - Global Association of the Exhibition Industry: UFI is the global peak body for the exhibition industry and is explicitly cited as a partner of AFIDA. Both serve as trade associations connecting venues, organizers, and suppliers, but UFI operates globally while AFIDA is Iberoamerican.
• ICCA - International Congress and Convention Association: ICCA is a leading global association for the international meetings and congress industry. Listed as an AFIDA allied organization, both serve MICE industry professionals and associations, though ICCA focuses on international meetings while AFIDA covers Iberoamerican exhibitions and fairs.

Others

• The Meetings Industry: The Meetings Industry is a global industry umbrella organization that lists AFIDA as a member and supporter. The two organizations are connected through shared advocacy for the MICE sector.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFIDALatinAmeri
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afida-asociaci-n-internacional-de-ferias-de-am-rica
• Instagraminstagram.com/afidaorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/afida.latam

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Asociación Internacional de Ferias de América