The following is a letter written by FEPA President Bill Hedley to the Presidents of all FEPA Member Federations, Associations and Unions.
Dear President,
Introduction of New FEPA Level of Promotion for European Exhibitions
On behalf of the FEPA Board, I am pleased to inform you about an important development in FEPA’s contribution to the promotion of international stamp exhibitions in Europe. Until now we have offered two levels of support for exhibitions: FEPA Patronage and FEPA Recognition. These have served our Members well and have contributed to strong, high-quality exhibitions across the continent.
Times move on, however, and in response to the growing diversity of exhibition formats and the desire of several Members for more flexibility in FEPA’s ability to support exhibitions, we have decided to introduce an additional level of promotion. Our aim is to provide a clearer pathway for exhibitions of different size, scope, and philatelic focus, thereby strengthening the overall European exhibition landscape.
In future there will be three levels of FEPA promotion for exhibitions, as follows:
FEPA Patronage: Our highest level, for continental exhibitions for all FEPA members with at least 1,200 frames, international jurors and full compliance with the established FEPA Patronage regulations. Patronage exhibitions such as EuroPhilEx and Hafnia will receive full support from FEPA, including recording of exhibits with 85+ points that can be shown in 8 frames at future exhibitions. The fee for Patronage will remain €5000.
FEPA Specialised Patronage: Specialised Patronage will be available for exhibitions such as ITALIA 2026 and ECTP that are focused on a specific philatelic field such as Postal History, Literature, Postal Stationery, Thematic and Aero. It will also be available for exhibitions that only involve a limited number of FEPA Members such as regional exhibitions. Jurors will be international and exhibits with 85+ points can show 8 frames at future exhibitions. The fee for Specialised Patronage will be €1000.
FEPA Recognition: Recognition is granted to national exhibitions with international participation, and to international exhibitions (including FIP) and multinational exhibitions with a mix of national and international jurors. It is an indication that the show has international support and FEPA will do everything it can to help an exhibition with Recognition to promote the show through advertising and distribution of news. The fee for Recognition will remain €500.
The new levels will be included in amendments to the FEPA Regulations for Exhibitions (FREGEX) that will be presented for approval at the FEPA Congress in Rome in October 2026. We hope this change will give our Members more options when planning future exhibitions and ensure that European exhibiting continues to thrive at all levels.
We encourage all Members to consider how FEPA can support their future exhibition plans. The FEPA Board remains available for questions, clarifications and discussions on how FEPA can best support your upcoming events.
Thank you for your continued engagement and commitment to European philately. Together we strengthen both the quality and reach of our exhibitions, benefiting organisers, jurors, exhibitors, and our many visitors.
If you would like to share any thoughts with us on how we can continue to improve our contributions to the shared task of promoting philately in Europe, please let me know.
With best wishes
Bill Hedley