The Auto Maintenance and Repair Expo (AMR) concluded on 23 March 2024 at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) with strong results in terms of the exhibition area, and number of exhibitors (1.061) and visitors (45.616 visits).
Expotalent is a foundation initiated by three experienced professionals in the expo-events industry: Gert Jan van den Nieuwenhoff (Ahoy), Ids Boersma (RAI), and Ton Otten (Jaarbeurs).
Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB), the award-winning World’s Leading New Exhibition and Convention Centre for the year 2023, hosted its first Ramadan Ghabga for members of the media on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Close to 300 delegates from 20 countries and regions attended the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in Macau. The annual event was held at The Parisian Macao and hosted by the Macau Fair & Trade Association.
The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has approved the rights for Thailand, a registered candidate, to host the 2029 International Horticultural Expo or “Korat Expo 2029.”
The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) is a global organisation uniting thousands of growers of flowers and ornamental plants. It is the approving body of International Horticultural Expos, such as Expo Doha Qatar 2023.
Sustainability is more important than ever for European tourists, and Asian destinations are increasingly harnessing this potential.
ADIPEC will be held in Abu Dhabi on 4-7 November 2024, advancing tangible action across the entire energy value chain, accelerating decarbonisation and advancing the global energy transformation.
UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, and AsiaWorld-Expo have signed a multi-year Diamond Sponsorship Agreement, underlining AsiaWorld-Expo’s commitment to the ongoing development of the exhibition industry.
With a global range of exhibitors, learning sessions that dig into today’s most pertinent issues and opportunities to build new connections, IMEX Frankfurt 2024 is set to be a show with impact.
Farnborough Internation has purchased a 48 per cent ownership of Automotion Events, the company behind The British Motor Show, to support the brand in growing its automotive portfolio.
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has made a significant stride in its commitment to elevate the nation’s business events industry.
Augsburger Schwabenhallen Messe- und Veranstaltungsgesellschaft and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe are the latest new members of AUMA – the association of the German trade fair industry.
UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, has released the latest 32nd edition of its flagship Global Exhibition Barometer research which takes the pulse of the industry.
Last night, beMatrix won the award for 'Best Stand Design' in the category of stands from 30 to 69 square metres.
IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC), the leading global event on industry transformation through the use of disruptive technologies, will showcase the latest advances and trends in this field.
IMEX Frankfurt 2024 holds up the mirror to the big shifts and changes in the industry by bringing together event professionals.
UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, is proud to announce its 2024 series of regional conferences and co-located events.
Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB) is gearing up to host the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Workshop on January 22, 2024, in the presence of Nasser Ali Qaedi, CEO of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA).
This article delves into the necessity of agile internal structures within the trade fair industry, emphasizing the importance of embracing digital competencies, restructuring organizational frameworks, and fostering a demand-driven approach.
24.11.2020
Around 700 UFI members from more than 50 countries and regions attended the 87th UFI Global Congress, which took place online from 16 to 19 November.
This year’s digital event has
been the largest in UFI’s history, exceeding the record number of
attendees at the 2019 Global Congress in Bangkok, Thailand and the 2016
Global Congress in Shanghai, China. Three registration packages were
available, making this the most accessible UFI Global Congress ever for
our global community. Participants enjoyed connecting screen-to-screen,
as face-to-face meetings have been put on hold due to the Covid-19
pandemic.
Built around prime regional time slots for Asia/Pacific, Europe, the
Middle East and Africa, and the Americas, the programme enabled
participants to connect and follow the event from their own time zone,
and to review other sessions on-demand. In parallel, participants used
– and are still using – the platform to network and meet with peers
around the world, at whatever time works best for them. Over 1,200
connections were registered directly on the platform – and there
have been numerous other direct digital connections. All Global
Congress sessions will remain available on-demand until 4 December 2020.
Kai Hattendorf, managing director and CEO at UFI, says: “With
face-to-face not an option this year, we’ve re-written the textbook for
the UFI Congress. We’ve had to be agile; we’ve had to adapt; we’ve had
to be fearless and bold. We’ve completely re-built the way we deliver
the event globally, keeping all regions and time zones in mind. And
we’ve managed to create experiences that everyone can engage with,
despite being limited to screens.”
“The number one piece of feedback from participants is that they miss
seeing each other face-to-face and having the opportunity for
spontaneous chats and encounters. At the same time, many used the chat
functionality and networking sessions to state how great it was to have
the opportunity for everyone to connect. People especially praised the
fact that we delivered the sessions and the networking opportunities
with their specific business hours in mind – that we managed to deliver
a truly global event optimised for all regions,” he adds.
Timely content – globally delivered for a global industry
58 speakers were “on stage”, as 16 hours of live sessions were
presented by UFI’s quartet of regional managers, broadcasting live from
Hong Kong, Dubai, London and Bogotá. Wherever possible, the team
delivered live chats and sessions, facilitating real-time dialogue and
feedback from participants around the world. The four Global Congress keynotes covered the new reality for the
global economy, for geo-politics, for human health and for the
connected industries of travel, hospitality and business events,
forming a consistent view of the future ahead of us all in the coming
24 months. Panels with global and regional industry leaders shared
unique insights into the exhibition industry’s response and trends,
from advocacy to the growth of hybrid events.
New UFI research presented
As usual, Global Congress participants were the first to be updated on
new, original UFI research findings, as a comprehensive analysis and
overview of the exhibition industry’s activities in Latin America was
presented. This research represents the first in-depth overview of the
region that is aligned with metrics from other regions around the
world. Delegates also heard very encouraging new findings from the
UFI/Explori Global Recovery Trends report, which showed that exhibitors
and visitors globally are eager to return to face-to-face platforms.
Keynote speaker Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, who organises the annual
Munich Security Conference, echoed these findings, stating: “Leaders
will have an incentive to meet again physically. You can have any
number of personal meetings at the margins of the meeting. You can’t
replace these personal physical meetings. It is not so easy to
build a personal relationship on a laptop.”
Meanwhile, keynote speaker, Gloria Guevara Manzo, who is president and
CEO at the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), reiterated the
call for action to convince the authorities to prioritise travel and
business events as a critical element of economic recovery: “We need to
learn from the past. We can’t wait for a vaccine to be widely spread
around the world; we need to be able to resume international travel
before.”
Maintaining special moments and experiences
Despite the digital format, the Global Congress included a multitude of
networking opportunities and special moments. The highlight was a
performance by violinist Andrew Bernardi, who played a short concert
from one of the vast and currently empty exhibition halls at ExCel
London, accompanied by a quintet of musicians. Playing pieces from
British composer Edward Elgar on his 1696 Amici Stradivari, Andrew
Bernardi and the other musicians left delegates with a powerful
reminder of the energy created when people come together – be it for
business, or for music.
Welcome to the 2020/21 UFI president
Anbu Varathan, director general and CEO at the Indian Machine Tool
Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) and Bangalore International
Exhibition Centre (BIEC) formally assumes office as the UFI president
for the year to come. He says: “I am extremely happy and honoured to
address the global exhibition community, as I assume the UFI
Presidency. We are all living in extraordinary times with the Covid-19
pandemic having a profound and lasting impact on human life, the global
economy and, in particular, our exhibition industry and all related
industries. We need to delve deep and look for opportunities and
strategies to innovate, to enhance technological capabilities, to
reorient market strategies, to equip workforce with emerging
technologies and to re-emerge as a strong force once again.” UFI would
like to thank Craig Newman (UFI president 2018/19), Mary Larkin
(outgoing president) and Monica Lee-Müller (incoming president) for
serving the association and the industry!
Open to more than 50,000 industry professionals globally who work for
UFI member companies, the UFI Global Congress takes place each November
and is known as the exhibition industry’s largest global meeting of the
year, combining international networking with unique content.
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