Kai Hattendorf, Author at UFI Blog

My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 3 to 1
My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 3 to 1

My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 3 to 1

2019 has been a momentous year in our industry – and a very active year at UFI. I thought about how best to capture some of the year's highlights from our association's advocacy, education, events, and research. I ended up with this series of small blog posts – some short, personal comments alongside the work we did this year for you, our members. We’ve already published Part 1 and Part 2. Here are my personal top three – I hope you enjoy them. Happy holidays, and have a successful 2020! 3. Our [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2019-12-20T14:55:27+00:00 December 21st, 2019|All|0 Comments

Five trends to watch in 2020
Five trends to watch in 2020

Five trends to watch in 2020

2019 is drawing to a close, and the second decade of the century will soon be behind us. So get ready to enter the 2020s! As we enter this new decade, the world seems to have become less stable and more disrupted in many aspects of life - in politics, in tech, in societies and in business. Every year, UFI tracks developments in the exhibition and event industry worldwide, at our events, in numerous conversations and through many other channels. Here are our five trends that leaders in exhibition [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2019-12-20T12:52:29+00:00 December 20th, 2019|All|0 Comments

My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 6 to 4
My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 6 to 4

My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 6 to 4

2019 has been a momentous year for our industry – and a very dynamic year at UFI. I thought about how best to capture some of the year’s highlights from our association’s advocacy, education, events, and research. I ended up with this series of small blog posts – some short, personal comments alongside the work we did this year for you, our members. We already published the first part of the list. Here are my choices 6 to 4 – I hope you enjoy them. 6. The 3rd UFI-VMA Venue Management School Shan [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2019-12-19T10:05:21+00:00 December 19th, 2019|All|0 Comments

My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 10 to 7
My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 10 to 7

My top ten UFI moments in 2019 – from 10 to 7

2019 has been a momentous year in our industry – and an active and engaging year at UFI. I thought about how best to capture some of this year’s highlights from our association’s advocacy, education, events, and research activities. I ended up with this blog post – some short, personal comments alongside the work we did this year for you, our members. Here are my places 10 to 7 – I hope you enjoy them. 10. A BIG Screen Washington, DC (U.S.A.), May 2019 – I admit I do quite a few presentations at [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2019-12-19T10:29:11+00:00 December 17th, 2019|All|1 Comment

More global business ahead!
More global business ahead!

More global business ahead!

Kai Hattendorf, Managing Director/CEO at UFI. This year started in much the same way as last year finished – with new acquisitions and takeovers: Blackstone-backed PSAV has bought the in-house AV company Encore Event Technologies from Freeman, Reed is taking over Mack Brooks, and there are even more deals on the horizon. Despite – or perhaps because of – a more complex political and economic environment, there’s been a lot of interest in investing in our industry. In fact, this issue was a hot [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2019-02-26T09:41:26+00:00 February 25th, 2019|All, Exhibition Industry, UFI Updates|0 Comments

UFI’s 5 trends to watch in 2019
UFI’s 5 trends to watch in 2019

UFI’s 5 trends to watch in 2019

Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO/ MD. As every year, the UFI team has used our association’s Global Congress as well as many separate conversations all around the world to isolate and identify the core themes that the UFI team feels will impact the global exhibition industry in 2019. So today, let me share with you “UFI’s 5 trends to watch in 2019”: Written by Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO/ MD. Shifting trade patterns and a jittery global economy Amidst a climate of political tension, protectionism and fals [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2018-12-07T08:59:51+00:00 December 4th, 2018|All, Exhibition Industry, UFI News, UFI Updates|1 Comment

Glimpse ahead
Glimpse ahead

Glimpse ahead

Kai Hattendorf, UFI MD/CEO. It’s that time of year when many of you will be booking your trips to the upcoming UFI Global Congress. The UFI team is busy getting ready for what is sure to be another memorable meeting. (If you still need to register, just click here). After Shanghai in 2016 and Johannesburg in 2017, our industry’s global annual gathering will take place in St. Petersburg (Russia). It’s been a memorable year for our industry, so there are many issues to discuss – from M&A to [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2018-10-19T12:09:46+00:00 October 19th, 2018|All, Exhibition Industry, Exhibition Industry Research, UFI News, UFI Updates|0 Comments

Global connections
Global connections

Global connections

Kai Hattendorf, UFI MD/CEO. Right now, our industry is running on all cylinders – that was a clear takeaway from the latest UFI Global Barometer, released this summer. For the first time in ten years, all four global regions reported a positive turnover development at the same time. More importantly, in terms of operating profit, most companies maintained a good level of performance in 2017, and over 40% of companies from all regions declared an increase of more than 10% compared to 2016. Howe [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2018-09-06T15:02:03+00:00 September 6th, 2018|All, Exhibition Industry|0 Comments

The UFI European Conference 2018 review, future-proofing the exhibition world
The UFI European Conference 2018 review, future-proofing the exhibition world

The UFI European Conference 2018 review, future-proofing the exhibition world

Sophie Hackford, the keynote speaker Over 220 delegates from 35 countries gathered at the European Conference 2018 in Verona (Italy). Speakers and delegates discussed the challenge of how to future-proof exhibitions on the main conference stage and in breakout sessions over the course of two days. As one participant put it on Twitter: “To future-proof exhibitions, first listen to the future.” This was the theme behind the opening session with keynote speaker Sophie Hackford, Futurist and Resea [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2018-05-09T15:30:23+00:00 May 9th, 2018|All, Digital Innovation, Europe, Exhibition Industry, UFI News, UFI Updates|0 Comments

From West World to the exhibition world
From West World to the exhibition world

From West World to the exhibition world

Kai Hattendorf, UFI Managing Director / CEO One of the hottest tickets at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin last month was for the chance to step into and experience the saloon from the TV series “West World” – a show based on the story that humanoid robots in a “wild west” amusement park “awaken” from their programming, driven by artificial intelligence. In Austin, it took organisers four months to prepare this two-hour experience for ticket holders. Over 440 pages of script we [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2018-04-26T15:22:23+00:00 April 26th, 2018|All, Exhibition Industry, UFI News, UFI Updates|0 Comments

About Kai Hattendorf