Exhibitions are the most powerful ECONOMIC GROWTH ENGINES that drive economic recovery and the EU’s progress on a fast track mode Exhibitions are key to rebuilding economies The trade fairs and exhibitions industry will reconnect and rebuild businesses. We are an industry that is proud to be both a contributor to local economies and a stimulus for business growth throughout the world. Exhibitions are the marketplaces and meeting places for entire industries – regionally, nationally, and internat [...]

On Saturday, 23rd May, Hong Kong hosted its first exhibition since the COVID-19 outbreak shutdown the events industry in early February. The Hong Kong Wedding Fair was organized by Hongkong-Asia Exhibition Limited (HAE). This was a purely consumer exhibition with local exhibitors and visitors. The three-day event ran from 22nd to 24th May and it was held in Hall 1 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Mark Cochrane, UFI’s Region Manager in Asia Pacific was onsite at the ex [...]

If the impact of Covid-19 means we are truly heading into a new era for global exhibitions, then we must do so with new regulations and best practices in place. The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is in discussions with four associations comprising Thai Exhibition Association (TEA), Thailand Incentive and Convention Association (TICA), Thai Hotels Association (THA) and Event Management Association (EMA) to assess safety and health guidelines for the industry, ensuring the indu [...]

Senior Vice President, Mr. Park Jong Geun As the Korean government shifted its months-long social distancing campaign to a more relaxed “distancing in daily life” campaign from May 6, KINTEX decided to reopen its exhibition halls for the first time since the most recent exhibition in January. The event, the 53rd MBC Construction Expo, was organized by PEO Dong-A Fairs and held from May 8 to 11. Considering the timing of show in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, the PEO and KINTEX agreed to es [...]

The Business Events Council of Australia (BECA) has formally established a Safety and Hygiene Subcommittee to ensure the business events industry is ready to safely restart and that government and the public can be confident that restrictions can be lifted. Aim BECA recognises that an opportunity exists to secure a restart of the industry much sooner than the allowances that will need to be made for mass gatherings. Because business events are an extension of the workplace and delivered in a con [...]

Connect and share with the exhibition industry this Global Exhibitions day. There will be webinars, online get-togethers, live social media, and other fun activities you can join in to celebrate GED2020. Find a list below. Are we missing something? Send us the details at ged@ufi.org. Also keep an eye on #GED2020, on your favorite social media channel, to see the amazing content being shared to mark our industries “Big Day”. ______________________________________________________________________ 2 [...]

UFI President Mary Larkin Dear colleagues and friends, The value of Pre-Competitive Collaboration is as important as ever and is visible more and more every day in our industry. Even in normal times, we in the exhibition and events industry are unique in how much information we share with each other. In these turbulent times, the collaboration among companies has risen to a new level, which is truly inspirational. Sharing information on best practices on how to reopen the doors to events, from [...]

The coronavirus outbreak is spreading further across the world. This poses us the pressure of external defense and internal defense rebound. This reality has postponed the comprehensive recovery of the MICE industry and revealed many underlying problems in the development of our industry. We need to address such challenges with a sober mind. While staying at home, we have more time to think. In the WeChat groups, many friends of MICE industry have expressed their ideas about how the industry dev [...]

As the battle with the COVID-19 pandemic now runs into months, there is a realisation that we have a battle on our hands that will last for a number of years. There is no exit in the traditional sense, we will need to live with and adapt to an environment which has this virus. New behaviours and habits are being formed that will be a permanent feature of our life. Trends that we have seen coming will now rapidly pick up momentum and shift the way we live and do business. There will be a new norm [...]

Economic support for exhibitions and events needed Practical proposals for secure reopening Our sector’s systemic relevance for vertical industries and economic recovery The trade fairs and exhibitions industry together with the wider community of live events (MICE) were the first ones affected by cancellations and total shut down. Our industry is supporting the response to the current health emergency by making available our infrastructures to host emergency hospitals, testing facilities, logis [...]