Exhibition Industry Archives

Should associations be using M&A activity to turn national into global?
Should associations be using M&A activity to turn national into global?

Should associations be using M&A activity to turn national into global?

John Barrett , Executive director , Worldwide Cleaning Association ISSA The practice of using acquisitions and mergers to expand an organiser’s global presence is commonplace. But how about when an association tries to increase its influence using the same approach? Historically we've only seen a few private organisers from the US make their presence felt in the international marketplace. Diversified Communications did so in Europe with its health and seafood shows, and more recently EJ Krause [...]

By Antony Reeve-Crook| 2018-06-15T10:53:02+00:00 June 15th, 2018|All, Best Practices, Exhibition Industry, Topics, UFI Updates|0 Comments

Three reasons why to attend a trade show or a public consumer show unrelated to your business
Three reasons why to attend a trade show or a public consumer show unrelated to your business

Three reasons why to attend a trade show or a public consumer show unrelated to your business

In a recent conversation at ECEF, a one-day US conference for Association (NGO) and for-profit US organizers, I was speaking with some colleagues about visiting exhibitions in unrelated industries for fun. They looked at me in shock. As the discussion deepened, it turns out that they attend their own trade shows or competitive expos in their same sector, but never attend consumer shows (b2c) or trade shows in other industries. Or, in a couple of instances, only attend exhibitions produced by the [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2018-06-08T08:31:17+00:00 June 8th, 2018|All, Best Practices, Exhibition Industry, UFI Updates|0 Comments

#GED18 celebrations are just around the corner!
#GED18 celebrations are just around the corner!

#GED18 celebrations are just around the corner!

Corrado Peraboni, UFI President It was wonderful to see so many of you earlier this month in Verona at our annual European Conference, especially as it took place in my home country Italy. Thank you again to my friends and colleagues at Veronafiere for hosting us so graciously, and to all our speakers for sharing your insights! During one of the breaks, I took a moment to watch the UFI team’s video showcasing some of the highlights and activities from last year’s Global Exhibition Day ( [...]

By UFI President| 2018-05-31T16:01:34+00:00 May 31st, 2018|All, Americas, Asia – Pacific, Best Practices, Europe, Exhibition Industry, Middle East – Africa, UFI News, UFI Updates|0 Comments

What’s New in Attendee Acquisition?
What’s New in Attendee Acquisition?

What’s New in Attendee Acquisition?

I recently asked the following question on LinkedIn: Hi exhibition industry friends. Out of curiosity, what other attendee promotion/recruitment tools are you doing besides print, death by email and digital-based outreach? The reason I asked the question was two-fold: It seems many show organizers are over-dependent on emails to get the job done for recruiting quality visitors; and wanted to know what else industry colleagues are doing. A number of people answered, and there were over 1600 views [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2018-05-25T09:29:38+00:00 May 25th, 2018|All, Americas, Asia – Pacific, Best Practices, Europe, Exhibition Industry, Exhibition Marketing, Middle East – Africa, Operations & Services, UFI Updates|0 Comments

When will disruption naturally occur in our business?
When will disruption naturally occur in our business?

When will disruption naturally occur in our business?

“Disruption is a term that has been overused in the last 10 years. A lot of people talk about digital disruption, but to me the term often leads to people scratching their heads,” Eddie Choi told the audience at the UFI European Conference in Verona. Many of us will be in agreement. The subject is a staple of plenary halls at business conferences and while we all appreciate the opportunities that accompany destabilising the status quo, the only experience most of us will have of being truly disr [...]

By Antony Reeve-Crook| 2018-05-18T10:48:49+00:00 May 17th, 2018|All, Best Practices, Digital Innovation, 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

Next Generation Leadership Grant
Next Generation Leadership Grant

Next Generation Leadership Grant

During the last month, one activity stood out to me while carrying out my role as our association’s president: the day we selected the recipients of this year’s Next Generation Leadership (NGL) Grant. The UFI NGL Grant programme promotes next-generation leadership, by rewarding professionals who demonstrate clear initiative in driving change and innovation in their area of activity. We launched this programme in 2016 to help young leaders to connect, engage and exchange ideas with experienced pr [...]

By UFI President| 2018-04-19T15:01:50+00:00 April 19th, 2018|All, Exhibition Industry, UFI News, UFI Updates|0 Comments

Everyone is a Consumer First
Everyone is a Consumer First

Everyone is a Consumer First

We are consumers first and foremost, and as such, our attendees, exhibitors and stakeholders expect face-to-face, business-to-business events to be more like the experiences encountered at festivals, concerts, and other live events. Unfortunately, most exhibitions are not. Here are a few thoughts to modernize trade shows so they are more interactive and entertaining for attendees. They are based on ideas expressed at the recent XLIVE Esports Summit in Los Angeles, USA. For those of you who have [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2018-04-11T15:24:00+00:00 April 11th, 2018|All, Best Practices, Digital Innovation, Exhibition Industry, Exhibition Marketing|0 Comments

Are Brazil’s events returning to strength?
Are Brazil’s events returning to strength?

Are Brazil’s events returning to strength?

'A view of Sao Paolo including exhibition venue Expo Center Norte' Provided you haven’t been running the country in the past 10 years, things are looking increasingly positive for the people of Brazil. On Tuesday, the president of the Central Bank of Brazil Ilan Goldfajn, said the country’s economy could expand beyond the otherwise “well-calibrated” 2.6 per cent forecasted for 2018. Speaking at an event in São Paulo, Goldfajn said that the nation’s recovery from the deepest recession in decade [...]

By Antony Reeve-Crook| 2018-04-05T15:39:47+00:00 April 5th, 2018|All, Americas, Exhibition Industry Research, Topics, UFI Updates|0 Comments