Digital Innovation Archives

What does Matchmaking mean for exhibitions?
What does Matchmaking mean for exhibitions?

What does Matchmaking mean for exhibitions?

Stephan Forseilles, Head of Technology and Digital Transformation, Easyfairs. Matchmaking has been an ‘on/off’ topic in events for at least 15 years. From the ages of manual matching in Excel to the era of artificial intelligence being the promise of effortless and real-time recommendations, things have evolved. But not so much. Most of us are still selling to exhibitors the right to annoy visitors. So, as usual in that situation, I remove my “organiser” hat and look at it from my “frequent vi [...]

By Guest| 2018-11-09T14:17:59+00:00 November 9th, 2018|All, Best Practices, Digital Innovation, Exhibition Marketing, Topics, UFI Updates|1 Comment

UFI Next Generation Leadership Grantee – meet Lilian Burgardt
UFI Next Generation Leadership Grantee – meet Lilian Burgardt

UFI Next Generation Leadership Grantee – meet Lilian Burgardt

2018 UFI NGL Grantee - Lilian Burgardt, Head of Digital Products - Informa Brazil. Meet Lilian Burgardt, Head of Digital Products - Informa Brazil, one of the four recipients of the UFI Next Generation Leadership Grant (NGL). Lilian Burgardt, one of the four recipients of the 2018 NGL Grant, and I had a chance to catch up earlier this month. The UFI NGL Grant is awarded to future leaders of the exhibition industry for exceptional initiative in driving change and innovation within their differe [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2018-09-13T14:06:48+00:00 September 13th, 2018|All, Americas, Asia – Pacific, Best Practices, Digital Innovation, Europe, Exhibition Industry, Exhibition Marketing, Management, Middle East – Africa, UFI Updates|0 Comments

What should/could event engagement tech do for event organizers to survive and thrive in the digital age?
What should/could event engagement tech do for event organizers to survive and thrive in the digital age?

What should/could event engagement tech do for event organizers to survive and thrive in the digital age?

Stephan Forseilles, Head of Technology and Digital Transformation, Easyfairs. Written by Stephan Forseilles When Swapcard's Ilan Goren asked me if I'd be interested in contributing an article to their Blog on "What event engagement tech should /could do for event organizers to survive and thrive in the digital age", I jumped on the occasion. It's not everyday that you can have such a "blue sky" approach to the question. The first remark that often comes up in discussions about the future of th [...]

By Guest| 2018-08-24T11:50:04+00:00 August 24th, 2018|Americas, Asia – Pacific, Best Practices, Digital Innovation, Europe, Exhibition Industry, Exhibition Marketing, Middle East – Africa, UFI News, UFI Updates|1 Comment

Insights into the Brazilian Exhibition Industry
Insights into the Brazilian Exhibition Industry

Insights into the Brazilian Exhibition Industry

Marco Basso, President of Brazil Informa Global Exhibitions Division. Marco A. Basso, is President of Brazil, Informa Global Exhibitions Division, a company he’s been with the last 22 years. Discovered by a head hunter to begin Informa’s operations in the country, he knew nothing about the exhibition business, but had a background in congresses and seminars. Like most of us, he said, “The exhibition business is a very dynamic industry and gets into your blood pretty quickly – but you have to h [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2018-07-26T07:48:22+00:00 July 26th, 2018|Americas, Digital Innovation, Exhibition Industry, Exhibition Marketing, 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

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

Keeping Your Exhibition Relevant in the Future
Keeping Your Exhibition Relevant in the Future

Keeping Your Exhibition Relevant in the Future

The UFI European Conference theme this year is Future Proof Exhibitions. Keynote speaker Francis Friedman, President of trade show consultants Time & Place Strategies plans to have a strategic conversation with delegates on Future Building and Future Profiting of Exhibitions. Friedman says, as we look to the future “Attendee acquisition will no longer be simply telling people they will get ‘excellent networking opportunities, see the latest products on the show floor, and get access to educ [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2018-03-19T09:49:47+00:00 March 15th, 2018|All, Digital Innovation, Exhibition Industry|0 Comments

Exhibition industry triggers best practice sharing
Exhibition industry triggers best practice sharing

Exhibition industry triggers best practice sharing

Exhibition Industry: Submit your best practice example today and win one of UFI's prestigious 2018 global industry awards! Your organization and teams work hard. Let the industry recognize their efforts! Deadlines are quickly approaching for the UFI Digital Innovations, Human Resources and Operations and Services Awards. Award themes are determined by their respective Committees and change annually. The Committees also serve as judges. The awards listed below are open to UFI members and non-memb [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2018-02-15T10:57:52+00:00 February 15th, 2018|All, Best Practices, Digital Innovation, Human Resources, Operations & Services, Sustainable Development|0 Comments

Stable growth through new business models
Stable growth through new business models

Stable growth through new business models

The exhibition industry is enjoying solid, stable growth on the global scale - this is one of the core results of the 20th edition of our UFI Global Exhibition Barometer, released at the end of January. To honour the jubilee edition we added something special to the global research - and looked for a measure that describes how the business model of exhibitions is changing. The answers are encouraging, as they show that, all around the world, the exhibition industry is investing into new opportun [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2018-02-07T15:28:02+00:00 February 7th, 2018|All, Digital Innovation, Exhibition Industry Research|0 Comments