UFI News Archives

COVID-19 and its Impact on 2020
COVID-19 and its Impact on 2020

COVID-19 and its Impact on 2020

UFI recently released the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 global exhibition industry with its 26th Global Barometer. It may be summed up in one word: OUCH! By all accounts, 2020 was a painful year of severe contraction for the industry – down by 68% from 2019’s figures. As one could expect, profits were also down in 2020, ranging from 47% in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, 50% in North America, to 58% in the Middle East & Africa, and 64% in Central and South America. This latest 191 page [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2021-02-09T10:21:37+00:00 February 9th, 2021|Americas, Asia – Pacific, Europe, Exhibition Industry, Exhibition Industry Research, Middle East – Africa, UFI News|0 Comments

A message from UFI President Anbu Varathan
A message from UFI President Anbu Varathan

A message from UFI President Anbu Varathan

Dear colleagues, dear friends, We’re just one month into the new year, so let me wish you all the best for 2021 – and to our colleagues in China, with Chinese New Year just ahead, my best wishes for the Year of the Ox. December and January have been dominated by two COVID-19 developments: the approval and international rollout of the first set of vaccines against the virus, and the emergence of a new, more infectious strain, leading to additional lockdowns and travel restrictions in many parts o [...]

By UFI President| 2021-02-09T10:12:18+00:00 February 3rd, 2021|Americas, Asia – Pacific, Europe, Middle East – Africa, UFI News|0 Comments

European Exhibition Industry Allicance (EEIA) Welcomes EU Council Rapid Anitgen Tests and Vaccination Decisions and Calls for Speedy Implementation
European Exhibition Industry Allicance (EEIA) Welcomes EU Council Rapid Anitgen Tests and Vaccination Decisions and Calls for Speedy Implementation

European Exhibition Industry Allicance (EEIA) Welcomes EU Council Rapid Anitgen Tests and Vaccination Decisions and Calls for Speedy Implementation

“EEIA welcomes yesterday’s European Council decisions related to rapid antigen tests and vaccinations. Even though the current situation justifies the current restrictions to contain the infections, Europe should prepare as quickly as possible to support and empower free movement of people, especially for business purposes, in a safe and controlled way”, says Barbara Weizsäcker, Secretary General. Strengthening the use of rapid antigen tests and the mutual recognition of COVID-19 test results al [...]

By Guest| 2021-01-22T10:26:37+00:00 January 22nd, 2021|Europe, UFI News|0 Comments

Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – November 2020
Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – November 2020

Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – November 2020

It is hard to believe that a year has passed since I accepted the role of President of UFI during the 2019 Congress in Bangkok. And what a year it has been! As I write my final column as President, I marvel at how the industry has come together in a time of crisis and is ensuring that we will come out of this pandemic stronger and better than before. As we entered a new decade, we had no idea what was going to hit our industry. During the CEO Summit in Rome in February, the discussion around [...]

By UFI President| 2020-11-04T08:51:14+00:00 November 3rd, 2020|Americas, Asia – Pacific, Europe, Exhibition Industry, Middle East – Africa, UFI News|0 Comments

Meet the 2020 NGL Grant Recipients!
Meet the 2020 NGL Grant Recipients!

Meet the 2020 NGL Grant Recipients!

I had a chance to speak with the 2020 NGL Grant recipients earlier this month. For those of you who haven’t heard of it before, it’s UFI’s program to promote the next generation of leadership in the exhibition industry. It rewards young professionals who show clear initiatives in driving change and innovation in their area of activity. Spread over 18 months, the recipients traditionally have presented a session at the UFI Global Congress and are then assigned volunteer mentors (high level exhibi [...]

By Stephanie Selesnick| 2020-10-23T11:37:59+00:00 October 23rd, 2020|All, Digital Innovation, Exhibition Industry, Management, UFI News|0 Comments

UFI and SISO call for “Testing over Quarantine” policies to keep businesses going
UFI and SISO call for “Testing over Quarantine” policies to keep businesses going

UFI and SISO call for “Testing over Quarantine” policies to keep businesses going

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and SISO, the Society for Independent Show Organizers, today call on policymaker and governments around the world to empower the best policy solutions to maintain the flow of people, products, and services - and in doing so, to activate the potentials of rapid antigen COVID tests. The statement, signed by UFI President Mary Larkin (President Diversified Communications, USA) and SISO Chair Doug Emslie (Group Chief Executive, Tarsus Group), r [...]

By Guest| 2020-10-13T06:42:32+00:00 October 8th, 2020|All, Exhibition Industry, UFI News|0 Comments

Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – October 2020
Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – October 2020

Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – October 2020

Resilience and People As we enter another month of the COVID-19 crisis, it’s impact on our industry, our businesses and our lifes is still growing. We are all striving within ourselves to be resilient, to plan events in the midst of uncertainty, to “pivot” to other revenue streams and to hang on to the positive news from elsewhere and glimmers of hope that we see around us. While events are reopening in many countries, there is confusion as to the value they bring to an economy in many others. [...]

By UFI President| 2020-10-09T07:07:27+00:00 October 7th, 2020|All, Americas, Asia – Pacific, Europe, Middle East – Africa, UFI News|0 Comments

IFA Berlin: first post-COVID Global Consumer Electronics trade fair opened its doors!
IFA Berlin: first post-COVID Global Consumer Electronics trade fair opened its doors!

IFA Berlin: first post-COVID Global Consumer Electronics trade fair opened its doors!

A small summary of the first day of international consumer electronics show IFA at Messe Berlin, as trade shows and exhibitions are taking place again in Germany as of September. Remember: The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was the first major exhibition in Europe that got cancelled as the COVID virus spread around the continent this spring. In the US, SXSW as well has been cancelled, and the Consumer Electronics Show has already announced it will be all digital in 2021. IFA is the only phys [...]

By Kai Hattendorf| 2020-09-04T11:11:34+00:00 September 4th, 2020|All, Europe, Exhibition Industry, UFI News|0 Comments

Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – July 2020
Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – July 2020

Message from UFI President Mary Larkin – July 2020

Dear colleagues and friends, The Power of collaboration and leadership has become very apparent in our industry during the COVID-19 crisis. The industry has aligned itself around one issue – the safe reopening of events! This has put the focus on the importance of advocacy within and for our industry. Let’s face it: For the most part, many players from our industry saw little need for advocacy in recent years. Business was going well, with economies growing simultaneously around the world. Howev [...]

By UFI President| 2020-07-08T14:59:39+00:00 July 8th, 2020|All, UFI News|0 Comments

Position Paper – TODAY IS GLOBAL EXHIBITIONS DAY!
Position Paper – TODAY IS GLOBAL EXHIBITIONS DAY!

Position Paper – TODAY IS GLOBAL EXHIBITIONS DAY!

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 [...]

By Guest| 2020-06-29T10:19:14+00:00 June 3rd, 2020|All, Europe, Exhibition Industry, UFI News|1 Comment