Sergey Alexeev_February 2016

Blogger: Sergey Alexeev, UFI President

This month we are starting to reach out to more of our members through a new initiative we call the Ambassador Programme.

It is designed to highlight the value and benefits that UFI offers to all our members, and will be particularly helpful for those who may not yet be aware of the full advantages of the UFI membership.

Just think about it: Our association this year alone is organising six industry events – the Shanghai Congress, the Global CEO Summit, Regional Seminars in various regions, and two Focus Meetings. Add to that more than 25 Committee Meetings, as well as the HR Manager Network, and smaller gatherings for members in various markets, and you see that our small team is providing a wealth of meeting opportunities for everyone involved in UFI worldwide.

Then there are the chapters and the committees, which bring UFI even closer to the members. When we reviewed the UFI strategy with the Executive Committee recently in Munich, we gave the green light to further “glocalise” UFI’s footprint. The chapters and committees are a vital part of this, with many industry leaders volunteering their precious time and resources to drive our industry and its issues forward. I want to thank them for their hard work!

I also want to encourage each and every one of you to use your UFI membership actively. UFI is our global association, and its success depends to a large degree on the ways in which we support it. Take research as an example: UFI’s “Global Barometer” study has become a gold standard of global research for the industry, providing a global perspective of exhibitions and trade fairs. I have encouraged the UFI team to expand on their research efforts as a part of UFI’s evolving strategy to deliver additional research.

One of the core issues on all of our minds, as we prepare our businesses for the future, is the search for the right future leaders. Therefore I am very happy that in recent weeks UFI has launched the “Next Generation Leadership Grant”, an initiative to find and support bright minds in our industry. You will find more about this in the current edition of UFI Info – please pass this information on to the best and brightest talent in your company.

Last – but not least – it is in our common interest to promote the value of our industry to politicians, city councils, and so many other stakeholders. The “Global Exhibitions Day” campaign is becoming an impressive testament to the ability of UFI to bring together national associations, industry leaders, and other supporters, to share a single voice in promoting the power and the value of exhibitions. Bear in mind that we launched this idea only a few months back, and follow the buzz it is creating! I am very happy about this, and also very grateful to every one of you for doing something in your own companies on this special day, 8 June 2016.

So, as you see, being a member of UFI brings benefit to the industry, and the more active you are yourself as a member, the more benefit will it bring to your business.