As part of our centennial celebrations, we’re spotlighting the leaders, innovators, and visionaries who have shaped our association over the years. This month, we sat down with Paulo Octavio Almeida from Brazil. For him, UFI is more than just an institution—it’s a network of faces, partnerships, and shared goals that make the exhibition industry thrive.

How long has your organisation been a member of UFI, and what inspired you to join? 

UBRAFE has been involved with UFI for over 20 years, long before I joined as executive director in 2022, but as with all strong relations, they are related to connections and purpose instead of years and length. UBRAFE and the Brazilian market see UFI as a worldwide reference in our market.

What is your first UFI memory?

My first UFI memory was trying to guess what UFI means. As always, we first relate to English, and I could not find a meaning for it. “Union of Fairs International” did not seem right. After deepening my research, I understood the Italian place of birth (Milan) and French as the official language, which was in fashion in the early 20th century. Indeed, showing how global the events market is.

How has your involvement with UFI shaped your career or organisation’s success? 

Before I joined UBRAFE, the relationship with UFI was pretty much institutional. But after that, and being able to join both the Americas Conference and the Global Conference several times, I could see the “faces” behind the institutional relationship. And trade shows, being a people business, made all the sense to me. The “faces” behind emails and calls were, in fact, partners around the same objectives—highly skilled people willing to help and support.

What message would you like to wish to UFI as we celebrate 100 years together and look ahead to the next 100 years?

Events market is very fragmented in terms of voices and institutions, so I wish that UFI consolidates those voices into a powerful tool so we can demonstrate on a global scale the importance and relevance of the F2F business.

Thank you to Paulo for helping us honour the past, celebrate the present, and shape the future during our 100-year anniversary!