It is time to thank - you. Each and every one of you. For reading these short texts regularly over the years. Since 2015, I have penned around 100 of these CEO updates, reporting on UFI activities and developments as well as sharing some thoughts around issues that impact our industry and ourselves.
Brands trigger emotions. We are used to the way something looks, and we value familiarity. At the same time, the world continues to change, and brands need to change with them. It is a case of “running to stand still” if you don’t want to be left behind.
UFI’s previous logo and brand identity were introduced early into this century when UFI underwent a major repositioning. Back then, the brand’s redesign was all about supporting UFI’s growing global reach and role.
In my decade at UFI, I struggle to remember another month that has been as packed with UFI activities around the world as this past September. Within a few weeks, we had the regular late summer leadership meeting in Paris. We ran a successful pilot for a new education programme for colleagues who are new in our industry, the “UFI Exhibition Essentials”, in Riyadh, working with Tahaluf.
August saw two special delegation activities for UFI members: We had the opportunity to take a group behind the scenes at the “Deutsches Haus” at the Paris Olympics, thanks to our colleagues from Messe Düsseldorf. The Games really managed to transform Paris into an even more special place, and quite a few UFI members were involved in that – Viparis, GL Events and others.
What a week we had in Zurich in June – welcoming 300 members and colleagues from more than 40 countries and regions for the many kinds of meetings, including the European Conference. It was surely memorable for all of us who were there (thanks in large part to our hosts, Messe Zürich) – and as the data from our social media analytics show, the events generated an extremely good number of posts and pictures shared online.
In recent weeks, at various industry events, I have had many conversations with UFI members from around the world and colleagues from other event industry segments. In many cases, we ended up discussing expectations towards UFI and other industry associations. Specifically around the question of what members - be they businesses or individuals - expect to receive in return for their membership fees. What is the “deal,” what are the expectations, and how can associations deliver against these?
April saw a breakthrough in the ongoing advocacy work for our sector. In Brussels, we could hold a one-day “EU Dialogue” event between the events industry and European policymakers. Backed by Belgium, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, this was an official event within their Presidency. Praised by everyone in attendance, I hope this event will only be the starting point for more of this coordinated dialogue with European leaders.
Four years ago, in March and April, Europe went into lockdown as COVID shut down public life – and our industry. In the past few days, I have been following a number of media reports and expert reviews on what we all have learned from the pandemic: how countries and societies managed to get through the waves of infections, how industries dealt with it and recovered, what we have learned from it, and what changes it has brought.
A few days ago, I could catch up with Amy Saleh, Operations Director at Hannover Fairs Australia. We were both attending the AIME show in Melbourne and chatted for half an hour about the state of the industry in Australia. Now, Amy has been a member of our 2023 Class of “Next Generation Leaders” and together with her colleagues Otero from the UK, Elizabeth from the US, Tehchad from Thailand, and Aya from Egypt, have presented their ideas for a new blueprint for exhibition operations a few months back at our Global Congress in Las Vegas.
