The launch of UFI’s new “Exhibition Essentials” education programme in Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia. Our first ever UFI Americas Conference in Monterrey, Mexico. The 3rd Asia CEO Summit in Singapore. The Sustainable Events Summit in New York City that UFI supports – I have to admit that, even as the UFI President, I have struggled on occasion to keep up with the stream of news and updates that the team has shared with me in the past weeks.
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.
Thailand’s food and beverage (F&B) industry is a critical part of its economy, driven by diverse stakeholders, including manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, policymakers, and consumers. The industry thrives on innovation, quality, and sustainability. For these stakeholders, exhibitions play a key role in supporting business growth, driving collaboration, and promoting industry-wide advancement.
Here we are – our next peak exhibition season is underway. I don’t know about you, but September looks more than just packed in my diary – including a trip to Paris this week for our regular September UFI Executive Committee meeting.
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.
The exhibition industry, particularly in advanced manufacturing, is experiencing significant growth, driven by a dynamic business ecosystem, robust infrastructure, and strategic positioning within Southeast Asia. This sector benefits from key initiatives focused on fostering innovation and technology, creating an ideal environment for specialized exhibitions.
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.
With June wrapping up, the first half of 2024 already lies behind us. On my way back from the European Conference a few days back, I scribbled down some notes, remembering some of the things I have experienced as your UFI President. The list got surprisingly long very fast – a testament to our association's intense work, always encouraging us to be a part of it.
The MICE Industry has played an important part in leading the economic impact of business travel. Namely, TCEB is continuously leading the MICE industry in Asia by embryonic development with Social Impact studies and calculation of Social Impact from the MICE industry - Social Impact may be interpreted as any changes people make with the intention to solve social challenges or deliberate attempts to effect positive change.
We are a few days out from our European Conference in Zurich. The content looks promising, and I personally am especially looking forward to meeting face to face with this year’s group of our Next Generation Leaders, having chaired the selection jury.
