MIDDLE EAST - The managing director of global exhibition industry association UFI, Paul Woodward, has highlighted the Middle East’s growing allure for international event organisers as the reason for it hosting UFI’s 79th Annual Congress.
The congress, which takes place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on 6-8 November, is the biggest date on UFI’s calendar and a rich source of information and education, as well as providing major networking opportunities.
“As we'll see from research to be presented at our Middle East Africa Chapter meeting,” said Woodward (pictured), “the UAE has established itself in recent years as the largest centre for international trade fairs in the Gulf region. Abu Dhabi is widely recognised as having world class exhibition facilities and is a long-standing supporter of UFI.
“We have been working a long time to organise the UFI Congress here and are obviously delighted with the response we've received from our members, with record registrations".
According to Woodward, who will chair a panel on sustainable growth at the congress, UFI members working around the world are among the strongest businesses in the industry.
“Our panel will talk about what companies are doing now to improve not just the environmental sustainability of the events they organise but also the contribution they can make more broadly to the markets in which they're working,” he said. “We'll also explore what individual companies might do in the future as well as what can be expected of the industry as a whole.
“They all recognise that with strength comes responsibility. Exactly how they give back to the communities they serve varies a great deal and they are different views on this in the industry.
Woodward’s panel session, “When can we consider growth to be sustainable?” takes place on Thursday 8 November at 10.15am.
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