2018 is off to a busy and interesting start, that is for sure – also due to, but not just because of, the Informa/UBM developments. If you want to follow up on this matter, online is the faster medium. The team from Exhibition World are following the story on their website, and I encourage you to also visit UFI’s completely rebuilt blog at blog.ufi.org for opinions and updates, not just on this story.
Regardless of how the Informa bid for UBM will play out, it is another strong sign of the transformation that is taking place in our industry. In my last column here, I was referring to the (seemingly) stable core of our business as one of the main topics for the months ahead, and discussed the huge interest we are seeing from investors. There is optimism into the future of our business model, and there is a willingness to fund and shape its development in the years to come.
We were recently discussing these transformations and changes at UFI’s Global CEO Summit in Cannes. As our industry’s annual global curtain raiser summit with participants from 30+ countries, it provided a great opportunity to exchange opinions and insights – from strategy to cultures, from business model evolutions to investment priorities. The common thread: Transformation is taking place – beyond digitisation and into new, wider business models. Investments into digital are showing first returns – mainly creating new efficiencies. As one CEO put it: “This is a long game, as you have to get the technology right, and convince your customers to share their data. But as you put the pieces together, the whole quickly becomes greater than the sum of its parts.”
And we can expect to see the results of these changes in the balance sheets in the coming years – our latest research data shows this clearly: In the 20th UFI Global Exhibition Barometer (released when this magazine goes to print), we have put a focus on revenues from new business models. Within the next five years, every third company in our industry expects to generate between five and ten per cent of its revenue to come from new business models. 30 per cent of companies expect an even higher share of 10 - 25 per cent, and 11 per cent of companies believe that over a quarter of their revenues will be from new, and different, activities.
The Global Exhibition Barometer also confirms the optimism that economist Roger Martin Fagg shared at the CEO Summit: Globally, we are still looking at very healthy growth for the exhibition industry in 2018. If you want to know how your market is doing – the barometer by now covers 14 specific markets, as we introduce profiles for Australia, Indonesia, and Macau for the first time. Thank you to all 290 participating companies, especially to our new partners on this project: The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA), Indonesia Exhibition Companies Association (IECA), and Macau Fair Trade Association (MFTA)!
I wish all of you a successful year.
UFI Blog update
UFI announced, on 23 January 2018, the launch of its revamped industry-focused blog, entitled “UFI Blog”.
This newly redesigned blog offers quick and easy access to articles on trending topics and features, and direct access to an online community of industry peers. It has been designed and implemented based on feedback from industry professionals and blog creation experts.
“From its beginning, the UFI blog has always been appreciated for providing a platform for exchange among industry peers and we continue to stimulate the exchange among experts. Over the years, the ways that readers use blogs have changed as digital solutions have evolved alongside online communities. This evolution created not only a possibility, but also a necessity, for us to revamp the blog,” says Angela Herberholz, UFI’s marketing and communications manager.
The blog is built from the ground-up with the needs of the global exhibition industry in mind. Clean and uncluttered in its design, the new blog offers improved functionality and rich, enhanced content.
New starter
In other news, UFI recently opened a regional office in Latin America.
Based in Bogota, Colombia, the new office will serve the growing number of UFI members across Latin America, and will be the base for collaborations with national and regional industry associations like AFIDA, AMPROFEC, AOCA, and UBRAFE.
The position of the UFI regional manager for Latin America will be filled by Ana Maria Arango.
“UFI is the global association for our exhibition industry. I am very pleased that we are now in a position to also have a permanent presence in Latin America,” said Corrado Peraboni, UFI president.
He added, “This is a fascinating region with a lot of potential for growth in exhibitions and events, and as UFI we look forward to connecting the regional players with the global UFI community to facilitate further growth.”
The permanent Office and Representative based in the region will strengthen UFI’s commitments to the region, and further the reach of the association which works through its Latin American Chapter.
“Ana Maria has extensive experience and knowledge of the exhibition industry in the region, having previously worked as executive director of AFIDA (Asociación Internacional de Ferias de América) and Corferias, Bogota. She will be based at the new UFI Latin American Regional Office in Corferias, an UFI member since 1956 and host of the UFI Global Congress in 1975 and 2014,” said Kai Hattendorf, UFI’s managing director.
Since it was established in 2014 at the UFI Global Congress in Bogota, under the leadership of then UFI president Andrés López Valderrama, UFI’s Latin America Chapter has grown from 17 to more than 40 members.
