The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, UFI has confirmed the dates for their European Conference in Poznań, Poland, 4-6 May, in conjunction with the host organisation Grupa MTP releasing the following statement through Tomasz Kobierski its CEO:
“I want to confirm to you all that we are still looking forward to host the UFI European Conference as planned, 4-6 May.
"We are very proud to use our facilities here in Poznan to support refugees and the humanitarian effort, and humbled to see so much being done by our colleagues not only in Poland but right across Europe. But I want to reassure you that we are very far from the border here; we believe now more than ever is time for us to come together, and we look forward to welcoming you in Poznan in May.”
This statement comes after growing concerns over the conference’s proximity to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The event will be held at Poznań Congress Centre, which is a key venue for hosts Grupa MTP – which is also celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2022. Open to both UFI members and non-members, the conference is a key industry event for the region.
The Poznań gathering aims to be a welcome return to in-person meeting following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. The conference will build on last November’s UFI Global Congress, in Rotterdam, Holland.
Led by Nick Dugdale-Moore, UFI regional director for Europe, this year’s event will offer participants a blend of keynote sessions, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and, of course, some UFI magic!
The programme, which will feature speakers and leaders from inside and outside the industry, will be moderated by event MC and speaker DanRam. As well as hosting the world’s biggest tech conferences, he’s had the honour of welcoming many distinguished guests to his stage, including President Barack Obama.
“I’m excited to be organising our first live European Conference since 2019, in Birmingham,” says Dugdale-Moore. “The reactions and emotions of our members when meeting in Rotterdam last November spoke for themselves, and proved how important it is for us to connect face to face. And it’s certainly something we’ve all missed! This year’s event will welcome top speakers, the world’s best MC in DanRam, new formats such as interactive workshops, and structured networking. And, of course, we will be celebrating the 100-year anniversary of our hosts Grupa MTP, who are keen to provide an unforgettable experience. There are lots of surprises in store, so we encourage everyone to book their place now.”
Participants can benefit from early bird registration until 23 March 2022. To register and for regular updates, visit the link here.
The UFI European Conference typically takes place in May or June every year, attracting around 300 industry leaders from organisers, venues and service providers. In 2020 and 2021, due to Covid-19-related global travel restrictions, the European Conference was hosted digitally. The conference has been previously hosted in Birmingham (2019), Verona (2018), Cologne (2017), Basel (2016) and Istanbul (2015).
