UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry announced today, 5 July, that the 2020 UFI Global Congress will be held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, and will be hosted by the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC).
The UFI board of directors made the decision to take the UFI Global Congress to Muscat, Oman, during their meeting on 2 May in Verona.
UFI president, Corrado Peraboni, said: “We are delighted to be returning to the Middle East – the last congress that took place there was in Abu Dhabi in 2012 (hosted by ADNEC).”
Peraboni added: “This region is of great importance to UFI, and this is the message we wish to communicate”.
Ideally situated on the Arabian Peninsula and only seven hours away from half of the world’s population, Oman is a diverse nation – rich in both history and culture.
UFI CEO/MD, Kai Hattendorf, had the pleasure of welcoming (pictured top) the chairman of OCEC, H.E. Mohsin Al Balushi, to the UFI Headquarters in Paris, to officialise the arrangements by the signing of a hosting agreement.
H.E. Al Balushi said: “It was an honour to have been selected to host the 2020 UFI Global Congress and bringing such prestigious delegates to Oman would showcase the wonderful exhibition facilities and services that the country had to offer and reflected the growing confidence in the local market place.
“I am sure that the delegates will have a memorable experience in this land of enormous diversity and natural beauty. Our new convention and exhibition centre is the ideal venue for facilitating the exchange of ideas amongst the UFI members, ” Al Balushi added.
Trevor McCartney, GM of OCEC and UFI board member commented: “We are delighted to have been chosen to host the 2020 UFI Global Congress and Team Oman will ensure that each guest will receive a very special welcome in this destination renowned for traditional Omani hospitality”.
The UFI Global Congress is organised in November of each year and brings together more than 500 industry professionals from more than 50 countries. It has previously been hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa (2017), Shanghai, China (2016) and Milan, Italy (2015).
This year, it will be hosted in St. Petersburg, Russia, followed by Bangkok, Thailand in 2019.
Pictured: 1 - Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre; 2 - His Excellency Mohsin Al Balushi, chairman of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre with Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO/MD, signing the 87th UFI Global Congress hosting agreement.
