Global association of the exhibition industry, UFI is to take its 2025 Asia Pacific (AP) Conference to Melbourne, Australia. The decision was announced at the 2024 UFI AP conference in Macau (7-8 March), an event which attracted close to 300 attendees from 22 countries. The 2025 event has been secured by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), with the support of the Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB).
UFI currently has 850 organisations in 87 countries and regions signed up as members, representing more than 50,000 exhibition industry professionals.
The 2025 UFI AP Conference will be held in Melbourne on 13-14 February, immediately following the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME). In addition, the Australian Business Events Association (ABEA), the country’s peak industry body, will be hosting a meeting at the MCEC in the same week.
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre chief executive Natalie O'Brien AM said: “Coordinating these three events to be held in the same week and in the same location is an incredible outcome achieved through outstanding collaboration and partnership. I thank the teams at UFI, MCB, AIME, and ABEA for their co-operation and commitment to making this happen.”
UFI CEO Kai Hattendorf said: “UFI’s Asia-Pacific Conference is our central annual event for the exhibition and business events industry from across Asia Pacific, and it attracts participants from the rest of the world as well.
“We are thrilled to be bringing this flagship event to Australia for the first time, and look forward to connecting the Australian expo professionals with their international peers in the thriving city of Melbourne.
“By bundling AIME, UFI, and ABEA activities within one week, we will create an international industry hot spot, and a not to be missed opportunity for everyone in the sector to come together to network, learn, and do business.”
Photo: MCEC's senior manager, event & venue operations Yolanda La Porta announcing MCEC as the host of the 2025 UFI Asia Pacific Conference.
