Over 100 industry professionals from across the Latin America region met face to face in Buenos Aires for the 2022 UFI LATAM Conference, 11-12 May. The exhibition industry community from across the continent seized the opportunity to meet in person to reconnect over two days in Argentina.
Organised by Ana Maria Arango, UFI regional director for Latin America, this year’s event offered participants a blend of keynote sessions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities. The event was hosted by the Argentine exhibition and events industry association (AOCA) at Centro de Convenciones de Buenos Aires (CEC) and was part of the larger Buenos Aires’ MICE Week.
President of AOCA, Fernando Gorbarán kicked off proceedings and invited visitors and exhibitors to discuss the local post pandemic status of the industry. “We were delighted to welcome the UFI community to Buenos Aires, to meet in person once again after such a long time apart. For us it was an extra special occasion as we were also organising Meet Up, an event that really unites the MICE industry in Argentina and really proved the recovery of the industry in our country. We hope that our guests enjoyed our hospitality and got the change to visit our city while sharing best practices and making new business connections at the conference,” Gorbarán said.
The talent session was one of the most notable, delivered by industry professionals Andrés Escandón (ICCA), Javier Contreras (GL Events, Chile) and Rico Azeredo (Sao Paulo Wine Expo).
UFI CEO Kai Hattendorf was on hand to discuss advocacy and the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative, and offered the latest insights from UFI’s industry research.
In addition, major venue leaders from Mexico and Colombia discussed organisational strategies in economic recovery. Other notable topics included data, hybrid events, crisis management and leadership.
Ana-Maria Arango said: “I am very pleased to witness the amazing recovery of the Latin American exhibition industry in the testimonies of the delegates attending our event. Industry leaders showed their excitement about meeting face to face, creating new connections and sharing best practices. Delegates were visibly happy and are already looking forward for the next edition. Thanks to all those that came to Buenos Aires and a special thanks to our amazing host AOCA for making us feel at home.”
This year marked the second time UFI had organised a physical event in the region, following on from the UFI LATAM Conference 2018 in Mexico City, where 125 industry professionals gathered. The 2020 iteration of the conference, originally planned for Buenos Aires, was postponed due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, while the 2021 event was held in a digital format.
