UFI Conference in Birmingham

13.05.2019

From 15 to 17 May, Europe's trade fair experts will meet in the UK’s second-largest metropolis. The focus will be on the organisers and how to handle changing framework conditions.

The theme of the UFI European Conference is “Challenging Business Models - the Future for Exhibition Organisers”. Against the background of various shifting parameters, this is an issue that has a big impact on organisers. In many conversations with members and industry players the UFI team was able to identify and isolate various core themes. These trends are subject to intensive debate and will also be discussed in Birmingham. Trade patterns worldwide are shifting and the global economy is jittery. The latest IMF forecasts point to rougher times ahead: The US/China tariffs alone are expected to reduce global economic growth by 0.4 per cent in the long run.
 
And growth has become difficult to sustain, especially in the mature exhibition markets such as the USA. “It comes as no surprise that growing numbers of US organisers are looking into doing business outside of their home country,” observes UFI Managing Director Kai Hattendorf. In addition, he tells us that a Chinese organiser took a majority share in a trade show outside of China for the first time last year.  If this development continues, it will offer new opportunities for partnerships between organisers from different markets. At the UFI conference in Birmingham two experts from the USA will be talking about how US players are reaching out. Publisher and editor Gabrielle Weiss will be speaking with Mary Larkin, Executive Vice President of Diversified Communications.
 
At an event about organisers' business models, digitisation is, of course, an essential topic. “Today, digital is simply everywhere,” says Kai Hattendorf. “Digital has become as common as electricity.” And data handling and data security will be big topics in the future. He claims that shows and organisers around the world increasingly communicate digitally with their customers and communities all year round. “Data operations will be as relevant as show floor operations,” predicts Hattendorf. At the UFI event in Birmingham, two British experts will address the issue of digital innovation in the event sector: Katie Crocombe and Adam Parry.
 
As for event concepts, “festivalisation” has been the buzzword in recent years. In the past, trade fairs were mainly product shows, but the millennial and post-millennial generations expect them to be more than this. “We are well advised to listen closely to our customers,” points out Kai Hattendorf. “They call for very personal and individual experiences when they attend an exhibition.” The overlap between trade shows and conferences/congresses will also continue to grow, and organisers must pay attention to these demands. Plus: According to a UFI/Explori poll of over 13,000 visitors, there is a growing sense of trade show fatigue, especially in mature markets. In Birmingham, exhibition strategy consultant Denzil Rankine will show how organisers can move to Exhibition 2.0 (www.ufi.org).


Photo: NEC