UFI preparing to welcome global exhibition industry to Las Vegas

07.09.2023

UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, announced today that registrations for its annual Global Congress are going strong, with participants from more than 50 countries and markets already confirmed to attend.

The 90th anniversary edition of the UFI Global Congress will take place in Las Vegas from 1-4 November. This year, the largest annual gathering of global exhibition industry professionals is being proudly hosted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and will feature the theme “Go beyond!” Throughout the curated content and networking events the Congress will explore ideas, innovations, and strategies emerging that are propelling the exhibition industry forward.

“This year’s theme of ‘Go beyond!’ is really well timed. As the exhibition industry is on track to go beyond our previous top revenues, we will also have to go beyond what we are doing in many ways in the coming years – on digitisation, on staffing and talent acquisition, on our responses to the climate challenge, and so on”, says Michael Duck, UFI president.

Around 40 speakers from around the globe have been announced to date, with more to follow. From CEO-led strategy sessions to the 2023 Next Generation Leaders showcase, including best practice deep dives and short, op-ed style interventions, the programming will build on the highly rated UFI conferences of recent months held around the world.

Given the strong interest from exhibition industry leaders to connect with the North American market, a special programme will take place on Friday afternoon, focusing on the state of the industry in the US and Canada, and connecting US industry players with their global peers.

Dedicated matchmaking to drive connections

In addition to world class content sessions, the UFI Global Congress serves as the global meeting of the industry’s leaders. “At every Congress, we connect leaders across geographies to create business opportunities for them. A focal point is always to give opportunities for the industry in the respective congress host country to take advantage of the global industry leadership coming to them”, says Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO.

To help drive these connections, UFI will run dedicated matchmaking sessions before the start of the main Congress programme as icebreaker sessions. These will especially focus on participants from North America, First Time Attendees, and other special groups.

No UFI Congress is complete without the legendary evening events and other social activities. These include the Welcome Reception on Wednesday, the Big Night Out on Thursday, and the Post Congress Excursions on Saturday. Add to that UFI Sports activities in the mornings, and several additional options to gather and explore, and participants will have a full range of possibilities to take in what Vegas has to offer together with their peers.

The UFI Global Congress will be held at the ARIA Resort & Casino, located on the world-famous Las Vegas Strip.

“We are honoured Las Vegas will serve as the inaugural U.S. host city to welcome the world’s premier trade show organizers for the UFI Global Congress. We look forward to celebrating UFI’s 90th anniversary event in Only Vegas style,” said Steve Hill, CEO/president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.