– Around 270 Asian exhibition industry leaders debate the future of the exhibition industry
– Rapid rise of technology-driven solutions triggers a robust discussion at UFI reginal seminar in Asia
Around 270 delegates from 21 countries and territories gathered in Chiang Mai this week to discuss and debate the future of the exhibition industry. Technology, and the internet in particular, has long been a potential opportunity as well as a source of concern to business event organisers. At this year’s UFI Open Seminar in Asia, industry leaders shared their views on the future of the exhibition industry as more and more event-related online platforms and mobile apps come to market.
The 11th edition of the seminar was held in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai and was hosted by UFI Diamond Sponsor, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The event featured two days of networking and learning as well as a Sustainable Development Focus Meeting, a CEO Golf Tournament, committee meetings, city tours and much more.
Kai Hattendorf, UFI’s Managing Director, stated: “More than a third of UFI’s membership is now based in Asia, so it’s not surprising that the UFI Open Seminar in Asia has become our second largest event after the global Congress. This seminar has grown into an essential platform for the Asian exhibition industry to meet and discuss the issues and challenges facing our industry in the region. Given the rapid rise of technology-driven solutions, this year’s seminar was a particularly robust discussion about the forces shaping the future of our industry.”
Supawan Teerarat, Vice President at TCEB commented: “TCEB has a long-running and valued relationship with UFI, so we were honoured to host the 11th UFI Open Seminar in Asia. The exhibition industry in Thailand continues to goes from strength to strength and so we were delighted to have the opportunity to showcase Thailand’s world-class venues and service capabilities to our colleagues from around the region.”
As always, the seminar featured an engaging line-up of industry leaders. ITE Group’s Digital Director Baris Onay opened the seminar with his take on the convergence of digital tools and face-to-face events. Mao Daben and Gu Xuebin discussed the latest innovations in China, Asia’s largest exhibition market. Koelnmesse’s Christian Glasmacher moderated a panel that explored mobile marketing trends at events. Other speakers included SISO’s David Audrain, jwc’s Gerd Weber, Tracy Short of SMG Malaysia, and many others.
The programme also included a sold-out Sustainable Development Focus Meeting, the second edition of the UFI CEO golf tournament, a members’ meeting of UFI’s Asia Pacific Chapter as well as an UFI Associations Committee Meeting.
In addition to TCEB, our host and Diamond Sponsor, other key supporters of this Open Seminar in Asia were Diamond Sponsors: Global Experience Specialists (GES) and Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE). The seminar’s Silver Sponsor was the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).
Full details of the 2016 UFI Open Seminar in Asia can be found on the event website: http://www.ufi.org/chiangmai2016
About UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry
UFI is the leading global association of the world’s tradeshow organisers and exhibition centre operators, as well as the major national and international exhibition associations, and selected partners of the exhibition industry. UFI’s main goal is to represent, promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. UFI represents over 688 member organisations in 83 countries around the world.
Over 900 international trade fairs proudly bear the UFI approved label, a quality guarantee for visitors and exhibitors alike. UFI members continue to provide the international business community with a unique marketing media aimed at developing outstanding face-to-face business opportunities.
For more information please contact:
UFI Headquarters
Angela Herberholz, UFI Marketing and Communications Manager
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +33 (0) 46 39 75 00
www.ufi.org
