1-What made you fall in love with this industry? Could you elaborate on some standout highlights or significant milestones you’ve reached over the years?
I joined the Exhibition Industry by chance, and I loved it right away.
I worked on different types of trade shows (B2B, B2C exhibitions) for various types of companies (Family businesses, International SMEs, and larger groups) within an international environment. I had many responsibilities quite young. My different jobs were very diverse, providing a super enriching experience (still the case at UFI!)
What I like the most about our business is that we are a people business!
2-As the Chief Operating Officer at UFI, can you share with our readers a brief overview of UFI’s mission and its role within the global exhibition industry?
UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, 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 directly represents around 50,000 exhibition industry employees globally and also works closely with its 71 national and regional association members. 865 member organisations in 87 countries and regions around the world are presently signed up as members. UFI has five regional offices around the world to be close to members and better serve each of the market/region (Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, North America and Central & South America)
UFI’s four main pillars are Events, Education, Research and Advocacy. Each of those activities is developed to serve our members and the Exhibition Industry as a whole.
More than 900 UFI-approved (International) events proudly bear the UFI-approved label, a quality guarantee for visitors and exhibitors alike.
3-With UFI’s extensive global network, how does the association facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange among industry professionals?
UFI DNA is to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange. Here are some examples of the programmes we develop:
- Events: Seven events per year, both global and regional
- Education: UFI Certified Professional programme to train exhibition staff (Organisers and venues) and the Next Generation Leadership Grant programme, which is a prestigious talent accelerator programme
- Research: UFI provides a lot of resources for the industry. The masterpiece being the Global Barometer, published twice a year. It gives the state of the industry worldwide.
- Advocacy: Global Exhibitions Day (GED), UFI’s new Advocacy portal on our website.
4-What are some of the key challenges currently facing the exhibition industry, and how is UFI working to address them?
It took our face-to-face industry only two years to essentially recover from the most serious pandemic in more than a century. In addition, the industry has managed to deal with global inflationary pressures not seen in a generation. On top of that, we have faced new wars and growing geopolitical tensions. Despite all of those challenges, our industry has recovered and returned to growth mode. As investor fantasies around the metaverse and virtual events imploded, there is no lack of investors willing to put their money into our industry and our core business model.
All of this is quite remarkable. It speaks to the power of our industry and our business model. We build and operate marketplaces and meeting places where people come together in person. The value of that simple model has been proven once again.
So – are we all good to go for 2024? As every year, the UFI team has been listening to and talking with our members and industry leaders from all around the world to get their views on what lies ahead next year. Here, in five concise themes, is our view on what will shape the next 12 to 18 months.
- Focus, focus, focus on the changing customers
All our conversations and surveys show that our industry is focusing ever more on the specific needs of our customers. As much as this should be a given for every business, it is here that we see expectations and demands evolving ever faster. This includes everything from real-time data from the show floor to DEI policies, from carbon budgets to matchmaking, from pricing structures to year-round activations. In 2024, we will see a lot of learning and adapting, with many of the new, young talented people who join our industry putting their skills from other industries to work in our changing industry.
- Climate crisis regulations
- AI is here, and it is a gamechanger
- Reinforcing our identity
- Industry consolidation AND new players
https://blog.ufi.org/2023/12/05/5-trends-to-watch-in-2024/
5-UFI places a strong emphasis on industry research and insights. Could you highlight some recent findings or trends that are shaping the future of exhibitions?
The last UFI Global Barometer results highlight that in most markets around the world, the exhibition industry fully recovered from the pandemic slump in 2023, with revenues reaching a comparable level to 2019, on average. The outlook for 2024 is very positive, with revenues expected to grow by an average of 15%, setting the industry up to record the highest-ever revenue levels in 2024. Globally, 52% of companies declare that they plan to increase their workforce in the coming six months, and 45% declare that they will keep current staff numbers stable.
6-Sustainability has become a major focus across industries. How is UFI leading efforts to promote sustainability within the exhibition sector?
UFI represents and serves an industry built on connecting markets and fostering trade for the greater good – an industry built on sustainable development principles. As such, UFI is committed to driving and supporting sustainable development among our global membership and the exhibition industry at large.
In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, UFI has integrated sustainable development initiatives in all of our activities – from events to education, to research and advocacy. Our commitment to providing tangible solutions for sustainable development makes UFI a trusted and viable partner for governments, markets and non-profits.
UFI is also actively supporting the Net Zero Carbon initiative host by The Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC). This initiative aims to connect the events industry globally to the rapidly growing movement towards net zero by 2050. For example, this year’s Global Exhibitions Day (GED) theme is “Exhibitions are catalysts to sustainable futures.”
7-UFI hosts several flagship events and initiatives throughout the year. Could you tell us about some upcoming events or projects that our readers should be excited about?
- Global Exhibitions Day, 5 June 2024
- UFI European Conference, 11-13 June 2024, Zurich, Switzerland.
- UFI Americas Conference, 10-12 September 2024, Monterrey, Mexico.
- Asia CEO Summit, 25-26 September 2024, Singapore (With AEO, SACEOS and SISO)
- UFI Global Congress, 20-23 November 2024, Cologne, Germany.
- UFI Global CEO Summit, 5-7 February 2025, Milan, Italy
What is your leadership style? What according to you are your strong points?
I have good analytical skills and imagination; I am very attentive to the environment and the team. I have excellent listening skills combined with kindness and natural authority. I am someone you can count on, someone reliable. I get things done. I like helping teammates develop know-how and know how to be part of a team. I am a practical, pragmatic, humane, and unifying woman who promotes collaborative management in multicultural environments.
On another note, what do you enjoy the most about your work?
I enjoy working for and with the global ecosystem, especially internationally, with members from more than 85 countries.
I am also very lucky to be part of a great team at UFI. Our team includes people from more than 12 different nationalities and backgrounds. Our team is our strength at UFI!
Please share your hobbies, what keeps you busy when you are away from work?
I love cooking, good wine, meeting friends and hiking in the middle of nature.
As the future of exhibitions and trade shows is perceived to be bright and full of possibilities, what is your inspiring message for the industry stakeholders?
Be curious, test and learn, and get inspired by other ecosystems.
