UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has named Grip as the winner of the UFI Digital Innovation Award 2020, for its project: ‘Taking ITB Berlin Virtual In 2 Days’.
The UFI Digital Innovation Award competition rewards the best exhibition industry initiatives related to digital innovation. For 2020, the UFI Digital Innovation Working Group selected three final entries by Grip, Superexpo and Swapcard. For the first time, the three finalists presented their solutions and implementation techniques to the audience during a UFI Connects session. Participants were asked to vote live and they selected Grip as the winning entry.
Grip is an AI-powered event matchmaking solution and first won the UFI Digital Innovation Award back in 2017. This accelerated the company’s credibility and enabled Grip to become a trusted partner for many leading organisers across the globe, including Reed Exhibitions, Informa, Messe Frankfurt, Hyve, Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Berlin and many others. A convincing story of powerful technology, close collaboration with event organisers, a firm focus on event success, and a clear vision for the future, convinced the audience to award Grip their second UFI Digital Innovation Award.
“It’s an absolute honour to have won the UFI Digital Innovation Award. 2020 has been an unprecedented year and, while it’s difficult to see many of our clients struggling, we are glad to be able to offer them a virtual experience that is of value not just in the short term but also in the long-term alongside in-person exhibitions. The innovation and competition coming from fellow finalists Swapcard and Superexpo as well as many other event technology suppliers is amazing and makes me confident that COVID-19 will be a catalyst for change resulting in the exhibition industry becoming stronger and more relevant in the years to come,” says Tim Groot, CEO and co-founder of Grip.
“This year was the first time that we have ever voted virtually for the winner of the UFI Digital Innovation Award, and we did so via UFI Connects. We had three finalists that truly demonstrated their visionary digital approach to leading our industry into the future. This is especially important as “digital” and “hybrid” now carry a lot of weight on the strategy agendas of industry players. I was very impressed with each presentation and recommend that everybody has a closer look at the services these three companies have to offer! Congratulations to Grip for winning the award for the second time. Grip has certainly made an extremely positive impression on our industry and the results of the vote reflect this in a nice way. Congratulations likewise to Superexpo and Swapcard for being chosen as one of the final three,” says Matthias Tesi Baur, Chair of the UFI Digital Innovation Working Group.
