UFI Comment
“When you’re
the CEO, the
challenges you
have to tackle are
the same – whether
you’re a woman
or a man, from
Europe, America
or Asia, and
regardless of the
colour of your skin”
As the overlap between tradeshows and
congresses/conferences continues to
grow, there are opportunities to deliver
that – and there is a risk for those who
don’t pay attention to these shifting
demands.
After polling more than 13,000 show
visitors globally for the UFI/Explori
Global Visitor Insights, we have a solid
understanding of visitors’ changing
expectations. Many are reporting ‘trade
show fatigue’ (less so in developing
markets than in developed markets, and
with the highest share – one quarter – in
the Americas). Visitors say that their
interest in other channels such as online
marketplaces and conferences will likely
rise significantly relative to trade shows.
Organisers and venues alike are
well advised to never forget to deliver
excellence in terms of the basics as
visitor pain points are surprisingly
simple. The top five are: seating, catering,
queueing, parking, and quality of the
exhibitors. Organisers can go a long way
to pleasing visitors by getting these five
factors right.
4. Consolidation and collaboration
We have seen an intense level of M&A
activity in the past two years - shaking up
our industry in the process. In addition,
more and better venue space around
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
the world is being built, as UFI’s World
Map of Venues shows. In 2019, we are
expecting the opening of what is poised
to be the world’s largest exhibition venue
complex in Shenzhen.
Billions of dollars are flowing into our
industry. And all the signs right now are
indicating that, despite the less positive
economic outlook, our industry remains
attractive for investors looking for solid,
mid-term returns of their investments.
The mix of players in the industry
remains varied: listed companies,
publicly owned organiser/venue
operator enterprises, family businesses,
entrepreneurs and government bodies.
The growing number of ‘out of the
industry investors’ is driving prices to
new heights, but it remains to be seen
whether all these bets on growth will be
successful. Our industry’s reputation,
however, is certainly benefitting from
this trend. It is helping our stakeholders
to better understand the economic
impact that every show, every venue
creates every day.
5. Diversity in leadership
If you look at the teams who deliver and
grow exhibitions around the world, and
who operate venues, you find a broad
diversity of skills, nationalities, and
qualifications. Slowly but surely, our
industry is reflecting this as well in its
leadership.
We’ve seen a steady flow of senior
appointments enriching the diversity
of boardrooms over the past two years,
adding new voices to the respective
tables – most notably women on the
one hand, but also hires from outside
of the industry. Both of these trends will
accelerate, and continue, in 2019 and
beyond, to the benefit of our industry.
To reduce this discussion to a gender
issue alone, however, leaves out a major
part – cultures and skills are just as
important a part of the mix. As someone
recently told me: “When you’re the CEO,
the challenges you have to tackle are the
same – whether you’re a woman or a
man, from Europe, America or Asia, and
regardless of the colour of your skin.”
Issue 1 2019
25