Exhibition World Issue 4 — 2019 | Page 5

Welcome Feeling hot, hot, hot… I hope those of you in the Northern Hemisphere at least have been enjoying some good summer weather of late. I write these notes on what has been the hottest day in the UK for a few years – 38ºC. It is a riff that UFI’s CEO and MD Kai Hattendorf mentions in his column on p12, where he writes of experiencing temperatures of 48ºC in India as well as record temperatures at the AIPC Congress in Antwerp and in Paris near the UFI HQ. Indeed, as Kai writes, such unusual highs should prompt us all to think of what we can do to back the UN Sustainable Development Goals as an events industry. And I would encourage all event professionals to take part in this global conversation and in a survey being organised at www.positiveimpactevents.com. Make sure you make your mark by 1 September. At UFI and EW we have all known that exhibitions are ‘hot’ for some time, of course, but half year results from two of our giant groups – GL events and Informa (now incorporating UBM of course) – covered on p47 show how vibrant our sector can be, as well as it being a motive force for economic and social development. With GL events moving into China and new investments there bringing synergies to all parties, it is clear that the tradefair route to market is more than holding its own in an increasing virtual world. While there are many new hi-tech devices on the market, tools to increase our efficiency, we give space in our physical Exhibition World here to professional data analytics from AMR International - and showcase some real events alchemy. Denzil Rankine’s article drills down to find many golden nuggets of insight to educate us on the mechanics behind the moving tectonic plates of exhibition trends and influences. The emerging conclusion for organisers is that the key, in this day and age of overwhelming data, is not to start with the data itself but to let business questions drive the analysis. Then, hopefully, organisers can find out what data and tools are really required to deliver hotter results. Paul Colston Managing Editor Twitter: @ExhibitionWorld @paulcolston Publishing Director: Simon Farnfield; Managing Editor: Paul Colston; Global Account Director: Iain Stirling; Global Account Manager: Jon Howell; News Reporter: Stuart Wood; Graphic Designer: Kateryna Smirnova; Production Manager: Elizabeth Nixon. Contact us: Subscriptions:[phone], Editorial: [phone], Advertising: [phone], Production:[phone]. Exhibition World is published by Mash Media, Second floor, Applemarket House, 17 Union Street, Kingston Upon Thames, KT1 1RP, UK. Tel: [phone] fax: [phone], Email: [email protected] Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publishers. Printed by Pensord Press Ltd. w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk Issue 4 2019 5