UFI Column
Putting value and experience front and centre
Chris Skeith, OBE, CEO and managing director of global association of the exhibition industry, UFI, looks ahead to a busy year of continued advocacy, research, representation and delivering services to members
EW: Another hugely busy end to 2025, with the UFI Congress a highlight in Hong Kong. What were your key takeaways from that as you set out on the 2026 journey? The year, for me personally, was a big one settling into the UFI role – we made good progress on my strategic objectives to evaluate our products, services, and events, and to empower the team and members to really engage with the membership.
The results speak for themselves: sold-out events, active working groups, new rich research, and great feedback from members at other events and meetings throughout the year.
UFI held impactful delegation visits to Türkiye and Japan, organised events in every region, produced cutting-edge research alongside longstanding industry benchmarks, and represented the industry at various events, meetings, and conferences, as well as in many national and international initiatives.
EW: How do you feel the weighting of issues and the kaleidoscope of debate and around trends is changing for 2026? The debate isn’ t really about new trends; it’ s about what matters most. Value and experience are front and centre, especially with rising costs and pressure on ROI. AI and data are part of that shift, but mainly as tools. They help us understand audiences better and deliver more relevant, meaningful experiences.
What hasn’ t changed is the importance of listening to customers. Human connection is still our biggest strength, and face to face experiences create trust in a way nothing else can. Going into 2026, the focus is on using technology and data to support that, not replace it.
EW: How do you feel we, as an industry are serving our young professionals and improving pathways for young talent to choose a career in exhibitions and events? What is UFI doing in this regard? Revamp of UFI learning, looking at learning through experience, sharing knowledge, and creating support platforms, so UFI is doing a lot, alongside other educational aspects, changing formats, and marking our 10th year of NGL( new generation leaders).
EW: The year has already started with some fresh acquisitions in the sector. Is that a sign of boldness in the market and do you expect more? Exhibition businesses are great businesses. They have a long legacy of delivering value to their customers, founders, funders, and owners – and this will continue. Good businesses will continue to develop in tune with their customers’ needs. If going for funding, partnering, or selling with a complementary business is the
Above: Chris Skeith way to go, then yes, we will see more bold moves. But these moves will continue to be strategic. It’ s not about growth for growth’ s sake; it’ s about getting deeper into sectors across geographies and being market leaders. Markets will define whether there are consolidations, but they are likely to be complementary.
EW: Tell us about the events calendar UFI has planned for 2026 and any key initiatives you are highlighting. UFI has a stellar events calendar planned for 2026, bringing our global community together across key regions. The year started with the UFI Global CEO Summit in Vienna in January, followed by the Asia-Pacific Conference in Bangkok in March and the European Conference in İzmir in June, before concluding with the 93rd UFI Global Congress in Bahrain in November. Across the year, our key initiatives focus on engagement and efficiencies – stretching content and value, and strengthening integration across our platforms and communities. EW www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 1 2026 9