he 44th UFI Connects online session , 24 March , centred on Europe ’ s reopening and , in particular , a focus on Spain and Holland . Expert guests Maria Valcarce , director of IFEMA ’ s FITUR travel and tourism show in Madrid ( 19 May ), Riemer Rijpkema , director of Dutch live events association CLC-VECTA and Pieter Lubberts , CEO Backbone International ( both from the Netherlands ) shared their experiences of bringing back some groundbreaking in-person events .

UFI ’ s Nick Dugdale-Moore curated the session , first reminding participants of some big UFI conference dates for the diary : 26 May in Dubai for the MEA Conference ; the UFI European Conference 9-10 June ( now digital only ) and the 88th UFI Congress , 3-6 November in Rotterdam .

Maria Valcarce opened the session with a message of resilience from Spain for the industry , appropriately in a week that IFEMA ’ s Hospitality Innovation Planet ( HIP ) tradeshow took place safely and successfully in Madrid ( 22-24 March ).

“ We are in a not bad situation and have overcome the third coronavirus wave ,” Valcarce said . “ The HIP event brought a breath of fresh air to Madrid and to our industry . We have applied very strict Covid control protocols . We will also celebrate our fashion week show in April , another exhibition about contemporary art and then FITUR in May .”

Valcarce stressed the importance and benefits of IFEMAs ’ s ongoing close relationship with the Spanish public administration authorities , particularly given the broad portfolio of IFEMA ’ s events across a range of industries . “ Everyone recognises that IFEMA ’ s activities are very

relevant for the generation of wealth , employment and the economy ,” she said , noting that FITUR has its organising committee chaired by the chairman of Iberia , and ministers , representatives of IATA and the WTO also take part in its work .

“ Tourism here ,” Valcarce stressed , “ is a question of state .” It is certainly an industry responsible for more than 12 % of both GDP and employment , and FITUR , celebrating its 40th anniversary , is a platform that represents the strength of this industry . Valcarce added she was confident in the health measures and protocols in place for running a safe and successful FITUR show .

Marta Gomes from Viparis asked how long it had been before the HIP exhibition that IFEMA had received the final green light from the authorities to go ahead .

Valcarce replied that exhibitions were not prohibited in Spain provided organisers showed the authorities a contingency plan for approval . “ Final confirmation from the regional government came a month before the show ,” she said .

She added that the 2021 show will have around 65 % of the net floor space of the 2020 FITUR show and that domestic participation was stronger than international . This year 50 countries should be represented , Calcarce thought , and compared it to

Below : Fieldlab bubbling with solutions in Holland

the 150 present in an average year .

In Holland Riemer Rijpkema said the only way to fight the pandemic was to work together , something that the Dutch industry associations had been doing , despite being not well organised initially . The big challenge , he said , had been to convince the Dutch authorities about the relevance of and the economic consequences , continuity , employment perspectives and financial support and measures needed to reopen the industry . “ It took a lot of energy but we were rewarded with several live and digital sessions with ministers .” The initiative involved the entire events sector , Rijpkeme added , and involved the government ministries and scientific community joining the team for the Fieldlab pilot programme .

Pieter Lubberts , who managed the Fieldlab events , shared a presentation on the project ’ s genesis and development , which illustrated how this event industry collaboration with the authorities and scientific community was designed .

The aim , he said , was to influence the visitor along the whole customer journey and to limit the spread of Covid-19 at events .

The project included Covid testing , temperature readings and bubbles / cohorts for event attendee . Testing was done beforehand in a central place rather than on site .

The large amounts of data collected and learnings enabled the group to assess the real risks of infection .

The eight pilot events included a corporate convention , a theatre show , a football match , a dance event and a music festival .

Lubberts showed some of the test results and said the aim was to share the wider study and work towards a European standardisation and agree a common roadmap .