UFI
Eventprofs ‘ bullish ’ despite global crises
New UFI regional director for North America , Martha Donato , says the US is the fastestgrowing market in the world for exhibitions
he events industry
T is “ bullish and optimistic ” despite geopolitical challenges sweeping the globe , according to a new UFI leader .
Martha Donato , UFI regional director for North America , points to the upcoming “ volatile ” US election as an example before claiming “ the show will go on ”. She was speaking to ExpoPlatform after taking on the position for the recently established chapter of the global association of the exhibition industry .
Donato , who is also president of MAD Event Management , said : “ Geopolitics is being discussed in industry boardrooms – we know that from countless conversations and also from our research .
“ At the same time , we are on track to see the best year ever for our industry – and the US is poised to be the fastest-growing market among the three world-leading markets of US , China and Germany .
“ So , for now we are bullish and optimistic . If we know something from the past , it is that the exhibitions industry faces challenges head-on , always adapting to change and moving forward .
“ In the US , we have a volatile election in 2024 that may create friction between some groups , but the show will go on .”
Donato has extensive experience
Above : Martha Donato , UFI regional director for North America
of over 25 years in the trade show , exhibition and conference sectors in North America and the launch of UFI ’ s North America chapter marked a significant milestone for the organisation , emphasising its dedication to the region and its growing membership .
A total of 7 % of all UFI members are already from North America , which was partly while the new chapter was set up , to give the same representation as peers from the rest of the world .
Donato said : “ It signifies that the membership in North America is keen to be a fully participating group with their colleagues internationally . The opportunity to collaborate with our peers is a critical success factor .”
The exhibitions industry in North America has many large for-profit show organisers directly connected to businesses elsewhere . This year ’ s Global CEO Summit in Amsterdam also saw many chief executives from the region gather with colleagues from other parts of the globe .
Donato noted many of the challenges facing the industry are commonplace wherever a business is placed – but specific problems do exist .
She said : “ On many industry challenges , our region is aligned with others , but our latest research also shows the differences .
“ In the US , for example , we are much less worried about the state of our home economy , compared to our global peers , and competition within our industry is also ranked clearly below the global average .
“ At the same time , we are more concerned about internal management challenges here compared to the world – and a lot of that has to do with staffing challenges .”
Meanwhile , UFI ’ s latest Barometer research shows more than 50 % of all businesses in the exhibition industry across North America use generative AI in sales , marketing and customer relations .
Donato highlighted how this is “ way ahead of the global average ” and predicts further uptake in future .
She added : “ The growth of digital tools in the region is inevitable as AI continues to grow .
“ UFI has said that it ’ s one of our five trends to watch in 2024 – and we will follow up and identify and share good practices and learnings .
“ Tools can allow organisers and suppliers to do more on an automated basis , giving back precious time for other high-level work .” EW
● Interview republished with kind permission of ExpoPlatform
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 2 2024 27