UFI Comment
The Age of
Collaboration
s I attended the annual Open
Seminar of our colleagues in
India a few weeks back, the
talks and discussions on stage
focused on the global economy, India’s
development, and how our industry is
progressing there. Off stage, however, an
ongoing heatwave captured the attention of
many, as the city experienced temperatures
of up to 48°C (around 120° Fahrenheit) – the
highest ever measured there, impacting
daily life as well as construction work
on venues in the region. I have since
encountered the same phenomenon
twice more (the hottest days on record
in France, and record temperatures at
the AIPC Congress in Antwerp). Extreme
weather conditions and climate change
are impacting the development of markets
and economies, and as every industry and
individual, we are challenged to react in a
constructive way.
For last month’s Global Exhibitions Day,
UFI launched a report on best practice
cases from our industry around the world,
showing how the leading players are
working to support the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs
for short). Many members have contacted
us since with their own projects, and we are
working on expanding it over the coming
months.
But, this issue – like many others – does
not only concern exhibitions, but the wider
business events and meeting community.
So, a similar project will take place within
the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC),
a global framework of associations in
the meetings industry. There, our UFI
framework for this project will be adapted
to also cover congress and conference
organisers, convention centre operators,
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Issue 4 2019
and others. As JMIC’s current honorary
president, I am happy to see many
associations moving in the same direction
here.
Beyond sustainability, there are many
other areas where we can achieve more
when we work together – or where we
need to work together to make a difference.
Therefore, we have talked a lot in
recent months with the leaderships of
two other global trade associations with
whom we have been working together
very well already on projects in recent
years: AIPC - The International Association
of Convention Centres, and ICCA - The
International Congress and Convention
Association.
For example, senior UFI representatives
are regular speakers and facilitators
at the main global events of these two
associations. Among other activities, UFI
and ICCA organised a joint workshop for 40
members from both associations two years
back, where we identified opportunities for
collaboration between congress managers
and organisers and exhibitions.
At a time where a vast array of
associations are offering services for every
corner of the meetings industry, UFI, ICCA,
Kai Hattendorf
UFI Managing Director
and AIPC have decided to work together
more closely for the benefit all of our
members – you! As our President Craig
Newman put it in the joint announcement:
There is a risk of, “competition replacing
collaboration as the driving force for
industry associations. With our Global
Alliance, the three of us choose value for
our members, choose collaboration over
competition.”
AIPC President (and UFI Board Member)
Aloysius Arlando says: “We are all
organisations with a global membership
and perspective and already complement
each other’s activities in various ways.
However, as the business models of
exhibitions, congresses, conferences, and
other types of business meetings evolve, the
overlap of global associations servicing the
industry is growing even further.”
Over the coming months, we will work to
put projects and programmes in place that
allow UFI members to benefit from AIPC
and ICCA offers and vice versa. Think of it
as a kind of little Star Alliance network for
the business meetings industry globally.
UFI’s global reach and success are
built on trust and collaboration, also
with industry associations. More than 50
exhibition industry associations are UFI
members, and they are organised in a
special committee, whose leadership sits at
the table both in the Executive Committee
and the Board of Directors.
We don’t run national chapters who
compete with the national industry
associations, but we support the national
associations wherever we can to drive
growth and development for our industry.
This sets UFI apart, and it is the same
thinking that will drive the collaboration
with AIPC and ICCA.
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk