UFI Comment
Foundations
taking shape
et me begin this column
with a plea: Bear with
me for the coming
paragraphs – I promise
there will also be good news. But, first
– fasten your mental seat belts, please.
Ready? Here we go…
It’s now official: this year, revenues
in our industry will shrink by 60%
globally, compared to 2019. Seventythree
percent of companies in our
industry around the world report
zero business for April and May. And
almost every second company in our
sector has stopped all investments.
That are some of the hard facts we
learn from the latest edition of UFI’s
Global Barometer (see here: https://
www.ufi.org/industry-resources/
research/global-reports/globalbarometer/
- and see our report on
pages 12-13 -ed).
UFI set up this biannual research
as a response to the global financial
crisis in 2009 – under Cliff Wallace’s
presidency. It is ironic in many ways
that the 25th and jubilee edition is now
covering the biggest impact we’ve seen
on our industry in generations. On
240 pages, for 20 markets, five regions,
and the world, it reflects the impact
Covid had on our industry since the
pandemic began, and it makes for
tough reading initially.
Does it point to a gloomy future? Is
Kai Hattendorf
UFI Managing Director
the industry doomed?
I don’t think so.
Research like the barometer
is essential for us to have trusted
global data to take to politicians,
lawmakers, and stakeholders. We
now can prove to them that, by
not having tradeshows, they lose
hundreds of billions of total economic
impact – both within our industry
and in every industry on this planet,
as no tradeshows mean no deals for
businesses, and empty order books.
And – stressing this collectively, as
an industry speaking with one voice,
around the world (see the feature on
the JMIC Manifesto on pages 24-25 of
this edition) – we are being heard.
Just these past days, both the prime
ministers of the UK (Boris Johnson)
and Australia (Scott Morrison) spoke
publicly about the importance of
face to face and the comeback of
our sector. We are advocating for
public funding support: There are
programmes already in Asia. There
are encouraging signs in Europe. And
we see the momentum building in
markets like the US.
The Barometer shows us also the
agility and the resilience of our sector,
and the areas where we can thrive as
an industry and bounce back stronger.
First, and most obvious – face to
face will be back. Seventy-six percent
of all companies are convinced that
Covid-19 confirms the value of faceto-face
events, and that this will drive
our recovery. Even more companies
(82%) see the potential for more digital
elements at and around events (the
‘hybrid event’ model). And we are
responding to that already – with
every second company around the
world increasing their investments
into digital.
Secondly, despite Covid, our
industry is not losing sight of two
other main areas of development:
Sustainable Development and
Diversity.
Despite Covid, for a majority of
companies the pandemic had little to
no impact on their activities towards
sustainable development, and 36%
of companies manage to keep their
investments into sustainability stable.
Work in the industry continues on
so many projects around the UN’s
Sustainable Development Goals. UFI’s
Sustainable Development Award this
year has helped to showcase great
examples from around the world
on waste management, just to give
an example. The urgency to act to
implement the Paris climate accord is
and remains a paramount factor.
The picture looks very similar
globally on diversity, where almost six
out of 10 companies maintain their
level of activities. Here we have our
work cut out for us, as UFI as well as
in the industry. Diversity in leadership
is and remains a strategic focus at UFI
– to drive diversity in areas like age
(through the NGL Grant), geography
and race (UFI’s global membership
being represented in our structures),
and gender (we have set up a new
group to connect and support women
leaders in the industry).
Covid will continue to impact what
we do as an industry for the months
to come still. Shows have reopened in
Asia and Europe, the first events take
place in the Middle East. I attended
my first conference in person again
in June – it felt great. And it is great to
see the UFI Global Framework being
put to good use as safety and health
procedures are being put into place.
The tough times will go on, but the
foundations for the comeback of our
industry are taking shape.
10 Issue 4 2020 www.exhibitionworld.co.uk