Showcasing success and dealing with data
ith our industry reopening ever more and the parallel rise of the Delta variant of the Covid virus , the next months will remain challenging .
Vaccinations proceed in many of the major markets , and they are reaching the whole global population . Processes around travel are being rolled out – with the European Union ’ s standardised digital certificate a global milestone and benchmark now . I attended the AIPC Conference in Lausanne this week , and participants from all across Europe simply scanned their respective Covid certificates at the entrance – just like you scan your badge .
At the same time , countries like Singapore are reviving their policies to switch from pandemic policies to those that manage an ongoing existence of the Covid virus – like the flu virus – and work on endemic regulations .
We have seen Informa ’ s World of Concrete in Las Vegas in the US . We have seen GSMA ’ s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in Spain . We have seen Informa ’ s Arab Health in Dubai . And we have seen – and are long used to again – a whole array of major shows running successfully across China .
These exhibitions clearly signal to businesses , policymakers , and the media that industries and their leaders are eager to return to our market places and to the show floors . We know that , and they show that . But while we read this as a sign of confidence , some media and stakeholders will continue to
Kai Hattendorf UFI managing director / CEO
challenge this – by pointing to the lower numbers of participants compared to our industry ’ s record year in 2019 . Or by talking up digitalonly alternatives .
Working together , as an industry , as we did throughout the pandemic , the next phase in our global reopening will need to focus on showcasing the successes we generate . First , and obviously – we can show that our health and safety processes at the shows are working , that we are keeping people safe , that trade shows and business events are controlled environments , unlike , say , fully packed sports stadiums . Showing this is proof when we talk to local and regional authorities about the health and safety measures for upcoming events , where we will
ramp up occupancy rates in line with regional and national health frameworks .
The second major element of our industry ’ s comeback story are the successes of our customers . The more we can showcase their successful show participations , the more this will drive others who are currently on the fence about returning to the show floors as well . As UFI , jointly with SISO , we are working on capturing case studies from shows to build the library of cases that we all can use to drive these conversations . And , of course , we continue to update the reopening tracker that shows which countries and markets around the world are open again now , or when they will open in the coming months ( you can find them on our Coovid resource pages at ufi . org / coronavirus ).
We stay focused on providing resources for all of you beyond these . Please make sure you download the new White Paper we did in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board and PCMA called ‘ Reimagining Business Events Through Covid-19 and Beyond ’ for the latest thinking and cases about changes to events production post pandemic . If you want to dig deeper , you can watch the UFI Connects session on that topic on demand at www . ufi . org / uficonnects . The latest UFI Barometer is out as well this month – released after the deadline for this column .
Finally , this issue of Exhibition World features much around data and data ownership – a conversation we launched between the digital platform providers at our European Conference last month , and continued with an UFI Connects session with the perspective from the organisers very recently . For the future of our industry , this is one of the most relevant strategic issues as we evolve and come out of the pandemic – and I am personally eager to hear your respective takes on this !
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 4 2021 9