Editor ’ s Note
A muscly future of AI , solar & storage and logistics
O ne of the great things about the global exhibition industry is the young talent it produces and nurtures .
The UFI New Generation Leaders ( NGL ) Grant programme is one great initiative here , and in this issue we talk to Lesley Gurney from ICC Sydney , one of this year ’ s recipients who , together with other NGL team members , is examining the impact of AI to help implement more data driven strategies and gain deeper insights into client and attendee preferences and behaviours at exhibitions . Follow EW to find out how that project unpacks over the coming months , culminating in a big presentation at the UFI Global Congress in Cologne in November .
And , while this issue is packed with all the big news , including more M & A activity analysed by Steve Monnington on p11 – and including Informa ’ s £ 1.2bn proposal to buy Ascential – we look at the outcomes from the recent 39th Congress of the International Exhibition Logistics Association . Not least because our event logistics specialists play an important role in glueing all our operations together to make our trade fairs work .
New IELA chairperson Sudhir Dhavan tells us about his own career journey and of some of the issues top of mind for IELA , pages 34-35 .
We also present a first major interview with Olympia London ’ s new CEO Andy O ’ Sullivan , for whom Transformers is the name of the game at this iconic old venue – more than meets the eye .
Other trailblazers mentioned in this issue include Dubai Active and Dubai Muscle Show , where IEG Events continue to flex their muscles and bulk out their fitness portfolio of shows , including at a new venue in Expo City , pages 44-45 .
If it ’ s fitness that is proving to be a rich seam of development for IEG , then for Terrapinn – now the largest private organiser in the world – it is solar and storage that is the sector with seemingly unlimitless potential , as from a launch event in 2012 , the company ’ s portfolio is set to have 22 events in 2025 under the solar and storage brand . The opportunities are out there …
Paul Colston Editor Twitter : @ ExhibitionWorld Instagram : @ ew _ magazine
Managing Editor : Paul Colston ; Portfolio Director : Iain Stirling ; International correspondent : Theo Reilly ;
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