UFI makes sweet music of digital meeting
he sound of a 1696 Stradivarius , expertly played by one of Britain ’ s best violinists , travelling through the vast space of an empty exhibition hall at ExCeL in London . An Elgar piece , echoing back from the walls of the hall , and coming to me , listening and watching – in my small office room at home in Bonn , Germany .
This was how I experienced the finale of the last of our four live sessions at the UFI Global Congress in November , broadcast from London . From there , as well as from Hong Kong , from Dubai , and from Bogotá , UFI ’ s regional managers presented and moderated this year ’ s Congress sessions . As with every year , our industry came together from more than 50 countries to take part , to meet , to listen , and to network ; all of this digitally .
Like all of you
Kai Hattendorf UFI Managing Director
We did not plan and deliver a congress programme . Instead , we built and delivered a broadcasting scheme , and an on-demand programme portfolio
who had and have to move physical tradeshows and meetings to digital versions right now , the UFI team has been through quite a roller coaster putting this year ’ s Congress together . We had the same steep learning curve , found similar opportunities in the digital format , and severe limitations at the same time , as ‘ screen-to-screen ’ simply is not the same as ‘ face-to-face ’.
I hope you find it useful if I share the main thoughts and approaches that were guiding the UFI team as we put this year ’ s Congress together .
We wrote down what you keep telling us you value most about the Congress : the fact that the industry comes together from all around the world . The networking ; the experiences of the destination ; the old and new connections ; and the content .
Taking this , we wrote an entirely new textbook . We had to be agile , we had to adapt , we had to be fearless and bold . There were no comfort zones , instead :
mainly unchartered territory . We completely re-built the way we deliver the programme – from all over the world , having all regions and time zones in mind . And we had to create some experiences for everyone despite being limited to screens .
We turned what normally is a structured programme into flexible modules . Four live broadcasts in their region ’ s respective business prime times . All the regional broadcasts then re-broadcast at the varying business prime times around the world . And , entirely in parallel , the transformation of every segment , of every programme element , into a stand-alone format , available for every participant on demand . In essence we did not plan and deliver a congress programme . Instead , we built and delivered a broadcasting scheme , and an ondemand programme portfolio .
As for the networking , for every hour of sessions we had an hour of networking time in designated time slots , again set up in a way that colleagues from one part of the world could connect best with peers elsewhere on the planet . Here , we shared and moderated industry best practices , or simple chatted along , digitising these serendipity moments that are so valuable .
And for the experiences : instead of chats at the hotel bar , we had a music quiz party . And , of course , the Stradivarius .
As I write this , the Congress platform is still open , and people continue to connect , as we gather their feedback . Everyone ’ s unanimous reply : we miss seeing each other face-to-face , and we miss having the opportunity for spontaneous chats and encounters . At the same time , many spoke up in the chats and networking sessions , stating that , right now , it was great to have this event for everyone to connect in the best way we can right now .
See you again soon , on site ( I hope ) and online ( in the
10 Issue 6 2020 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk