Re-setting soon
his edition of Exhibition World will be the
T third and final one produced while I have the honour of wearing the famed green visor which comes with the guest editor role . When I first started in the early summer I wrote of ‘ The Great Reset ’ with a view that by the end of this year we would be well on the way back to normality . The good news is that in some parts of the world this is true . Particularly in the United States , business is coming back strongly and there is a good deal of positive talk about re-bookings for 2022 shows . Even there , though , only the most optimistic are speaking of business back to pre-pandemic levels before the end of next year .
Elsewhere , the picture remains much more mixed . Having provided a bulwark of solidity for the industry through the second half of 2020 and first half of this year , China has been a less reliable venue in the second half . As reported in this issue , the annual UFI- BSG report on Trade Fairs in Asia highlights this as a key issue for how well the industry recovers in 2022 .
Easyfairs ’ Eric Everard tells us elsewhere that he had been optimistic in September that Europe was putting the pandemic impact behind it . As we go to press , however , his renewed concerns about a ‘ bumpy ’ winter are already looking prescient . Most are hoping that a focus on vaccinations and careful management of events will allow most to go ahead , but this remains far from certain right now .
UFI was fortunate to pull off a successful in-person Congress in Rotterdam in what looks now like a window of opportunity before some restrictions kicked back in which would have made it a much less enjoyable event . The enthusiasm of those who were able to attend was as much testimony as any of us might need for the value of live events versus their soulless digital equivalents .
This is an industry full of optimists and you can see that shining through our interviews with leaders of the African exhibitions industry and with Jean François Quentin in his new role as CEO of an emerging multi-national exhibitions business based in Singapore .
Even if the Great Reset has been slightly delayed in places , we , along with those we ’ ve been privileged to talk with around the world in the last six months , remain confident that better times lie ahead .
Paul Woodward Guest Editor Twitter : @ ExhibitionWorld
Publishing Director : Maria Badakh ; Managing Editor : Paul Colston ; Guest Editor : Paul Woodward ; Global Account Director : Iain Stirling ; International Director : Mercedes Alonso ;
International reporter : Oliver Thomas ; Graphic Designer : Rob Fletcher ; Production Controller : Sabrina Boucher . Contact us : Subscriptions :+ 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 1128 , Editorial : + 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 1152 , Advertising : + 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 1122 , Production :+ 44 ( 0 ) 20 8971 1132 . Exhibition World is published by Mash Media , Second floor , Applemarket House , 17 Union Street , Kingston Upon Thames , KT1 1RP , UK . Tel : + 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 1122 fax : + 44 ( 0 ) 20 8481 1144 , Email : info @ mashmedia . net Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers . No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publishers . Printed by Pensord Press Ltd .
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 6 2021 5