Going the distance
any of you know that
M
I enjoy going for runs , having joined in on many of the outings of the UFI Running Club over the past years . I enjoy my jogs that are usually just between five and ten kilometres – they feel good , and they help me to stay fit . I admire the colleagues who do marathons , or even longer distances regularly , and I applaud those who have found their way into sports just now , celebrating every run they do and every improvement they experience .
Going your distance . Perseverance . Improvements . Consistency …
I was thinking about all of this recently as I sat in a conference room in Paris , at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OECD ), an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries , founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade . During the pandemic , the OECD became aware of UFI ’ s work through our advocacy-related activities and our ‘ Global Framework for Reopening Business Events ’. This has led to UFI ’ s involvement in the work of the OECD as it has embarked on a multi-year project to develop a framework for measuring the impact of Global Events .
Kai Hattendorf UFI managing director / CEO
Kai Hattendorf , UFI managing director / CEO
Governments fund the OECD , and in turn build their strategies on guidance from organisations like these . So , it is encouraging to see that business events , especially trade shows and conferences , are now on the OECD ’ s radar when measuring the positive impacts of various types of events .
This is advocacy in action , and it is another ‘ seat at the table ’ for our industry . UFI , as the global association of our industry , is pleased to provide data and insights on the economic , social , and environmental impacts of business events in our continual advocacy for the industry .
Another such ‘ seat at the table ’ is at the International Organisation for Standardisation ( ISO ). A network of national standards bodies from more than 160 countries , based in Switzerland , it manages standardisation projects for industries and sectors . Recently , a new working group was established within ISO , and the organisation has tasked it with a review of an existing standard about vocabulary used in the exhibitions and conferences industry ( known as ISO 25639-1 ). Also under discussion is whether or not the working group should revise a standard ( ISO 25639-2 ) about ‘ Measurement procedures for statistical purposes ’. Within the ISO membership , other discussions are under way that may impact our industry as well .
It is important to understand that ISO is run by and for national standards bodies . The organisation in and of itself has no expertise in the industries and sectors for which it defines rules and standards . Therefore , ISO nominates and selects leading representatives of industries to serve as ‘ Liaison Organisations ’ in their committees and working groups . As the global association for our sector , UFI has been regularly involved in this role in the past . Now , ISO has again registered UFI as a liaison for this new working group .
Both engagements , at the OECD as well as at ISO , are ‘ marathons , not sprints ’, where UFI will stay engaged to ensure that we bring our industry ’ s expertise and expectations to policy and standards work . But – just like in running , perseverance and consistency will allow us to go the distance – for our industry .
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 5 2022 9