UFI event brings regional industry ‎leaders to Sharjah

UFI exhibition organisers, venues, services providers join in for ‎networking lunch at SCCI

Sharjah, UAE, June 5, 2016: The leaders of the exhibitions industry in the Middle East and Africa converged on Sharjah to set the ‎course for the region’s fast-evolving exhibitions industry on Thursday (June 2). 
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The UFI Leadership Meeting at the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry was followed by a ‎networking lunch which was attended by some of the leading exhibition organisers, venues, and service ‎providers of the UAE. 
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The leadership meeting, which was chaired by Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of the Middle ‎East/African Chapter the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), Paris, brought together the ‎Chapter’s elected leaders to identify regional priorities, exchange ideas and develop plans for the ‎Chapter's future. 
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‎“With the exhibitions industry in the region expecting higher growth than most parts of the world, the ‎leadership meeting was aimed at identifying priorities for the Chapter and deliberate on issues of ‎common interest. We also took stock of recent developments in the industry, especially in the wake of ‎the prevailing geo-political turmoil, low oil prices, strong shifts in customer behaviour and various ‎aspects of digital disruption,” said Mr. Midfa, who is the CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah. 
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The networking lunch brought together the country’s leading event organises at a single place, helping ‎them discuss specific opportunities and challenges concerning the local exhibitions industry with their ‎regional counterparts. 
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‎“We are serving a face to face industry – so a core element of UFI’s work is to organise regular ‎networking events for our members globally as well as locally. We are happy to share recent industry ‎developments here in Sharjah, and will take many insights from the regional leaders of our industry with ‎us from this meeting”, says Mr. Kai Hattendorf, UFI’s Managing Director. 
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The meeting also reviewed preparations for the Global Exhibitions Day celebration on June 8, 2016. The ‎Global Exhibitions Day is an initiative by UFI together with the Dallas-based International Association of ‎Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and dozens of national industry associations, aiming to raise awareness ‎about the role of the industry in stimulating markets, economic growth and development of infrastructure. 
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‎“A growing list of associations, industry players, government bodies and universities has announced ‎their decision to join forces to promote the industry and to highlight its achievements. The Global ‎Exhibitions Day will unite all leading national and regional initiatives under one common umbrella and ‎strengthen their messages and multiply reach. At the same time, it is also meant to be a celebration of ‎the people working in the exhibitions industry,” added Mr. Midfa. 
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UFI, which has around 700 members who directly represent around 50,000 exhibition industry employees ‎globally, is the global association of the world’s leading tradeshow organisers and fairground owners, ‎major national and international associations of the exhibition industry and its partners. The UFI’s Middle ‎East/Africa regional Office is based in Sharjah at Expo Centre Sharjah.‎