China:one of the most exciting and dynamic exhibition industries in the world

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The 83rd UFI Congress will take place on 9-12 November in Shanghai. CICE， UFI’s media partner in china， interviewed Sergey Alexeev， UFI President. He points out that China is one of the most exciting and dynamic exhibition industries in the world and that UFI looks forward to playing a role in helping to drive that growth.

Please give a brief introduction of the highlights of the forthcoming UFI Global Congress in Shanghai.

UFI’s Global Congress， the most international gathering of leaders from the exhibition industry， is set to support and inspire events professionals from more than 50 countries on 9-12 November in Shanghai. CEOs， young leaders， and international experts will discuss how businesses can thrive in today’s fast-changing exhibition industry. Hosted by the Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Industries Association （SCEIA） at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai， our prestigious four-day event is open to UFI members from around the world.

UFI’s annual Congress is always an immensely valuable event for the global exhibition industry as we tackle the issues that will define our industry’s future. This year we have focused on expanding the sessions and networking opportunities. Also， as we want to discuss how the industry will change， we will listen to the next generation’s ideas of our industry， as our “Next Generation Leaders” Grant winners take to the stage.

In 2016， the UFI Congress returns to China after ten years. Why choose China again？ What do you think is the significance of the Congress in Shanghai for UFI？

Much has changed in the exhibition industry in China since the UFI Congress was held in Beijing in 2006. The industry in China has gone through a decade of rapid growth. According to UFI’s own research， now more than 11 million net square meters are sold at B2B exhibitions in China each year. That represents for more than half of the net space sold across all of Asia.

It is particularly appropriate that the UFI Congress is hosted in Shanghai this year because Shanghai has evolved into one of the largest， most dynamic and most commercial exhibition markets in Asia. And now with the opening of NECC， the largest exhibition venue in the region， Shanghai looks well positioned for another decade of growth and expansion.

In recent years， what are the changes and features of the Chinese members in the entire UFI membership？

UFI’s membership in China has grown along with the overall exhibition industry. Ten years ago in 2006， there were 34 UFI members in China. Today， there almost 100 - out of a total of 700 members from 83 countries！

Looking at the city level， Beijing has the most UFI members with about 30. Shanghai is close behind and Shenzhen and Guangzhou both have about ten members each. Fifteen other cities in China are home to UFI members.

Overall， Chinese members now account for 40% of UFI’s 245 members in Asia. We are pleased with development of UFI’s role in China and we certainly expect that the importance of UFI’s presence in China to continue to expand as the exhibition market in China evolves in the coming years.

What is the annual number of UFI membership applications on average？ How about the approved rate？ What are your suggestions or advice for prospect applications？

The number of applications that UFI receives varies year to year. It is impacted by a wide range of factors in any given year such as-the number of new venues opening that year， newly launched shows， the strength of the overall economy， etc.

We do receive a significant number of applications every year. Each application is carefully reviewed and evaluated by UFI’s team in Paris before it is presented to UFI’s Executive Committee for approval. UFI takes the membership application very seriously. The quality of our membership is at the core of UFI’s strength as the only global association of the exhibition industry.

In the first instance， I would recommend that any organisation considering submitting a membership application should speak with other UFI members in China to better understand the benefits of being a member of UFI. In addition， of course， they are welcome to contact our office in Hong Kong to learn more UFI and the membership process. We would like to invite anyone interested in learning about the benefits of networking at UFI events to join at the next edition of the UFI Open Seminar in Asia which will be held in Singapore from 22-24 February 2017. Please contact our Asian office in Hong Kong for more details （）.

Apart from the UFI Global Congress and Reginal Seminars， what are the resources that UFI members can take advantage of？

UFI regularly surveys our members to determine what are the most valuable aspects of being a member of UFI. Consistently， the top three benefits are： networking， education and research. As you have noted， events such UFI’s congresses， seminars and specialized focus meeting are always popular with our Asian members.

Our events give them the opportunity to network with their peers from around the region and around the world. In addition， the speakers and panelists enable them to learn about key industry trends， best practices and innovative developments from across the industry.

In terms of education， UFI offers members access to an impressive archive on our website-online courses， past presentations， speeches and webinars just to name a few. There are also face-to-face educational opportunities through our specialised Focus Meetings and programmes like the Exhibition Management Degree （EMD） and the annual International Summer University （ISU）.

UFI additionally offers a wide range of industry research available to our members free of charge. Our flagship research， the Global Exhibition Barometer， is released twice a year and provides our members valuable information on the outlook of our industry. At the UFI Global Congress in Shanghai， we will be sharing two brand new industry studies that all participants can look forward to. I really encourage our members in China to take full advantage of all UFI has to offer-both online and at our face-to-face events.

How do you view the recent development of Chinese exhibition industry？ What is the development strategy of UFI in China in the next step？

There is not doubt about it， China is one of the most exciting and dynamic exhibition industries in the world. Every time I visit China， I see changes and important developments. New venues open and shows are developed and launched at an impressive pace.

With nearly 100 members here in China， of course， UFI keeps a close eye on our members’ needs and requirements. We will have several new exciting initiatives that we will launch in 2017 to better serve our members in China. One is new education programme for our members and the other is opening of a new support office in China. This is just the beginning of another exciting year in China’s dynamic exhibition industry and we at UFI look forward to playing a role in helping to drive that growth！