PARIS/HONG KONG – UFI, the global association for the exhibition industry, has created an adapted format for its Asia Pacific 2022 conference that will include local, member-led activities in 12 countries. These will connect and unite the UFI member community and the wider industry across the region, moving away from digital-only events.
As the global pandemic has passed the two-year mark, travel to Asia remains severely restricted. With industry professionals in the region still impacted, UFI looked for a way to continue hosting its annual gathering in the region, and the first-ever UFI Asia Pacific Week, scheduled for March 28-April 1, was born.
A week-long series of local events across the region will bring UFI members and the wider community in Asia together, in person, where they are based. The UFI Hong Kong team is working with UFI Ambassadors from China, India, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan, among other countries, and will be responsible for organising a variety of local gatherings, from charity runs to cocktail parties, dinners and cultural events.
“Although markets are beginning to open in Asia, UFI members have not been able to gather at our regional conference for the past three years. UFI and our community understand the irreplaceable value of face-to-face meetings,” Mark Cochrane, UFI Regional Director for Asia Pacific, said: “So UFI has come up with this new format to allow our members to come together locally, even if we can’t meet regionally. There will be opportunities to network and have a bit of fun. We already have UFI members in over ten markets across Asia volunteering to run charity runs, member dinners, networking events and more. UFI Asia Week will give our community a chance to see some familiar faces and look forward to brighter days ahead!
Kai Hattendorf, CEO and Managing Director of UFI, added: “Keeping communities engaged and connected is certainly a challenge, but we say challenge accepted! That’s why UFI strives to provide opportunities for our colleagues from across Asia to come together, in person, in their own countries. Through our group of UFI Ambassadors, attendees can network and discuss key issues facing our evolving industry in Asia and around the world!”
Details of UFI Asia Pacific Week 2022 are available at www.ufiasia.org
Contact Kai Hattendorf at kh@ufi.org at (33) 1 46 39 75 00; Mark Cochrane at mark@bsgasia.com