Celion Su

With nearly 800 member organisations in over 80 countries and regions around the world， UFIs main goal is to represent， promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. Now， in an unprecedented time of the industrys history， how will UFI keep the industry connected and promote the sustainable growth of the industry？ What is the role of the digital transformation？ What is the charm of the exhibition industry？ Anbu Varathan， UFI President shared his views on related topics in a recent exclusive interview with Overseas Exhibitions magazine.

Reporter： First， please share your priorities as UFI President.

Varathan： I have four priorities ——Resilience， Leadership， Technology， and Community—— which will set the broad directions for UFIs initiatives during my stint as President. The current scenario is making us think afresh and find ways to be more resilient to face future contingencies and carry on with business activities. Leadership will be crucial in this tough market scenario to keep businesses running. Technology， especially digital technology， will be a game changer and it is important for the exhibition industry to understand its full impact and create a space for technology to play an enabling role in improving the efficiency of physical exhibitions. Connecting with the community will be the key for exhibition industry to emerge more successful at international and regional levels.

It is important that UFI continues with its sustained efforts of policy advocacy enabling our industry to reach out to governments in all markets to achieve the desired goals.

Reporter： What are the core values that UFI tries to deliver under the current pandemic age？ What are the current/future schemes surrounding these goals？

Varathan： UFIs main goal is to represent， promote and support the business interests of its members and the exhibition industry. Now， more than ever， it is important to keep our industry connected， and support our member companies during an unprecedented time in our industrys history. Members who have experienced the challenges of organising shows during the restart process can leverage UFIs platform to share their knowledge which benefits can benefit members in other markets who are now trying to organise shows. We recently launched the UFI Fellowship， where those that are not currently employed by UFI member companies， those who are between jobs or those who are independent contractors can be a part of the industry， stay connected and keep networking.

Reporter： The Asia-pacific exhibition markets are the highlight among the global peers in recent years. What factors do you think are behind its strong performances？

Varathan： The exhibition market in Asia has been one of the most dynamic and high growth regions for many years and we expect that to continue in 2021. As our industry begins to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic， we also anticipate that Asia - and China and India in particular - will lead the way to full recovery. There are many factors that drive the growth of our industry in Asia such as strong macro-economic fundamentals， investment in venues and supporting infrastructure as well as hundreds of high-quality， professional exhibition organisers - many of whom are already members of UFI.

We， at UFI， remain optimistic about the outlook of our industry in Asia and we look forward to our helping our members drive economic recovery in key markets across Asia in 2021 and beyond.

Reporter： According to your observation， what trends are occurring in our industry in recent years？

Varathan： I would say that with the global pandemic， the biggest trends I have seen has come from really advanced technology， hologram/ hybrid events， digital networking， multi-sensory approaches， as well as a more customer centric approach to events or exhibitions.

Reporter： What factors do you think will promote the sustainable growth of the global exhibition industry in the following years？ How can we re-create the value of exhibitions？

Varathan： UFI represents and serves an industry built on connecting markets and fostering trade for the greater good – an industry built on sustainable development principles. As such， UFI is committed to driving and supporting sustainable development among our global membership and the exhibition industry at large. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals， UFI has integrated sustainable development initiatives in all of our activities – from events to education， from research to advocacy. Our engagement in providing tangible solutions for sustainable development makes UFI a trusted and viable partner for governments， markets and non-profit organisations. To re-create the value of exhibitions we need governments to get behind the re-opening initiatives， it is clear to see that exhibitions are not mass gatherings， and if COVID-19 protocol is being adhered to we can safely re-create exhibitions as we have seen that exhibitions have proven to be invaluable. In 2020 we have seen that even though digital events made a mark， people still prefer face-to-face events and therein lies the value of exhibitions.

Reporter： What do you enjoy most as an exhibition professional？ Varathan： There are two outstanding points. The first is networking. Exhibitions give opportunities for exploring new ideas， establishing partnerships and building a personal presence.

The second point is learning. I try to attend as many events as possible as it gives continued learning opportunities on how exhibitions are organised， how relationships are forged， what new technologies have come up in the market， etc. The more I learn， the better position I am in to contribute to the industry.