Jan 2022

Media Partner From India Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations

Jan 2022 Vol 10 Issue 06 Voice of Asia’s Exhibition & Convention Industry

OMNICHANNEL MARKETING & INCREASED EMPHASIS ON THE 365 COMMUNITY Carrie Ferenac, Chairperson - IAEE

NÜRNBERGMESSE LOOKS TOWARDS A BETTER 2022

VIRTUAL EVENTS IN 2022: 10 OF THE BEST HOSTING PLATFORMS MESSE MÜNCHEN SEES 2022 AS A YEAR OF ECONOMIC UPSWING

THE SEASONED MAN Igor Palka MD, VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacic

Dear Readers, The last two years were incredibly tough for the exhibition industry.

Despite the ordeal, there are many men and women in this industry who demonstrated unprecedented resilience and spirited character to lead from the front. There are those who became the torchbearers of positivity and kept the faternity's hopes alive at large. Then there are those who understood the disruption and adapted & evolved their approach and in process guided others too.

&

PSU BUZZ

Some displayed extraordinary acts of leadership at most unexpected times. Some, through collaboration and advocacy kept ringing the doors of the policy makers that exhibitions are critical economic enablers. While some went beyond their line of duty to support their teams and bretheren from the fraternity. The Exhibition Excellence Awards, in its 6th edition will be back in 2022 - in physical format, to honor these unsung heroes of exhibition industry, who gave their all to this ght for the survival of our industry.

Powered by Exhibition Showcase Magazine, the Excellences Awards is a pioneering initiative that honors the excellence of exhibition organisers, service providers and venues since 2016.

We are happy to share that Exhibition Showcase is now the ofcial media partner of AFECA (Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations) which is the leading MICE Association in Asia. The partnership reects our continued commitment to the industry and futher strengthens our reach in the global industry.

Exhibition Showcase is also the exclusive media partner of UFI & IELA from India region. We are also onboard the international ETT club initiative as its proud media partner. You can visit www.exhibitionshowcase.com for latest news and updates and follow us on LinkedIn @exhibitionshowcasemagazine for remaining abreast with the global developments in the industry.

India's Iconic Awards Initiative

EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE

AWARDS 2022 & EVENT SERVICES EXPO

HONORING UNSUNG HEROES

RESiLiENCE

LEADERSHiP

ADVOCACY

coming up this august

In this issue: 19

22-24

34-35

25-27

In Conversation With Carrie Ferenac, Chairperson, IAEE

28-29

Exhibition Showcase Talks To Kai Mangelberger, Director, Fruit Logistica

30-32

In Conversation With Rajkumar Agrawal, Managing Director, Indore Infoline Pvt. Ltd.

Pg. 33

Message From IESA President

37-44

Pg. 34-35 IESA Shining Stars

Pg. 10-11

World Map

Pg. 12-13

Industry In Pictures From The World Of Social Media

Pg. 36

Message From UFI President

Pg. 37-44 Insights Pg. 14-15

Quick Bytes

14

Paperex Rescheduled To 10-13 May 2022

15

Industry Gearing Up For Face-To-Face AUSPACK 2022

Pg. 16-19

News Buzz

16

Windergy India 2022 To Be Held From 27 – 29, April 2022

17

BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA Announces 2023 Trade Fair Dates

19

The India Pavilion Highlights MICE Segments To Boost Tourism At Expo 2020 Dubai

Pg. 20

Association News

Pg. 22-32

Interviews

22-24

In conversation With Igor Palka, MD, VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Co., Ltd.

Pg. 45

Sustainability

Pg. 46-47 Merger & Acquisition

Pg. 48

People

Pg. 49-58 Global News 49

Change Of Dates Announced For IMEX In Frankfurt’s 20th Anniversary Edition

51

CES 2022 Concludes in Person with Innovation to Better the World

57-58

Digital Transformation And A Successful Restart: NürnbergMesse Looks Towards A Better 2022

UK The Women in Motorsport exhibition opens at Coventry Transport Museum in January and will introduce people to the personal stories of women who have made their mark in the fast-paced world of racing. The event, which forms part of the UK City of Culture programme, will launch on January 29. Coventry Transport Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of British road transport, including the three fastest cars on the planet.

Las Vegas

Miami, Florida

Istanbul

Sodexo Live!, the hospitality p a r t n e r t o t h e L a s Ve ga s Convention Center announced the donation of nearly 1,000 boxed lunches from this year’s CES to local food banks. Food recovered from the tradeshow was provided to community-based social service agencies supporting food insecure individuals throughout the Las Vegas area.

Hundreds of original artifacts from NASA's historic Apollo lunar landings are set to touch down in Miami this spring, as part of an immersive experience celebrating humanity's rst missions to the moon. “Space Adventure: The Arrival of Man on the Moon" will land at Maurice A. Ferré Park in downtown Miami, Florida on April 7, marking the touring exhibition's U.S. debut.

Istanbul Airport has launched a new art exhibition ‘0’ Zero Point by the artist Deniz Sa dıç, in its departures terminal, to raise visitors’ and passengers’ awareness of sustainability and recycling. The artist, with this technique, aims to encourage individuals to reconsider their consumption habits and to inspire people and institutions about ‘sustainability’.

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Cape Town “Ultimate Beverage Show” that runs from 27 – 29 January 2022, is South Africa’s premium boutique beverage experience, starting with the one-day trade exhibition on the 27th, followed by a two-day consumer show. The show will showcase the nest local craft and small-batch producers in South Africa.

Singapore The National Arts Council and the Singapore Tourism Board have partnered to launch Art Around The C i t y, a s e r i e s o f v i s u a l a r t installations and programmes across key precincts in Gillman Barracks, Orchard Road, Little India and Chinatown. Drawing on their history, culture, and landscape, the public art activations will add vibrancy to each iconic precinct, engage with the public, and spotlight Singaporebased artists and curators. Art Around The City, which runs from January to April this year, brings the identities of the four precincts to life.

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Shanghai Asia's leading fashion fair CHIC Spring Shanghai has been postponed from March to April. Due to the new virus variant Omicron, the organisers of CHIC have pushed the schedule of the fair, which will now begin from April 14, 2022 in Shanghai.

Australia Business Events Geelong has released its 2022 Planner’s Guide – a digital tool to assist event organisers in nding the perfect venue, experience, or service provider. Each venue and experience listing features capacity information, an overview of the offering, and direct links to social media pages and websites.

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Industry In Pictures From

Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India and Embassy of India, Nepal organized the Par cipa on of around 40 Indian companies in 7th NEPAL WOOD Expo from 7-9 January, 2022. #FIEO

Due to the current situa on, INHORGENTA MUNICH, which was scheduled for February 11 to 14, 2022, will be postponed. Europe's leading pla orm for jewelry, watches and gemstones will be held from April 8 to 11, 2022, at Messe München. #inhorgenta2022

Australia’s Gaming Technologies Associa on (GTA), organizer of the Australasian Gaming Expo, has announced the appointment of Jinesh Patel as its new CEO following the departure of Chris Muir late last year.

Con nuing on as a leading sustainable events supplier in #Melbourne, Melbourne Conven on and Exhibi on Centre has turned a large a 2000m2 roo op car park into a thriving urban farm! Located in the heart of the CBD ‘Melbourne Skyfarm’ will open in the second half of 2022, where visitors will be able to enjoy farm tours, workshops, visit the café and a end events.

The intent of the roundtable mee ng on #Goa's investment opportuni es is twofold. First, to showcase the poten al & investment opportuni es in Goa & secondly, to understand what interests investors in the state, thereby helping us ramp up the prospects: Ms. Swe ka Sachan, CEO, Goa IPB Government of Goa, at Goa Investment Roundtable by Indian Business & Professional Council, Dubai.

UFI president Monica Lee-Müller addressed the hundreds of Chinese delegates during the opening session, sharing some industry insight.

And I was asked to deliver global updates on the exhibi on industry, and introduce the "Net Zero Carbon Events Ini a ve" that the Joint Mee ngs Industry Council is hos ng. #ufiasia #ufinews

#Intersec 2022. Opening Ceremony by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with Messe Frankfurt Middle East CEO Simon Mellor MBA and the Intersec team.

A er five successful & intense sessions of pitching, start-ups have geared up again for #Elevate VI - The Pitching Session, series supported by #HSBC. @Balvinder S. Sawhney #IndiaPavilion

Mission accomplished for Team Orlando at PCMA’s Convening Leaders 2022. Great to share and exchange ideas with so many industry leaders and colleagues who are shaping the future of conven ons, trade shows and live events! @Nadia Vanderhoof #PCMACL

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

The World Of Social Media

#Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and HSBC Bank Middle East have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), paving the way for increased coopera on in further enhancing Dubai’s posi on as a global liveability des na on.

A special thank you to our amazing security team for keeping our Centre, employees and events safe every day. #mtccproud #team

New chapter in India-UK trade es.

Building on Enhanced Trade Partnership launched by PM Narendra Modi & PM Boris Johnson, FTA nego a ons begin.

Mr. J. Ashok Kumar, Secretary Industries, Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, IT, Ms. Swe ka Sachan, CEO, Goa IPB Government of Goa & Dr. Aman Puri, Consulate General of India and Dy Comm Gen for India at Expo 2020 Dubai inaugurated #Goa state floor at #IndiaPavilion.

We are proud to have been awarded the “Trust MyCatering” cer fica on by Ministry of Health for our dedicated team members' effort for delivering commendable off-site catering service for excellence in food prepara on, quality, hygiene and safety. #TrustMyCatering#klcc

Cheers and congratula ons to the PCMA 20 in their 20's class of 2022! #PCMACL

Super start into 2022 with CEFCO in Fuzhou. #CEFCO

Responsible investment strategies, aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), alongside bold ac on on – and accountability from businesses to – the SDGs proved key themes at the Global Goals Business Forum at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Interna onal Tourism Fair FITUR 2022 opened its doors at the IFEMA Conven on Center on Wednesday (19th Jan ) to ensure support for the tourism sector at a cri cal me for its full recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Quick Bytes

January 2022 Paperex Rescheduled To 10-13 May 2022

Air Cargo INDIA Postponed To New Dates Messe Muenchen India, the organizer of air cargo INDIA has announced the postponement of the biennial trade show and conference for the air cargo fraternity, the new dates are May 31 – June 2, 2022 at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. This decision was taken by the organizer owing to the current COVID restrictions and was made in close consultation with the all the exhibitors, sponsors, industry associations and partners. Mr. Bhupinder Singh, CEO, Messe Muenchen India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We would like to thank all partners for their continued support & cooperation in making this difficult and time sensitive decision. We are pleased that together we could have a general consensus and arrive at the new dates without affecting the plans of all involved and intended outcomes. Mr. Glyn Hughes, Director General TIACA said “TIACA supports the decision of Air Cargo India to postpone until May considering the current situation in India and we look forward to participating fully at that time with many international delegates. We also look forward to welcoming delegates to the joint TIACA / Messe München event in San Francisco, scheduled for the end of March.

Paperex is an internationally renowned series of exhibitions and conferences focusing on Paper, Pulp and all Allied Industries in India and around the world. Paperex 2022, the 15th edition of the Paperex exhibition which was to be held between 9 and 12 January 2022 at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, India has been rescheduled to 10-13 May 2022 at the same venue. The decision has been taken in the best interest of the health and safety of stakeholders – exhibitors, trade visitors, eminent industry leaders, alongside association partners. The organizer Hyve says that the exhibition has been rescheduled through a collective decision keeping in view the current Covid situation. The decision has been supported by the industry including support from IARPMA, IRPTA and other prominent associations alongside industry leaders JK Paper, Trident Group, Parason Machinery and other key institutions. “We appreciate that Hyve, considers the safety of exhibitors and visitors at topmost priority and the proposed rescheduling of the show to 10-13 May 2022 will help the industry come together again at Paperex in a safe business conducive environment. Hyve has stood with the industry and we will extend our full support to the rescheduled Paperex 2022 edition,” said IARPMA.

IMTEX 2022 & IMTEX FORMING 2022 Rescheduled To minimize health risks and safeguard the business interests of exhibitors and visitors and provide the best possible platform for both, Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) which organizes the prestigious IMTEX series at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bangalore, has rescheduled IMTEX 2022 & IMTEX FORMING 2022 exhibition. IMTMA arrived at this decision following the recent spike of Covid / Omricon related cases at multiple geographical regions in India. The exhibition has been rescheduled and the rescheduled dates will be announced shortly. IMTMA believes that the decision will help exhibitors and user segments to recover well from the Covid impact leading to maximum participation and high-quality business outcomes.

RX Acquires 3rd Street Group Ltd, Owner Of Big Data LDN Exhibition Big Data LDN is one of the UK’s largest data and analytics conferences and exhibitions, hosting leading data, analytics experts and suppliers. The event brings together the data and analytics community in a unique exhibition format for the sector, including a superior, end user-led conference programme. The event takes place in the autumn at Olympia. Big Data LDN will join the RX portfolio in the UK, with founder Bill Hammond remaining as its event director. Announcing the acquisition, Hugh Jones, RX CEO, said: “Despite the impact that the pandemic has had on the events industry, we continue our longstanding tradition of acquiring key events in growth sectors and markets. Big Data LDN is a perfect fit for our portfolio, and I am delighted that Bill and his team will be joining RX to develop Big Data LDN even further. Their professionalism, knowledge and dedication are astonishing, and I’m excited to work with them to grow this event in the coming years.” Bill Hammond, founder of 3rd Street Group Ltd, said: “The global big data and business analytics sector continues to grow in the UK. Joining RX will enable us to build the event exponentially with support from RX’s suite of technology platforms, global network and operations expertise. A key issue within big data remains security and privacy and I look forward to working with RX UK’s existing Infosecurity brand to deliver even more value to our customers across the data and analytics sector. It’s going to be an exciting growth period for us and we can’t wait to get started.”

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Quick Bytes

January 2022 ISE Announces Three-Month Postponement

In the light of the increasing impact of the Omicron variant in Spain, Integrated Systems Events announces that ISE 2022, scheduled for 1-4 February, has been postponed and will now take place on 10-13 May 2022 at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Vía.

Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, said: “We’ve been closely monitoring the conditions in Europe and have been working hard on your behalf to balance health and safety concerns with the need for commerce and inperson interaction. It’s been a challenging time for so many over the past two years, and whilst we cannot wait to meet up with everyone at ISE 2022, listening to our exhibitors, owners and stakeholders, we have agreed the best course of action is to postpone the show edition for three months. “By moving the event to the spring, it provides time for our community to rebalance and for confidence in international travel and meetings to resume. We will be working closely with all our exhibitors and stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition to the new dates. We look forward to hosting the global AV community at ISE 2022 in May in our new home in Barcelona.”

Colombiatex Will Feature Italian Textile Machinery Makers

Melbourne Will Host The Global Entrepreneurship Congress In 2023 The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) will be held in Melbourne for the first time ever in 2023, marking the first time the annual event has ever been held in Australia.

This congress will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, ecosystem builders, and policymakers from around the world to find new approaches to help founders in launching and scaling new businesses throughout the world. The GEC 2023, which will be hosted in Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre from March 27 to March 30, 2023 and managed

by MCI Australia, is estimated to attract over 2,500 people from over 170 countries. The successful bid win was achieved with support from the Victorian Government and Tourism Australia’s Business Events Bid Fund Program, Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) and Global Entrepreneurship Network’s (GEN) Australian Chapter who brought together key stakeholders across the Australian startup ecosystem, including Startup Victoria, Invest Victoria, and Melbourne Connect.

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Italian textile machinery manufacturers will exhibit at Colombiatex 2022 in the exhibition area organised by the Italian Trade Agency and the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Textile Machinery (ACIMIT). With a substantial presence in Colombia, the Italian textile machinery sector will once again play a prominent role. ACIMIT member businesses Bonino, Btsr, Color Service, Crosta, Fadis, Flainox, Kairos, Mactec, Mcs, Nexia, Ratti, Reggiani, Santoni, Savio, Smit, Sperotto Rimar, and Tonello will be exhibiting at the three-day event, according to ACIMIT. "For many years, Colombia has been one of the most important South American markets for Italian textile machinery exports. The growth of a national fashion industry has boosted demand for innovative textile technologies among Colombian businesses, according to Alessandro Zucchi, president of ACIMIT. In the first nine months of 2021, Italian exports to the significant South American market totaled €9.3 million, representing a strong increase (over 130%) not just over the previous year, but also over the previous year. Finishing equipment accounts for more than half of the demand for Italian machinery in Colombia.

Industry Gearing Up For Face-To-Face AUSPACK 2022 Anticipation is growing for AUSPACK 2022, the first industry expo since 2019, which will take place in Melbourne from 17-20 May at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Karolina Rodriguez, marketing manager for Exhibitions and Trade Fairs, said, “We’re anticipating more than 250 exhibitors for AUSPACK 2022. Most exhibitors from the postponed 2021 show rolled over into 2022, which speaks to the high value AUSPACK presents for the Australian packaging and processing industry.” She said AUSPACK 2022 retains the exhibition’s strong points, with features added to suit industry’s current needs.

These include the AUSPACK Leaders Forum (18-19 May); Solutions Theatres to give visitors in-depth overviews of technology, solutions and strategies; an array of new zones (IT & Services, Processing Equipment, Packaging and Packaging Materials, and Packaging Machinery); and expanded awards categories in the APPMA Awards of Excellence.

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News Buzz

January 2022

Windergy India 2022 To Be Held From 27 – 29, April 2022 ndian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) along with PDA Trade Fairs, a Bangalore-based Trade Fair Organiser is organising the 4th edition of India's only comprehensive International Trade Fair and Conference for the Wind Power Sector, Windergy India 2022. Supported by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, the event will be held from 27 - 29 April 2021 at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India.

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India is a country that is increasingly producing its requirement of energy from renewable sources and currently, 26.37 % (103055 MW) of the total installed power capacity (390791 MW) is from renewable energy, of which 38.80 % is contributed by Wind Energy (39990 MW). During COP-26, India has pledged 500 GW of RE by 2030, of which a minimum of 140 GW from Wind which gives a trajectory of 11 GW per annum capacity addition. Since July 1995, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been issuing guidelines for wind power development, to ensure a balanced growth in the sector. With encouragement from

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Governments – both at the Centre and State – the industry has an annual manufacturing capacity of 10000 MW of wind turbines, which can be ramped up to 15000 MW. It has also achieved about 80% indigenisation, which is in line with the “Make in India” initiative, thus significantly contributing to the rural economy. By the year 2022, due to various regulatory initiatives, the country plans to add a colossal 60,000 MW wind power capacity to its present level of 39990 MW. Currently, the installed renewable energy capacity is 103055 MW, of which solar and wind comprise 47666 MW and 39990 MW, respectively.

Windergy India 2022 is being organised at a time when Industry is on the cusp of exponential growth that is attracting considerable interest. The event is

primarily a business-to-business trade fair and conference that will enable industry experts source 2 technologies, products and services, while also serving as a vibrant platform for policymakers, regulatory authorities, international and domestic technology, solutions and service providers from the wind power industry all over the world to meet, interact and engage with one another.

It envisages bringing together over 6000 key decision-makers for the 3-day meet that will facilitate the interaction and deliberation on the future of wind power in India. The focus of the Conference would be on climate change, offshore wind, energy storage, clean Hydrogen and Ammonia in addition to policy & regulations related discussions. Attendees can gain by meeting over 200 wind-energy technology companies who will be exhibiting cutting-edge wind power production & distribution solutions and technologies. With 2 days of intense deliberations along with the 3-day exhibition, it offers unmatched networking opportunities for participants.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

News Buzz

January 2022

BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA Announces 2023 Trade Fair Dates

auma CONEXPO INDIA—the International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines, and Construction Vehicles will now take place on January 31—February 03, 2023 at India Expo Centre (IEC), Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

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Mr. Bhupinder Singh, CEO, bC Expo India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We have arrived at the dates of bauma CONEXPO INDIA after thorough market assessment and consultation with our key stakeholders. The pandemic has showed our industry a lot of potential for alternative digital communication, business innovations and collaboration, but at the same time also confirmed the huge importance of personal contact and dialog with the clients, partners and business

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professionals.”

Mr. Arvind Garg, Chairman, bauma CONEXPO INDIA—Task Force and Executive Vice President and Head, Construction and Mining Machinery at Larsen & Toubro Ltd said, “At a time when the industry's mood is gradually lifting, the event at the new venue on new dates will allow the industry to participate whole heartedly and put their best foot forward. The India Expo Centre & Mart is emerging as the center for World trade with a modern, large, integrated and multipurpose exhibition & convention center. We look forward to supporting the event and participating in the upcoming edition of bauma CONEXPO INDIA 2023”.

ICEMA is pleased to continue its partnership and long-standing

cooperation with bauma CONEXPO INDIA aimed at bringing industry stakeholders together to network, explore business opportunities and showcase latest innovations, said Mr. Dimitrov Krishnan, President, ICEMA & Managing Director, Volvo CE India.

He mentioned that this platform will enable the industry to exchange insights & best practices with their counterparts.

An exposure to the vast product offerings from the Indian CE industry will encourage higher mechanization levels in the Indian construction sector and will also help develop a robust manufacturing ecosystem in the country.

This initiative will strengthen India's position as a major potential exporter of construction equipment to global markets.

With its next edition in 2023, the focus will be on future trends, latest innovations and new projects in the construction, building materials and mining machinery industries.

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News Buzz

January 2022

India Mattresstech + Upholstery Supplies Expo (IME) 2022 Rescheduled To 2 – 5 June, 2022 he 6th edition of INDIA MATTRESSTECH + UPHOLSTERY SUPPLIES EXPO (IME) International Trade Fair for Mattress and Upholstery Production Technology, Machinery, Supplies, Production Tools and Accessories, colocated with INDIAWOOD will now take place from 2 – 5 June, 2022.

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Considering the current situation arising out of Covid, especially Omicron, a conscious and measured decision has been taken to reschedule the event dates. The new dates also present the best possible opportunity for business and networking, not only within the Indian Industry but also with overseas exhibitors and visitors.

“The India Mattresstech Expo is the only dedicated exhibition in the country

for mattress and upholstery production technology, machinery and supplies. The Industry is on a robust growth trajectory and we are looking forward to a great edition”, said Sonia Prashar, Managing Director and Chairperson of the Management Board, NürnbergMesse India.

Sivakumar Venugopal, Group Director, NürnbergMesse India shares, “India’s overall mattress market has grown at a CAGR of above 11 percent over the last five years. There has been a paradigm

shift in terms of consumer awareness not just in the metros, but across cities and small towns in India.The changing market dynamics due to the pandemic and increased ecommerce adoption are expected to further drive the growth of this Industry. Meet all leading players from the mattress production technology only at IME”.

INDIAWOOD- International Trade Fair for Furniture Production Technologies, Woodworking Machinery, Tools, Fittings, Accessories, Raw Materials and Product will also now take place from 2 – 6 June, 2022 concurrent to IME.

Proud To Be

Federation of Exhibition & Convention Associations

Official Media Partner Showcasing The World of Exhibitions & Conventions

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News Buzz

January 2022

The India Pavilion Highlights MICE Segments To Boost Tourism At Expo 2020 Dubai wo special sessions were held at the India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which conducted 'Tourism Fortnight,' to promote sustainable tourism and the MICE market in the country. The sessions themed 'Tourism at Crossroads Mainstreaming sustainability for the future of tourism' and 'Meet in India: Emerging Hub for Business and Social Events' were attended by key officials from the Ministry of Tourism, government of India, as well as industry professionals, this week.

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Moderated by Amaresh Tiwari, Vice Chairman, ICPB, the session was virtually addressed by Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, and Chairman, India Convention Promotion Bureau.

"MICE industry is an important contributor to national economies as it contributes to income generation and creates huge employment opportunities, provides an impetus to hospitality services including sectors like accommodation, food and beverages, convention services, transportation, tourism, and entertainment," Verma said during the session titled "Meet in India: Emerging Hub for Business and Social Events."

India has superb convention and hospitality infrastructure, unrivalled cultural and natural attractions, and a rapidly growing economy, all of which contribute to the country's emergence as a corporate and social event hub."

He went on to say that, given its rapid economic expansion and increased demand from consumers and industry destinations, India is a very appealing market for exhibitions.

Wedding tourism

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growth of MICE industry. The shortterm goal of the Ministry is to enhance India's share in MICE business to two per cent from the current share of approximately one per cent to promote the growth of MICE industry in the country.”

Tourism at crossroads

Another crucial sector that Verma highlighted is that of Wedding Tourism.

He said: “Wedding is another important niche area which is growing rapidly, many destinations in the country are emerging as wedding destinations and industry is getting more organised.”

Talking about the roadmap of MICE Tourism in India, Verma said: “Ministry of Tourism is working on the strategy to position India as a MICE destination in the world and a hub of mega conferences and exhibitions. It is working towards creating enabling conditions and institutional framework at the central, state and city level for the

Addressing the session, 'Tourism at Crossroads – Mainstreaming sustainability for future of tourism', Rao said: “Tourism is one of the important sectors globally as it provides almost 1113 per cent of employment globally, and ranges between 7-9 per cent of the GDP of many countries. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has clearly defined guidelines for Sustainable Tourism which are to conserve government resources, protect biodiversity while respecting resources of the cultures, benefiting the local communities and to address the needs and benefits of the tourism industry.”

He added that planning is an important aspect of urbanisation that must be carefully addressed in order for future generations to thrive.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Associa on News

January 2022

ASSOCIATION

CORPORATE BUZZ

LATEST NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF ASSOCIATIONS & CORPORATE

Rubber Industry Association AIRIA Elects Sawar Dhanania As President across all the sectors and trades of the country. AIRIA has already faced some major hurdles in the way and also overcame them successfully, but it is felt this is the just time to increase our exports in manifold through focussing on the new products and specific countries with handsome opportunities for exports.”

uring its annual general meeting held on 29th December, 2021, the All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) had unanimously elected Dr. Sawar Dhanania as President.

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Shashi Kumar Singh is elected as Sr. Vice President, and Vipan Mehta as Vice President. Commenting on the occasion Dr. Dhanania said “AIRIA is an esteemed organisation which stood at the helm for 75 years from its establishment, being sincerely committed to stand by the side of the rubber goods manufacturers and the

developments for the rubber sector in the country.

The call of our Prime Minister is to realise Atma Nirbhar Bharat, making our nation self-sufficient and sustaining

He highlighted the need to explore the potentials for rubber goods manufacturing activities as well as rubber plantation in the North Eastern part of the country industry to the members.

MG Motor India And ACMA Forge An Alliance To Promote Skill Development In The EV Component industry G Motor India has joined hands with the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) with a vision to educate and foster skill development in the EV component industry.

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ACMA will conduct a study on ZS EV to promote skill development in the component segment, syncing with the alliance's objective of supporting the development of the EV ecosystem. It will work in tandem with IIT Sonipat to further its research on the deployment of electric vehicles in urban India.

Commenting on the announcement, Rajeev Chaba, MG Motor India (President and MD), said, “MG Motor and ACMA will

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collaboratively add value to the EV component industry by imparting education and skill development to create a futureready workforce.

The alliance is also aligned with MG's vision of CASE mobility, learning & skill development, and overall commitment to strengthening the EV ecosystem.”

Sunjay J Kapur, President, ACMA said “We are grateful to MG Motor for providing us with this opportunity. A future-ready workforce for

manufacturing electric vehicles is the need of the hour and this collaboration will help the auto component makers in upskilling themselves and remaining relevant.”The association is in line with MG's vision to support and develop the ecosystem for the electric vehicle.

Previously, MG had formed an alliance with IIT Delhi – Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) for similar research.

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M I C E Showcase

Cover Story

January 2022

In Conversation With Igor Palka, MD, VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacic Co. Ltd. “Efciency and precision have driven me for a very long time based on my German origin, with a growing pinch of exibility on processes and procedures, which I’ve particularly learned in India. So artistically, the Taj Mahal is a beautiful and meaningful symbol for me as it represents not only some of my core values but also reminds me of my exciting time in India, where I grew personally and professionally a lot.”

ES. As the new Managing Director for VNU's business in Southeast Asia, how are you planning for your onboarding process and what are your goals and vision for the company?

Igor Palka. Due to the current restrictions, I am having a hybrid onboarding process, firstly digitally with all internal stakeholders and team members and from the second week onwards in face-to-face meetings. For me, it is of huge importance to understand the regional and cultural differences and opportunities very fast by talking with my team and clients. Additionally, I want to get to know everyone very quickly and come up with new ideas and and a clear direction for the company as a guidance for the team. Ultimately, the short-term goals are to bring the trade fairs on the showfloor again, understanding the current and future requirements and wishes of our clients and in the mid- and longterm growing our existing shows by size and the organization by adding more to the entire portfolio.

ES. Please tell us about your introduction to the exhibition industry. Can you share with us the experiences and achievements that shaped your journey as a successful leader within this industry?

Igor Palka. Simply put, I’ve been only working in the exhibition industry so far. After graduating from school I ended up as a student with one leading German trade fair organizer where I had the chance to get to know the beauty and diversity of trade shows.

With the same organization, for which I worked in total almost 18 years, I had the chance to travel, work abroad and in several different industry sectors, meet many

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Cover Story

January 2022

different colleagues, friends and customers from around the world. The biggest achievements can be considered my 4year tenure in India with several huge trade fairs conducted year-on-year and the time back in my former headquarter where I could grow a show-portfolio from 2 to 5 events within 4 years. The most recent chapter is surely related to the high adaptability and to new, especially digital, formats, which I was contributing additional to my role in order to generate further business.

ES. Can you share with us the success stories of your shows? What makes a successful show in your eyes?

Igor Palka. The success stories can be told at best by our customers, the exhibitors and visitors. Their satisfaction is our satisfaction. Having received the right amount of contacts, leads, engagement, even deals versus the overall investment for the trade fair is eventually what we are being measured by. Especially with tighter budgets and a competitive trade show market, standing out with your own event, becomes a constant driver to exceed expectations.

Additionally, my opinion is, that the success of a show can be measured by achieving the right quality and completeness of attendance looking at the entire value chain of a show topic, meaning that, if you manage bringing all important stakeholders of a particular domain to the show floor and enable the right matchmaking between the right target audiences, you have successfully created a platform which should be fruitful to its participants.

ES. Influence has long been a requirement for successful leadership. What artistic influences have you kept with you

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the longest?

Igor Palka. Efficiency and precision have driven me for a very long time based on my German origin, with a growing pinch of flexibility on processes and procedures, which I’ve particularly learned in India. So artistically, the Taj Mahal is a beautiful and meaningful symbol for me as it represents not only some of my core values but also reminds me of my exciting time in India, where I grew personally and professionally a lot.

ES. How many other projects do you expect to launch in the coming years? Do you have any other expansion plans?

Igor Palka. At the moment, there are many ideas on the table, however we need to monitor the current situation carefully and eventually start delivering our trade fairs first.

Some of our shows are new launches, which couldn’t happen yet in a physical form.

In total we are planning 19 trade shows and event formats both online and face-to-face platforms including brands from the AgriTech, Animal Husbandry, Animal Companion, Food, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, 5G and IoT and Disaster Resilience industries. Those topics will be very exciting to witness and see growing. But I foresee, the consolidation-phase turning into a rapid growth-phase again, where we will seek to add new verticals and shows, not only in Thailand but the entire ASEAN market.

ES. As we wrap up the unprecedented 2020-2021, we are looking forward to the year 2022 with great hopes. What are your expectations for 2022?

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Cover Story

January 2022

Igor Palka. The expectations are optimistic-realistic by seeing more and more exhibitions returning to its original face-to-face format with additional digital extensions. I expect the first exhibitions in 2022 still having a certain regional limitation when it comes to its physical attendance, but I strongly believe, that we will welcome more and more international participants on our platforms towards the end of the year again. With less restrictions globally, I do hope, that we can look into running a full show-calendar without major disruption, satisfy our loyal customers and welcome them back year-on-year.

ES. South East Asia is one of the most important growth drivers of the global economy. According to you, what key trends are emerging in the MICE industry?

Igor Palka. South East Asia is indeed a very fascinating region with a very inspiring tradition and very rich cultural diversity.

Hence, it is immensely interesting to conduct trade fairs in these markets, as we have here a rather young and growing, culturalinspired and digitalsavvy population with a constantly increasing economic growth, despite regional or momentary lows.

But the investment in new exhibition venues such as the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center with approx.

2,80,000 sqm is clearly an introduction into a new era of MICE in this region. Such modern and attractive venues in combination with the right industry-focused exhibitions will attract pan-regional attendance to our locations and further strengthen the economic development of the ASEAN market. Alone the market value of the MICE industry in Asia Pacific is forecasted to reach $ 440bn in the upcoming years.

ES. What are your current goals and how they align with your strategy and current business environment?

Igor Palka. My current goals are definitely to regain past strength and size by organizing numerous trade fairs, which

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are now planned for a rather-long period. Additionally, I am very passionate about the region and diverse markets here in South East Asia, hence my ambition is to create more and more meaningful and successful platforms in several industrial sectors and become one of the leading trade show organizations in this part of the world. With my very passionate and well-experienced team, we are already on the very best way to realize my first mission, with more to come in the next years.

ES. What has the pandemic taught us about the current state of the exhibition industry? What plans do you have in regards to preventive measures to take with the rise of Omicron?

Igor Palka. The pandemic has taught us to embrace change and to higher adaptability of new and constantly changing circumstances.

Weeks and months of planning can be repeatidly frustrating, when new restrictions do not allow a safe and succesful trade fair execution.

However, I do believe, that there are many preventive measures in place, which we can see being followed all around the world, which allow us to travel safely and conduct our business-related trade fairs without any risk in our favourable destinations. We as an international organization will always seek for the highest standards in terms of quality and service orientation, which definitely also applies tot he health and safety regulations before, during and after an exhibition.

ES. What message would you like to share with us?

Igor Palka. I thank Exhibition Showace to giving me the opportunity sharing my thoughts through this interview and I do welcome every single reader to VNU’s trade fairs in Utrecht, China and of course the entire Asia Pacific region.

I’d be glad to see some familiar faces at our trade fairs soon again.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022

“

I’m honored that IAEE has trusted me with this responsibility, and I believe that with challenge comes opportunity and change. I don’t expect it to be easy, but I am an optimist, and believe that if we work together as an industry, we will gure out how to thrive.

CARRIE FERENAC Chairperson, IAEE

“

ES. Taking on this role at a time when the global industry is undergoing turmoil, how does it feel to be in this position?

What would be on your list of priorities before stepping into this position?

Carrie Ferenac. I’m honored that IAEE has trusted me with this responsibility, and I believe that with challenge comes opportunity and change. I don’t expect it to be easy, but I am an optimist, and believe that if we work together as an industry, we will figure out how to thrive.

ES. The year has been an unprecedented one for businesses across the world in recent human memory. What is your way of looking at the situation?

Carrie Ferenac. When I gave my speech at Expo Expo, I quoted a scene from Ted Lasso. I Believe. I believe the exhibitions and events industry drives the economy, and I believe in IAEE. It’s a community you cannot find any where else. To succeed in challenging times, we have to find new ways to do things. It’s about staying curious, and showing up.

I believe that our industry is resilient, and that together, we can evolve.

ES. Please tell us about your professional journey. What milestones did you reach on your way to the top which stands

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out as the most significant?

Carrie Ferenac. Like so many of us, I ‘fell into’ this industry.

I spent more than a decade as a broadcast journalist for WESH-TV in Orlando. I was a newscast producer, and then an Executive Producer for many years. When I left that position, I was freelancing when I was asked to produce content for a trade publication in the aviation industry (Aviation Industry News).

We traveled to airshows producing AIN-TV. It was my first foray into tradeshows and events. From there, I met my business partner, Marcelo Zolessi, and we saw a need for content at events in other industry, and CNTV was born.

Early on, we worked with Bill Peeper, who ran the Orlando CVB for many years. Bill connected us to IAEE, PCMA, and Tradeshow Executive, which turned out to be instrumental in our growth. I joined committees, volunteered, attended events, and was asked to join the board in 2017. I’ll always appreciate the people who helped us learn about the industry, and helped us get to where we are today.

ES. Is there anything you can forecast when it comes to the trends shaping the world of trade shows?

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022 name it, there’s a way to connect.

A third trend is reskilling/upskilling the workforce Organizations need to shift and adapt quickly to consumer demands for on-demand content, a truly integrated digital experience and creating a personalized experience for each user. Our team members need to understand the changing digital landscape and be educated with the professional skillset needed to adapt. We lived this at CNTV, and it’s vital to not only survive, but to thrive.

ES. What are the top three major challenges surrounding the industry?

Carrie Ferenac. I rely on data from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research to predict the future. CEIR’s economist has forecasted that the US B2B exhibitions industry will reach pre-covid (2019) levels. Since each trade show has unique , organizers and their teams have to continue to be agile depending on their individual industry.

One trend in the industry is Omnichannel marketing There is a new focus on delivering a consistent message across all channels – whether in person, or online.

Multichannel has been in place for many years, but now the role of marketing has never been more important.

With the close relationship of the marketing and sales functions in a company, not only have the marketing people had to find new ways to connect, sales teams have had to rethink the value propositions for their products. Selling in different environments requires a different way of thinking and positioning based on whether they are communicating in-person, through video or live streaming during digital events.

The second trend is an increased emphasis on the 365 community Now, the annual event is only one stop along a year-round journey. Gone are the days where we can produce an amazing event, do business, then start planning for next year.

Now, we have to engage our stakeholders throughout the year. The idea of community now is to create touchpoints through multiple channels all year long. People expect to be connected, and to do business at any time. IAEE is doing that through Memberlink, Buzz Sessions, Market Hub, Chapter MeetUps, CEIR Research, Working Groups… you

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Carrie Ferenac. I think the largest challenge we face is uncertainty. It’s so difficult to plan for the future, when things are continually in a state of flux. At CNTV, we are trying to help our customers by being flexible, and willing to change as conditions change. That’s not always easy, but it’s necessary in these uncertain times. Another challenge is a lack of consumer confidence. For people to attend tradeshows and events, they need to feel confident to travel.

As COVID cases surge, there may be a lack of confidence in some sectors. This is where advocacy comes in. We need to make sure people know they can meet safely, and that health and safety are top priorities for destinations and organizers.

We also need to continue to emphasize that exhibitions mean business. If companies cut their travel budgets, it’s negative for tradeshows… but it’s also negative for those companies. I believe people need to see, feel and experience new products in order to buy them, and that happens on the tradeshow floor. The third challenge I see is rebuilding our workforce. Hiring is difficult now as so many people moved out of this space. We need to reach out to a younger audience, and find ways to reskill those who are willing to learn.

ES. What in your view are the current opportunities in this sector?

Carrie Ferenac. I think the largest opportunity is to reach new people. With the emergence of hybrid events, show oragnizers can now expand their reach exponentially. What used to be a regional event, could include people from other counties logging on to a virtual platform. Speakers can be zoomed in from anywhere in the world, and sponsors can expand their reach to potential customers.

ES. In a world of accelerated change, how have you used the crisis as a catalyst and have accelerated the change to boost your business in the coming years?

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022

Carrie Ferenac. At CNTV, we were committed to innovation and never stopped evolving. We came up with new formats to deliver content and tell stories for our clients. In 2020, we switched completely to virtual events, created a platform, and trained our teams to produce content remotely. Now, we are positioned to work with our clients face-to-face, virtually, or in a hybrid capacity. The pandemic also served as an opportunity for CNTV to be a trusted partner committed to generating revenue for clients. At a time where it was more critical than ever for organizations to diversify revenue streams, we were alongside them and asking questions to understand business needs. This allowed us to present opportunities to produce even more custom solutions and year-round content to keep everyone moving forward.

for the first time into repeat attendees. I believe hybrid

ES. As well, you are involved with the ECA Legislative Action Day and the Exhibition Means Business campaign.

Please tell us about your role in promoting these two activities and how they benefit the industry?

ES. On another note, what do you enjoy the most about your work? Please share your hobbies, what keeps you busy when you are away from work?

Carrie Ferenac. I served for several years as the IAEE Advocacy committee chair and worked closely with the committee. It is important to surround yourself with others that are passionate about your views and that is what we did for many years on this committee before EMB moved under the Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance in February 2021.

We have built a strong network of advocates over the years and use their influence and networking to spread the word about issues affecting the US exhibitions industry at the local, state and federal level.

In addition to making a difference on the legislative level, there are so many ways to be an advocate. To me, advocacy is believing in something. Advocating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is believing in social change. Advocating for sustainable tradeshows is believing in the environment.

Focusing on the women’s leadership initiatives is believing in equal rights and equal pay. I think it’s vital for people to get involved, and advocate for what they believe in.

approaches are here to stay and as an industry - we shouldn’t shy away from that. It doesn’t cannibalize a live event audience, it enables those who can’t attend in person to get involved. Hybrid events also create even more revenue opportunities through sponsorship. For sponsors, they are now able to reach both in-person and online participants.

There’s incredible value in that. Hybrid events are also great for year-round content that you can use for marketing. We’re always reminding clients that any time we capture content on site or virtually, we are able to repurpose it throughout the year to continue to drive engagement and their business forward.

Carrie Ferenac. I enjoy the people. There is nothing like seeing industry friends at Expo Expo, and reconnecting.

These are people who have been through hell the past two years, and somehow still find a way to smile. I also really believe in the power of face-to-face meetings. People do business with people they know, and trust, and we build that trust by meeting in person. Outside of work, I love being on the water. I’m a Florida girl, so I enjoy the beach, the sunshine, and fishing. My favorite vacation is on the southwest coast of Florida with my husband and three kids.

ES. Is there anything else you would like to add as we wrap up? Any message that you would like to share with us for the fraternity?

Carrie Ferenac. I hope people will BELIEVE in the power of exhibitions and events, SHOW UP by volunteering and being an advocate, and BE CURIOUS as we embrace change for the future.

ES. How has CNTV been instrumental in helping clients reach a global audience and connect people who are unable to attend their events? How do you view hybrid as a solution in post-pandemic scenarios?

Carrie Ferenac. At CNTV, we believe in the power of connections. That is key whether those connections are inperson or online. One silver lining is the increased adoption of hybrid events has made attending them easier than ever before. It has opened a door to reach new audiences, too.

The key is producing dynamic and compelling content, especially so you can turn the audiences you may be reaching

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022

“This year we will focus on the major pillars of the program while the event is taking place: the Fresh Produce Forum, Future Lab, Logistics Hub, Tech Stage and the Start-Up Day on the third day of the fair. And, not to forget, the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award, which will once again present the ten most exciting innovations of the past year. The World of Fresh Ideas on the day before the fair begins will not take place in 2022.”

In Conversation With Kai Mangelberger, Director, Fruit Logistica ES. Please tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

Kai Mangelberger. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the trade fair and event industry. For the past six years I was the Deputy Director for InnoTrans, the leading international trade fair for transport technology. What it takes to be successful in this industry? Identify trends and new developments in the industry and include them in the trade show and to be able to react quickly, creatively and flexibly to new challenges whenever they occur. And that is also what I enjoy so much about my job.

ES. Many industry events have now been able to take place as physical events in many parts of the world. Why have you decided to postpone the dates for FRUIT LOGISTICA? What will be your main focus on the 2022 event?

Kai Mangelberger. The feedback from the fresh fruit industry is clear: We asked our exhibitors and trade visitors, and an overwhelming majority wants FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022 to be a physical event here in Berlin.

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That's why this year's motto is “Meet onsite again“. We expect that the situation will begin to alleviate in February.

The new dates make it possible to hold a FRUIT LOGISTICA that will pay off for our international guests and exhibitors. We look forward to hosting people from around the world once more under better circumstances.

ES. How FRUIT LOGISTICA covers every single sector of the fresh produce business and provides a complete picture of the latest innovations, products and services at every link in the international supply chain?

Kai Mangelberger. Based on the current registration rate, we're expecting over 2,000 exhibitors from 80 countries.

But FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022 will not only be very international but will also reflect the entire value added chain for fresh produce across 25 halls, from producers to the point of sale, as well as key players in the industry.

ES. Please throw some light on Tech Stage forum.

Kai Mangelberger. Without the right technology, even the best product may end up losing half its value. That's why on

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022

the first two days of the trade show several exhibitors will be presenting interesting technical solutions on the Tech Stage.

A wide range of areas will be represented: from cultivation equipment and post-harvest technical systems, via packaging technology and processing technology to bulk containers and tracking systems. This year for the first time there will be a new format specifically for digital topics that's called Smart Agri. In this way, FRUIT LOGISTICA aims to promote the release of innovation potential for the digital transformation of the fruit and vegetable sector.

ES. What do you think World of Fresh Ideas will offer to those people in the fresh fruit and vegetable business who would normally attend FRUIT LOGISTICA in Berlin?

Kai Mangelberger. This year we will focus on the major pillars of the program while the event is taking place: the Fresh Produce Forum, Future Lab, Logistics Hub, Tech Stage and the Start-Up Day on the third day of the fair. And, not to forget, the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award, which will once again present the ten most exciting innovations of the past year. The World of Fresh Ideas on the day before the fair begins will not take place in 2022.

ES. People may be wondering what the future holds for Fruit Logistica itself now that the FRUIT LOGISTICA has been postponed from February to April, a point in time when the world's leading fresh produce trade fair should be safer.

What are your expectations for the next few months, and what predictions can you make about the future of the event?

Kai Mangelberger. That's right! FRUIT LOGISTICA is the leading trade show for the global fresh produce business.

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And we will do everything in our power to remain true to this claim in the interests of our customers. That's what drives us.

From 5 to 7 April, you will meet the best in the global fresh produce trade. You will receive the best insights, get to know the best innovations and benefit from the best networking opportunities. Simply put, you will be able to do the best business!

ES. Could you please highlight some points of the new entry regulations of FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022? Do you think new entry regulations will negatively affect the show?

Kai Mangelberger. Due to the current regulation situation, only fully vaccinated or recovered participants will be granted access to FRUIT LOGISTICA until further notice. Even if this means that not everyone can participate, it contributes to the overall safety of the event.

ES. What key trends are emerging in the global fresh fruit industry?

Kai Mangelberger. I see three key trends: the issue of sustainability, especially with regard to cultivation, packaging and transport. Also, the impact of the climate crisis on producers and, finally, the topic of digitalization. All of these trends will be addressed in the FRUIT LOGISTICA supporting program.

ES. In my spare time I like to…?

Kai Mangelberger. I am determined after FRUIT LOGISTICA in April to make up for all the vacations that had to be cancelled and spend some quality time with my family.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022

Being On IEIA Board, It Provides A Great Opportunity For Networking With big brands. Its A Recognition Of Holding Exhibitions In Tier-2 Cities In Conversation With Rajkumar Agrawal, Managing Director, Indore Infoline Pvt. Ltd. We have served 2500+ exhibitors and 2,00,000+ trade visitors through our 50+ exhibitions in last one decade. Each show generates multiple opportunities for MSME and local industries.

ES. Indore Infoline Private Limited has been started in year 1998, how would you describe your organisation?

Rajkumar Agrawal. Indoline Infoline is one of the leading exhibition organizers in the central india, providing the industry with a platform to connect with buyers and sellers.

To the best of our abilities, we have an inherent duty to contribute to nation building. Until now, we had concentrated our shows in Tier 2 cities, providing visitors and exhibitors with a high-quality infrastructure. It provides exposure to local industries, particularly MSME, allowing them to gain confidence, grow, and compete. We are gradually expanding into metro areas. In the last decade, we have served 2500+ exhibitors and 2,00,000+ trade visitors through 50+ shows. Each exhibition creates a plethora of prospects, particularly for MSME and local industries, resulting in the growth of a traders market in these locations for many national and international manufacturers and suppliers. Indore Infoline has played a critical role in the development of various cities in Central India.

ES. Could you provide the readers with a bit more about your early life and career?

Rajkumar Agrawal. We have started our organisation from the scratch. Previously, from 1991 to 1994, I worked at Larsen & Toubro, where I learnt about multi national companies' work cultures. Then I decided to create my own business and work for myself, rather than being a job seeker - I became a job creator. Previously, everything was a battle to set up and run the firm. The only mantra for success is determination and commitment to the job, honesty, and

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hard effort. There is no shortcut way to success. During my journey, I did not hesitate to take on any task that came my way. You should be ready to face all kinds of challenges if you are into business.

You work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Keep in mind that you must be prepared to perform the duties of your colleagues or employees.

ES. What was the objective behind statring publication of "Infoline yellow Pages." Please share with us how has your organisation been instrumental in providing quality information about the cities of Madhya Pradesh on a click?

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022

Rajkumar Agrawal. The major goal of starting to publish "Infoline Yellow Pages" was to provide helpful business information to users for day-to-day ease. Those were the days when the only way to receive accurate information about different businesses in any city was to consult the Yellow Pages. We are pioneer in publishing multicolour yellow pages from year 2000. We began printing Yellow Pages in Indore and quickly expanded to include Bhopal, Raipur, Jabalapur, Gwalior, Nagpur, and other Central Indian cities. From 2003 to 2006, we were the first to deliver the BSNL Telephone Directory on CD ROM including yellow pages for Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh BSNL. Obtaining any BSNL telephone number on CD in any city was a unique concept at the time.We have also published many industrial and sector specific directory publications.

The databases which we collected while publishing the directories in every city became our asset and motivated us to start the exhibitions.Yellow pages print usage gradually started declining with both advertisers and shoppers as majority of people started turning to Internet search engines and online directories. 2014 onward, we stopped publishing directory and Yellow pages. However, our online directory is available on bharatinfoline.com.

ES. You have organized specialty business shows for the past decade, and your company has created an exhibition brand well known across the country, which has a solid visitor database. How do you explain this success?

Rajkumar Agrawal. Our exhibitions are a window to new world of growth and expansions in every city where we operate. Generating employment, turning the whole city to talk business and change in thought process. This success journey was not at all easy as it took us more than 20 years of dedication and hard work. Few years back when we were publishing yellow pages we had a huge database through which we started connecting with people in different cities for exhibitions. Our database of exhibitors and visitors is a very big asset to us. This is how we stepped into Tier 2 cities of

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India and still working hard. We are able to draw the attention of investors to invest in these places as well as creating investment opportunity for many units.

We started our first edition of National Expo (Steel & Power) in Raipur in year 2009 and successfully organised 11 editions till date, organised every year. Raipur is a steel city and we are catalysts in industrial automation in these industries. We also worked hard to improve the environment in these cities.

Then, we organised Industrial & Engineering Expo (Indexpo) in Indore, Nagpur, Jamshedpur, Hyderbad, Nashik, Aurangabad, Jaipur, Kolkata. Already organised 50+ exhibitions in these cities. These industrial exhibitions have provided a great push in industrial automation, employment generation, exposure to latest technology and most important energised the industry and people. These exhibitions have also developed MSME sector in these cities by providing a market.

ES. Could you please give us some information about your Expo Journey? Who all are your associates?

What are the major events that you will be organising in the near future?

Rajkumar Agrawal. The journey from 2009 to 2022 was a mixture of challenges, hard work, dedication and patience. According to a popular saying, planning an event isn't so easy, but a successful event planner always prepares for the unexpected. Initially, people will resist any change but over a time they accept you.

We undertake a thorough research before entering into any city to understand the requirements of industry, segment and potential. Most important taking the support of trade associations, collecting industry data and compilation. We have been associated with many trade associations like Urla Industries Association, MIA Industries Association, FIEO, COSIA, ASSOCHAM, AIAI, AIMP, PAS, AIIFA and many other associations. Our exhibitions are also approved by MSME Ministry and approved by NSIC. These exhibitions are being held under the most difficult conditions possible on the ground. There are no fixed

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

January 2022 Electricals, Interior & Exteriors, Building Materials, Fashion,Toys, Automobiles, and more than 100 sectors.

Now, there are good facilities available like aluminium hangers, octonorm booths , carpets, lights, electricity in these locations. But there are challenges also like uncertainty, permission hurdles, lack of permanent venues and also stall booth fabricators. Most important ground facilities like toilets/ waste disposal/ branding agencies impose a great issue in these ground venues. Ÿ

There is also a very big market for events like

locations. As a result, organising ground exhibition is extremely difficult. There are so many administrative permissions that are required.Our vision for future is to organise world class exhibitions in India. Bringing together all B class cities on a common platform.

Ÿ

Business networking, investment opportunities, exposure to latest technologies and employment generation for youth. To connect with 50+ cities of the country in next 5 years for their business requirement particularly for industries. 10,000 + exhibitors and 50,00,000 + visitors under our umbrella.

We can be facilitator or coordinator for exhibition organisers to organise more exhibitions in these cities by providing them guidance. These Tier-2 Cities have tremendous potential for business and exhibitions.

marriages in these cities.

Being on IEIA Board, it provides a great opportunity for networking with Big Brands, Its an recognition of doing a job in Tier-2 cities for exhibitions.

ES. What are some of the challenges and advantages for organising a trade show in B cities? How have you adapted to the new reality of the meetings industry, which is much more digital and hybrid?

Rajkumar Agrawal. Primarily, we are into industrial exhibitions in these Tier- 2 cities. But there is a great opportunity in other sectors also like Agro Exhibitions, Food Processing Machineries, Printing and Packaging, Logistics, Garments, Consumers Electronics,

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Message

January 2022

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT SUNIL MORE INDIAN EXIBITIONS, CONFERENCES & EVENTS SERVICES ASSOCIATION

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that?

We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that light of tomorrow will remove the darkness of today!

Dear friends, Greetings from IESA - the Association of service providers to the Exhibitions, Events and Conferences Industry! You will agree with me that we were experiencing a welcome change in the prospects for our industry as the CoVid cases were reduced to a manageable levels during the past couple of months. In fact, we saw a number of Shows talking place during the month of December 2021.

However, the CoVid situation which was improving till MidDecember 2021, suddenly worsened with new strains of virus spreading at an alarming 33 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

rate resulting in cancellations and postponement of some Shows planned during January - February 2022. While we are wondering about the future of the industry, directing our energies in different directions and particularly expecting some hope from the Government, we see that the Government is more seized with the problem of keeping ready the infrastructure to contain the outburst of the pandemic.

Even though we continue to look upto the external support system like the Government initiatives, we must remember that the industry can expect revival only when the CoVid situation visibly eases out. Medical experts are assuring us that the present wave will be short-lived and most probably the situation will be normal by end February 2022. If

this comes true, we need to hang on for another couple of months before the events start happening again and considering the very limited options available in our hands, I believe that we need to revisit our strategies for survival and continue to concentrate on internal solutions instead of external help. The solutions are not new but they need to be religiously tried so as to remain afloat. Business restructuring, inventory management, strategic alliances, bottom line trimming are some amongst them. There will be more as you know your business better. Friends, we all have shown great resilience and courage to continue in this business during these trying times.

My humble suggestion to our Industry stalwarts, colleagues and all is not to lose heart at this juncture and hope for the better.

Let us keep our fingers crossed for a better tomorrow.

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IESA Shining Stars

January 2022

Team Expro Has Shown The Audacity To Overcome All Odds At The Time Of This Pandemic ES. As one of India's leading event and exhibition infrastructure set-up and services firms with an uninterrupted history of service to clients, what makes Expro a leader in this field?

Vipul Agarwal. Expro has always thrived upon the VIPUL AGARWAL motto of Serving with Managing Partner, Expro Events & Exhibits integrity & smile. Our honest approach towards our clients, may it be delivering the most challenging of projects - on time & without compromising on quality, being always there with the client, understanding their challenges & always more then ready to come with solutions, bringing new technologies ……Expro has always scored. We always serve with a smile & honest intention & the fact that we have the history of retaining our clients, years after years, vouch for our strength.

ES. Could you please describe in detail some of the projects that your company recently completed following the pandemic? What were some of the challenges you faced in conducting and managing these projects?

Vipul Agarwal. Honestly speaking, projects were not many during this period. We however did quite a few events for Ministry of Minority Affairs apart from doing projects relating to retail. The main challenge we felt was the schedule of events was not organised due to the Pandemic. Same were getting finalised at a short notices depending upon the restrictions coming in place. In addition to this, even during the event running period or last few days of the set up, there was always an uncertainty of the same getting cancelled. In

fact we faced significant loses due to many of our events getting re-scheduled or cancelled at a very late stage.

ES. What are some key services offered by Expro Events & Exhibits for Events, Exhibition and Warehousing?

Vipul Agarwal. Expro covers all verticals of the Exhibition Industry, right from providing Complete infra solutions for the event of any scale, PAN India to it’s management. We have off late entered into Retail with some interesting solutions.

ES. In light of the epidemiological situation in times to come being favourable, what upcoming projects do you plan for this year? How has your company adapting to the new normal?

Vipul Agarwal. We have quite a few events lined up coming March onwards.They are ranging from various events from our regular clients which were earlier re-scheduled to a few new interesting ones. We as a team now have done various internal meetings &deliberations as to how to adjust to the new normal & are fully geared up for up-coming events.

ES. In your view, what challenges have engulfed this sector, and what solutions would you suggest to overcome them?

Vipul Agarwal. Our sector, for reason best known to the decision makers, surprisingly was always the first to be banned & the last to be opened. Since most of our expenditure like salaries to the team, warehousing rentals etc are fixed, we have somehow being surviving on our capital which now is almost eroded. This I feel is across the board, may it be Service provider, Event Organisor or Venue owner, survival is the challenge. The only solution is, it’s high time Government & the decision makers understand our plight & events are allowed to happen henceforth.

EXPRO TEAM

Mukul Agarwal Managing Partner

Tushar Agarwal Business Development Head

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Mehul Agarwal Head of Business Development

Tanya Agarwal

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IESA Shining Stars

January 2022

COMMENTS ON INDIAN EXIBITIONS, CONFERENCES & EVENTS SERVICES ASSOCIATION (IESA) IESA has really helped in bringing the service provider fraternity together. People involved in this industry know each other better than before. They have a common platform now, where to address their grievances & we have some able & experienced personalities on board like Mr. More, our President to work on the prevalent challenges at appropriate platforms

TEAM EXPRO'S WORK IN PICTURES

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

January 2022

Message

Message From UFI President

Monica Lee-müller President UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry few weeks ago, our industry took the stage at COP26, at the Global Climate Summit. I had the honour to take part in the presentation and launch of the “Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge”.

Unfortunately, I could not travel to be in Glasgow in person and had to give my comments remotely from Hong Kong, even though I personally felt the importance of this moment.

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Think about it – a group of leaders from our industry: organisers, venues, suppliers. From all around the world.

Representing exhibitions, conferences, corporate and e-sports events. Big corporates and small entrepreneurs.

On the global stage, in dialogue with the United Nations about the biggest challenge we face – climate change.

Being heard. Having a say.

Often, we find ourselves in conversation about the number of visitors and hotel nights. For years, we

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had wanted to get “a seat at the table”, to add our voice to conversations about business opportunities, intellectual power and insights that our events can bring to a destination.

Now – here we are. As a global industry, we can even make a difference in the global issue of climate change. This is solid testament to tireless work done by many across our sector, to re-define what exhibitions and business events represent, and what our role as an industry is.

When I spoke to all of you in Rotterdam, I said that I will focus on driving collaboration with others across our industry where it matters. The “Joint Meetings Industry Council” (JMIC) is one. UFI Managing Director/CEO Kai Hattendorf has been chairing this global umbrella organisation that brings together the leading industry associations for the past two years, and he will stay on the

board for the next term as well. Kai has reported here and elsewhere repeatedly about JMIC’s important achievements. One of the most crucial is of course the “Net Zero Carbon Events” project. I wish to personally thank Kai and all the members of the UFI team who have been involved in this to ensure the pledge is ready on time!

Glasgow showed what we can achieve as an industry when we work together, and the active role UFI can play.

Having been “there” also gives me confidence that we will be able to follow up on the pledge – to encourage even more UFI members and other businesses to sign up, and, more importantly, to turn the pledge into action NOW. Let this be my wish for our industry for the new year 2022! And let me wish all of you health, happiness, and success!

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Insights

January 2022

Virtual Events In 2022: 10 Of The Best Hosting Platforms Event marketers are now expected to add a whole new branch of tech to their repertoire, with the considerable reach, cost savings, and other benefits of virtual events proving more valuable than ever. It’s expanded the opportunity for event marketers both from an acquisition and speciality perspective, allowing for more crossover with traditional digital and social media marketing - local is no longer a prerequisite for hiring, for one thing.

What is a virtual event platform?

2019 seems like a simpler time. Back before social distancing was a thing and remote working was still seen as a perk, virtual event platforms bridged the gap between video conferencing and in-person events (back then, known simply as “events”).

They offered an all-in-one alternative allowing attendee acquisition, expanded reach, high-profile speakers (minus the travel costs), and more.

They were often the realm of larger corporations, intimidating for everyone other than the most seasoned event marketers, and very much a nice to have.

Then, everything started burning and the world flipped upside down. Yay, 2020.

model – good luck filling those seats.

Not only did COVID-19 force the entire events industry to improvise and adapt, it simultaneously raised the bar for success. Suddenly, every meeting was online and event organisers found themselves fighting the dreaded ‘Zoom fatigue’ as their biggest challenge for engaging event attendees (probably the first time ever that technology barriers weren’t the biggest concern - though they came in a close second).

It’s not all doom and gloom, though.

Aside from giving introverts of the world something to cheer about, this shift has brought about pivotal industry change, and the opportunities for companies and attendees are better than ever. Going beyond attending professional events in PJs, that is.

How has COVID-19 changed the event landscape?

Now, the expectation is firmly on a virtual-first approach as standard.

With the number of businesses considering a virtual event in 2020 doubling from the previous year, the takeaway is clear: if you’re not embracing a virtual or hybrid event

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What does this mean for event marketers, today?

Success benchmarks have shifted, too, with 49% of event marketers noting audience engagement as the biggest contributing factor to a successful event (source: Markletic).

For event marketers in 2022, the pressure is on to find the best tool to facilitate seamless and engaging virtual events, without sacrificing the benefits of in-person events. In this post, we’ll take a look at of the best virtual event platforms for 2022.

Hopin

Hopin boasts “immersive virtual, hybrid, and in-person event experiences for your audience, no matter where they are.” They aim to help overcome the engagement barrier in virtual and hybrid events,with more interactivity options than you can poke a well-sharpened pencil at. Expect everything from expo booths and breakout rooms, to 1on1 networking and more.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

January 2022

Insights

difficulties with finding their way back after clicking out of a session, and presenters have had difficulty knowing when it’s their time to present

"The Hopin networking feature is like an addictive, safe, fun chat roulette." — Women Who Code They’re also going hard on strategic acquisitions, in an attempt to become the do-everything platform of event marketers’ dreams. Fair warning: if you’re selling a lot of tickets, this one’s better if you’ve got a little (or a lot) of budget to spend.

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Price range: basic free plan, paid plans from $99 monthly. Custom pricing for events with over 1200 registrations per year.

No lead qualification within the platform as yet (should change soon, since their acquisition of Attendify) Attendee registrations are limited to the capacity licence - no going over, so if you sell out, you’re really sold out

Zoom

Features we love: Ÿ

Multiple roles allow for custom event controls

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Reliable, even at scale

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Customisable registration and ticketing

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Networking happens via chat in a dedicated lobby area

Challenges: Ÿ

No sponsor networking or booths

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Integrations (streaming live to Facebook, etc) can be temperamental - practice and test first

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Event attendees are limited to the capacity licence purchased

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Not as many options for interactivity in larger events

Features we love: Ÿ

Offers 5 different ‘rooms’ for every event, all with their own interactivity options - great for replicating the feel of an in-person event online

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Easily customise branding of an event (theme, font, colours)

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Sponsor-friendly - allows branded feeds and sessions (overlays, logos, and tickers)

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Allows analytics tracking at all levels, to monitor what attendees are talking about, what they’re spending time on, registration numbers and more

Challenges: Ÿ

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Navigation and login can be difficult for non-technical users (particularly when issuing links to backstage areas for presenters, as they have to login like attendees) No pre-recorded uploads, customers must provide their own hosted video (eg vimeo) You can’t be in two places at the same time on Hopin’s system, so some people have reported

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Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest drawcards for Zoom is that after 18 months of remote meetings, pretty much everyone a) has an account, and b) knows how to use it. Zoom Events goes one step further by building upon already killer conferencing and webinar functionality, to allow hosting for single and multi-session events, and attendee networking.

While the platform itself is well-used and robust, the events product is new (previously they only had Zoom Webinars) - so you may see some initial teething problems, as with any newer product. Also, the lack of sponsor networking or booths may be a dealbreaker for some events where dedicated sponsor involvement is a must.

Price range: starting from $99 per month for 500 attendees, up to $3240 for 5000 attendees. Custom pricing for larger events and more licenses.

Hubilo

Built for hybrid and virtual events, Hubilo pride themselves on delivering ‘white glove’ service to their customer base, for smooth, hassle-free operation of large scale events. Midevent panic? Your support rep is onhand to help.

With some big-name brands like Coca-Cola, WordPress, and AWS in their customer list, they’re no stranger to enterprise level event management, and event attendees love the ease of use and mobile access options.

Price range: from $99 per month for

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January 2022

Insights up to 50 registrants, custom pricing for Pro and Enterprise plans.

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Attendee registration and login can be quite confusing if your demographic isn’t tech-savvy

Features we love: On24 Ÿ

Fantastic options for sponsors, including self-managed virtual booths, and direct communication with attendees

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Engagement via the lounges, contests, leaderboards and matchmaking functions

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Excellent white label branding options, including vanity URLs, branded mobile app, themes, and sponsored ads

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24/7 dedicated support, very responsive and helpful

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Easily report on event ROI with detailed, robust reporting capabilities

Challenges Ÿ

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Polls and quizzes can be ignored by attendees - many companies would like the option of making these mandatory You need a hands-on host to moderate and monitor online activity

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Reports of some issues with firewalls and email filters, and streaming lags

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They’re shipping quickly and making constant improvements to the platform - so occasionally the updates can interfere with operations (both a pro and a con, really)

exhibitor packages, and multiple ticket types (including hidden tickets). Easy to use with a simple interface, they’ve been dubbed the “Shopify for events”, because they allow as much or as little customisation as you’d like. We love their agility and responsiveness to customer requests.

Best for small-medium sized events and lower budgets due to their low commitment plans, flexible tiers, and easy to manage ‘per attendee’ overage fees. To access event recordings, you’ll need to be on a paid plan.

Price range: free plans available for up to 25 attendees, paid plans from $100-1000 monthly Features we love: Ÿ

Tiered ‘base + attendee’ pricing structure - first event of the month is free under a certain attendee level

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Get events set up in minutes

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Event engagement is easy to manage and access

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Analytics are available for all membership tiers

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The best part about using a platform that’s been around longer than most of Gen Z? They’re free from a lot of the teething problems that accompany early stage startups.

This makes them a great choice for larger events where there’s a lot at stake - you don’t want a small technical issue throwing your entire event off. On the flip side, they don’t ship big updates to the platform as often as a newer, more agile company.

So don’t hold your breath if you’re waiting for a certain feature - it may take some time.

Price range: this is built for enterprise use, so expect to spend upwards of $10,000.

Features we love: Ÿ

Their webinar types are popular with their customers: on-demand (like Netflix), simulive (prerecorded but streamed as though live), and live

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Excellent post-event analytics

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Highly customisable features and offers many products and integrations

Challenges: Ÿ

White label branding and external ticket sales only available on Enterprise plan

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Being quite new, the integration possibilities aren’t as developed as other platforms and there are a few teething issues (as expected)

Balloon Born during the pandemic, Balloon is a self-serve event management platform allowing organisers to create expo booths, tiered sponsorship and

ON24 are the OGs of the events world, having been around since 1998. Their user base is largely enterprise, and customers love their webinar functionality and flexibility.

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January 2022

Insights Challenges: Ÿ

Less branding customisation than other platforms (menu format, colours, no font upload)

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Support is tiered and can be confusing - expect to pay more for hands-on support options

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Because there are so many features, the onboarding/configuration process and learning curve for event organisers can be more steep than other platforms

Low learning curve - Swapcard is described as being intuitive and easy to train team members on the tech stack Ÿ Showing all the signs of being a “one stop shop” for event marketers Ÿ

Challenges: Ÿ

Users would love to see more native integrations (like ticketing) and customisation options, particularly where design is concerned

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Support will cost extra - but for high stakes events, this’ll likely be worth the extra cost

Swapcard

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Logins are handled via “magic links” at the moment, and a few users have mentioned how much easier it would be to have SSO capability

With all the tech on their side, Swapcard’s claim to fame draws on the buzzword of the moment — AI — proudly touting their platform as the only AI-powered “end to end event and community platform for virtual & hybrid events”. But do they live up to the hype?

Grip

It certainly looks promising, with Swapcard being the platform of choice for some big names in the biz world (Mongo, Informa, Dubai World Trade Centre). Ticketing is handled via integration, and people love how intuitive the platform is — noting how little they needed to use the help centre to get everything up and running.

Marketing themselves as an “eventsuccess platform”, Grip offer an enviable tech stack allowing them to support in-person, virtual, hybrid and hosted buyer events. Offering intelligent features like AI-powered matchmaking and a huge list of integrations, their website boasts case studies from successful events to highlight their growing features list (backed by the data to go along with it). Winning ‘Best Event Networking Technology’ at the Best Event Tech awards in 2021, Grip have quietly carved out a space for themselves as a leading virtual events platform.

Price range: Small events from $120 per month, larger events from $590, with free and custom community plans available.

Features we love:

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Interestingly, if you spend a few minutes on their website, you’ll see how they emphasise attendee networking as part of their event experience, offering a range of options from unstructured/spontaneous (speed networking and roundtables) to highly structured (multi person meetings and Hosted Buyer Meetings). With 70% of businesses surveyed (Bizzabo; 2019) using engagement as a success measure for their events, this can only mean an increased focus on this in the future, with one user describing them as “like Tinder for business networking”.

Price range: This one’s built for enterprise users with frequent event needs, so it’s better suited to larger budgets — there’s no free option at this stage.

Features we love: Ÿ

AI powered matchmaking is on the rise, and the numbers stack up — with Grip reporting over 5.5 million connections made based on professional goals and interests

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Their emphasis on networking means attendee engagement is a priority for the platform

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Users are full of praise for their dedicated support, with one user describing it as “the best we have ever worked with”

Challenges: Ÿ

Although engagement is one of their top features, they’re missing gamification to make this happen more organically

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Some users would like more from reporting and analytics

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Their app can be buggy, with quite a few users reporting bugs with logging in and crashing

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

January 2022

Insights

your company’s products

Vii Events Ÿ

They also offer accessibility options to ensure everyone can participate in their virtual event experiences

Challenges: Offering a 360 degree 3D virtual and hybrid events platform, VII events claims a “fully customisable, interactive, immersive” experience.

How do they do it? By creating a digital experience that aims to replicate the look and feel of walking around a real-life conference or trade show. Catering to events from 100 to 100,000 attendees, they’re introducing advanced gamification features like escape rooms and treasure hunts (we’ll admit, they’ve got our attention).

We can see this being huge for internal events and larger trade shows, but as the company and product is still very much in its infancy, some standard product features may still be on the beta/experimental side.

Price range: a basic license starts at $9800, with custom plans available for more complex requirements.

Features we love: Ÿ

Dedicated 24/7 support to help everything run smoothly

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The immersive 3D experience is new for pretty much everyone — creating a more engaging and memorable experience from the start, as it brings that real life game feeling to a virtual event

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Users love the attention to detail, with every aspect of the experience covered (even plants in the virtual venues), including 3D modelling of

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Their packages are not for lowbudget events, so if you’re operating on a shoestring, it won’t be for you As the company was founded in 2020, we’d expect there to be some teething problems as with any new platform, and you might not have as many options for analytics, reporting, and other integrations.

meaning they’re well equipped to protect all data handled. This makes them a great choice for publicly traded companies, who can have strict legal and compliance requirements. It’s also easy to use, with users commenting on how easily members of their team from all departments can successfully set up an event. You can even try before you buy.

Price range: Free trial available, paid plans starting at around $1300 per month. Expect a custom quote for an enterprise plan — although most of their plans are now custom quoted to better suit your needs.

Features we love: Ÿ

Users love their support, with glowing reviews of their customer success team

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Reporting is robust, with useful analytics to help you better understand event performance (really useful for regular/recurring events)

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As with any platform there’s a learning curve, but Glisser comes highly recommended by most for its ease of use

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No requirement for user sign up or download, which eliminates a lot of on-the-day issues

Glisser

Used by big names like Uber, Facebook and Pfizer, Glisser claims “inspiring, high participation events of any size”, offering scalable event packages for events of over 100K attendees. They offer a comprehensive suite of features including games, polls and quizzes you can build directly into presentations, to keep engagement levels high, with a huge list of welldeveloped features on both the attendee and event marketer side.

Their biggest problem? Standing out from the other large platforms with the same suite of features. People have options.

Because they’re trusted by big names you know information security is a top priority, with ISO 27001 certification

Challenges: Ÿ

Pricing is on the higher end, so if you’re a smaller company they might not be suitable

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Some users complained about issues with presentations and editing slides once uploaded to the platform, and there’s a need to upload and sync slides well in advance of the event — so if you have last minute changes, you might struggle!

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

January 2022

Insights

Trusted by names like Microsoft and Github, they’re going heavy on branding, with features like registration, automatic email reminders, and in-event engagement made fully customisable.

Goldcast

Aimed at making events stress-free for marketers, Goldcast’s claim to fame is their “binge-worthy” events, and their Netflix-style approach to virtual and hybrid events. With Goldcast, attendees can stream and download videos on demand, and event organisers can handle empty stages and programming pauses in style with advanced video production features (meaning no blank screens and plenty of options for additional brand exposure or engaging pre-created visuals).

“As immersive as your favourite Netflix show”

Price range: Annual plans start at $10,000 for webinars and $18,000 for virtual events, with extra pay-to-play features like ticketing and language translation available as add-ons.

customer service — we’re seeing a rising trend in platforms prioritising support (which we love) over ‘do everything’ features Ÿ

Challenges: Ÿ

Although they have advanced integrations with a lot of the bigger CRMS (like Marketo, Salesforce and Hubspot), you won’t get any of that with their lower priced plan, so expect to pay more

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They’re adding and updating features constantly — not a challenge as such, but you do need to stay on top of the functionality available and keep track of what’s changing to get the best use out of the product

Features we love: Ÿ

Granular data insights, with helpful data around engagement to help marketers and sales teams with targeting and segmentation

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Branding capabilities are more advanced than other platforms, with many more opportunities to create an end to end branded experience

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Another vote for top notch

Intuitive platform that prioritises the attendee experience, without making life more difficult on the logistics side

WRITTEN BY

TAMAR BECK CEO of Gleanin Gleanin is a Community Marketing platform that helps Event Marketers create engaging content, demand more attention, and sell-out their events.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Insights

January 2022

Hitting The Ground Running In The New Year: Messe München Sees 2022 As A Year Of Economic Upswing

Successful new start for in-person trade fairs, efficient restructuring – revenue at an estimated EUR 122.5 million Ÿ A total of 54 trade fairs and three major concerts are being planned for the strong exhibition year of 2022 Ÿ TrendSet was the first event to be successfully carried out Ÿ Messe München acts as a trailblazer for climate-neutral trade fairs and continues to fuel other innovations Ÿ

Since the IAA MOBILITY in September 2021, the Munich trade fair company has got back into the business of holding in-person events, albeit under pandemic-related limitations. The tried and tested implementation of protection and hygiene concepts for the health of all those involved provides planning security to the customers of the more than 54 trade fairs in 2022 – a strong

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year for events. For these reasons, Messe München is optimistic about the new “super event year.”

Messe München, buoyed by the strong trade-fair business it enjoyed in the fall of 2021, has brought the second year dominated by the Covid19 pandemic to a successful conclusion. Klaus Dittrich, the Chairman and CEO of Messe München, summed up the company’s performance in 2021 this way: “After 18 months of lockdown, significant cost reductions and adjustments to the company structure, the international trade fair business returned to Munich in September: IAA MOBILITY made trade-fair history, with more than 400,000 participants and presentations that were held not only on our trade fair grounds, but also in the most beautiful places in the middle of the city. Coupled with EXPO REAL and productronica, IAA MOBILITY sent a powerful

signal to the entire industry and showed just how major international trade fairs could be held in Germany under conditions dictated by the coronavirus,” says Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München, taking stock of 2021. We are now planning to hold 54 of our own events inside and outside Germany during the new year. With the help of our full event calendar,

Klaus Di rich Chairman and CEO of Messe München

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Insights complementary digital programs and three open air concerts as a special highlight, we are entering a year of exceptional events and economic momentum in 2022.”

The 2021 business year In economic terms, 2021 was another pandemic year of moderate results.

According to current projections, revenue of EUR 122.5 million is expected for Messe München GmbH (previous year: EUR 93.6 million).

Globally, the company is expected to generate consolidated sales of €154.5 million. The company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) totaled minus €49.6 million for 2021, the figures show. During 2020 and 2021, Messe München lost about €400 million in revenue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Exhibitors, visitors and events in 2021 Despite the challenges it faced, Messe München held 125 events at its international subsidiaries and guest events in 2021. They were attended by more than 1.1 million visitors and participants – both online and inperson. Five of the company’s own inperson events were held in Munich.

Messe München GmbH remained a reliable partner for its exhibitors and visitors during the year by holding 17 of its own online events in its home market and offering other digital events that were organized by its subsidiaries abroad. With the help of digital formats, it kept the exhibitors and visitors up to date about the latest developments and industry information. The company organized 21 events at its international locations, while an additional 82 guest events were held in Munich.

Digital programs and relaunch of in-person trade fairs

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January 2022 During the first half of the year, Messe München held a number of successful international and digital formats.

These included BAU ONLINE, with about 18,000 participants from 141 countries, and ISPO Munich Online, with about 26,000 guests from 115 countries. In July 2021, Messe München organized TrendSet, the first in-person event held during the pandemic at the company’s home location and a pilot project for the company’s coronavirus-driven business in the fall. During the three-day event, a total of 16,000 people visited the international trade fair. With the help of IAA MOBILITY, Messe München cleared the way for such fall events as EXPO REAL and productronica.

International activities: a focus on China and India In March, productronica China created a lively setting for the electronics manufacturing industry in the Shanghai International Expo Centre (SNIEC). In April, IE expo China focused on environmental technology. It was the second IE expo China organized during the pandemic and attracted an increased number of exhibitors and visitors. In India, the company’s in-person business began to pick up once again as well. In December, a satisfying total of seven events was held as hybrid exhibitions.

They included drink technology India / IFAT India, analytica Anacon India, India Lab Expo and electronica India/ LASER World of PHOTONICS INDIA/ productronica India.

Outlook for 2022 Messe München is optimistic about the future in spite of the pandemic.

TrendSet demonstrated just a few days into the new year that trade fairs may continue to be held at the highest protection and hygiene level. 2022 will be another strong year in the cycle of Messe München as the company plans

to hold 54 of its own events inside and outside Germany.

The trade fair calendar is packed full in the second half of the year in particular. Trade fairs that will be held as in-person events starting in the spring include LASER World of PHOTONICS and IFAT. These industry get-togethers will generate much-needed momentum for the economy. In spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the issue of climate and environmental protection has returned to the top of the society’s agenda.

IFAT has already begun to reflect this trend as the large number of registrations by exhibitors from all parts of the world show. All 18 halls are fully booked. One of the highlights will be bauma 2022, which will take place in October and focus on the leading issues of the future affecting the construction, building materials and mining machinery industry with live presentations, discussions and talks.

ISPO Munich will be held at the end of November and will open the winter season for the first time. It will continue to be held in the future at this time to address the needs of the industry. As part of the global trade-fair alliance bauma NETWORK, the Munich-based exhibition company interlinks the construction, building materials and mining machinery industry, as well as the construction vehicles and construction equipment industry, with bauma CHINA in Shanghai, bauma CTT RUSSIA in Moscow and, at the beginning of 2023, bauma CONEXPO INDIA in New Delhi.

A summer of concerts taking place on the fairgrounds in Riem is another highlight: In August, Robbie Williams, Helene Fischer and Andreas Gabalier will give separate concerts that are expected to attract up to 150,000 fans.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Sustainability

January 2022

Lime Venue Portfolio Announces ‘Green’ Website ime Venue Portfolio is pioneering for greener marketing within the meetings and events industry with the announcement of a new 'clean and green' website for 2022. The brand was recently recognised for its sustainable education campaign 'Beyond Food', by The Drum, and is now looking to ensure its digital marketing supports the brands sustainability credentials.

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Research has shown that some websites can emit up to 5g of CO every time someone visits the page which, when multiplied over the course of a year and across multiple users, is the equivalent of boiling a kettle over 50 thousand times. Lime Venue Portfolio will create a website that requires less energy

through a number of strategies, from reducing the number of large files and images to hosting the site on 'cleaner' servers.

“We're looking to make sustainable practice a part of everything we do at Lime Venue Portfolio, and that includes the way we market ourselves,” commented Jenner Carter, Head of Marketing, Lime Venue Portfolio. “It

means we need to measure and track any negative outputs and either reduce them or offset them. There is a lot of talk about cleaner digital channels, and we're looking to take the lead by implementing this new website.

Additionally, the website has been designed to improve user experience (UX), so visitors to the website can get the information they need quicker and easier from venue search through to educational articles in the content hub.”

The clean and green marketing approach is in line with the company's commitment of reaching Climate Net Zero by 2030. Lime Venue Portfolio recently launched Meetings for Change, a greener way to book and run meetings within the group's venues.

ICC Belfast Becomes First Green Meetings Certified Venue On Island Of Ireland he International Convention Centre (ICC) Belfast, together with sister entertainment venue, Waterfront Hall, has been awarded the Green Meetings Silver Award, becoming the first meetings and events venue on the island of Ireland to receive the accolade.

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The award reflects the organisation's investment in sustainability and commitment to the development of a sustainable tourism plan, in line with Belfast's transformational resilience strategy; and supported through a city wide sustainable Green Tourism partnership funded by Belfast City Council and delivered by Visit Belfast.

Last year, Visit Belfast and Belfast City Council launched the largest ever Green Tourism city partnership, funding

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memberships for Belfast-based businesses and providing an opportunity for local organisations to boost their environmental credentials and achieve the international sustainability standard.

The Green Meetings accreditation, launched by Green Tourism in 2021, was designed specifically for meetings and events venues and provides the opportunity to demonstrate the organisation's commitment to sustainability and highlight the high

environmental and sustainability standards and practises in place.

Utilising 25 years of experience and incorporating examples of best practise from businesses throughout the world, Green Tourism measure venues' sustainability standards ranging from energy, water and waste through to catering, communications and community involvement.

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Merger & Acquisi on

January 2022

Event Software Leaders Meeting Play and Aventri Merge: Eric Lochner Named New CEO

attendees. The unrivaled creativity, service, and ingenuity of each company will be at the forefront of their new company and brand, which will enable their enterprise customers to grow their businesses with best-in-class events of all types and sizes.

This news comes at a critical time in the meetings and events industry when planners and organizers are seeking to adopt the benefits of virtual and hybrid gatherings while using fewer software integrations. The two companies will integrate their proprietary software platforms to elevate event experiences through a robust line-up of unmatched products to leading companies in the technology, financial services, travel, hospitality, health services, and association markets. This, paired with the highest level of service, will deliver a richer experience for both planners and attendees, while setting the brand apart from competitors.

arket leading event software companies MeetingPlay and Aventri have announced that they have merged and received a growth equity investment from Sunstone Partners and Camden Partners. Combining the strengths of both companies, they will forge a new path as the dominant, full-service event software provider.

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This new event software powerhouse will blend visionary technology and best-in-class service to close all gaps in the planning process, offering the most complete full-service solution for meetings and events of all sizes, from conferences of 200,000+ to meetings with less than 100 attendees. The combined company will become one of the world's largest event technology companies, servicing customers on a global scale.

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In conjunction with the merger, Eric Lochner has been named Chief Executive Officer of the new company.

Eric has over 25 years of experience in building technology and technologyenabled services companies, with an impressive record of mergers and acquisitions. “We are excited to bring these two inventive companies together to create a new cutting-edge experience for the meetings and events industry,” said Lochner. “We have a strong opportunity to deepen the process of hosting in-person, hybrid and virtual events and are excited to be able to better support meeting planners and event organizers while offering a wider range of products and experiences.”

Each year, MeetingPlay and Aventri power a combined total of more than 50,000 events, service over 10,000 companies, and elevate the attendee experience for more than 7 million

Co-founder and former MeetingPlay CEO Joe Schwinger, and CoFounder and former MeetingPlay COO Lisa Vann will remain with the new company and undertake executive roles to continue enhancing the event technology industry and working with their valued customers. Former Aventri CEO Jim Sharpe will remain a shareholder and advisor to the new company.

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Merger & Acquisi on

January 2022

Emerald Acquires MJBiz, A Leading B2B Event And Content Platform For The Cannabis Industry merald Holding, Inc. has announced that it has completed the acquisition of MJBiz, the leading event producer and content platform serving the wide range of companies operating in the large and rapidly growing cannabis industry. The addition of MJBiz further accelerates Emerald's strategy of delivering 365-day customer engagement while also enhancing its portfolio optimization efforts by providing a preeminent platform to expand into one of the highest growth business sectors in North America.

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MJBizCon is a top trade show in the cannabis industry having featured more than 1,200 exhibiting companies and 27,000 attendees, including over 18,000

paid registrations, at the October 2021 event, rivaling pre-pandemic levels. The MJBiz platform delivered 38% compound annual revenue growth in the three years prior to the pandemic (2017-2019). In addition to operating the leading cannabis industry trade show, the MJBiz brand is the leading source for actionable business intelligence in the cannabis industry.

MJBiz management, including CEO Chris Walsh, Senior Vice President of

Events and Sales, Jess Tyler, and Senior Vice President of Content and Audience Development, Pam Moore, will continue to lead the day-to-day operations of the business utilizing their exceptional knowledge and experience in the event and content platforms.

Emerald paid $120 million as initial consideration upon closing of the transaction, with potential future payments contingent on the performance of MJBiz through 2022.

Hervé Sedky, Emerald's President and CEO, said, "This is a transformational acquisition for Emerald as it represents an important next step in the implementation of our strategic initiatives and underscores our commitment to evolve and grow our customers' businesses 365 days a year."

With The Acquisition Of Premiere Orlando And Its Sister Shows, Informa Markets Adds The Largest Beauty Show In The U.S. To Its Growing Portfolio nforma Markets’ South Florida Ventures portfolio announced an exciting addition to its swiftly growing portfolio of luxury lifestyle brands, acquiring Premiere Orlando, the largest beauty show in the U.S., and its sister shows, Premiere Birmingham and Premiere Columbus, with expectations to further expand the top beauty brand’s footprint.

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Informa Markets’ South Florida Ventures portfolio, led by Ken McAvoy, has expanded over the last five years, adding specialist businesses and brands serving the luxury lifestyle sector in the region. This has included the addition of five keystone boating and yachting shows (Yachting Promotions Inc) in 2017, the

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acquisition of Art Miami in 2019, and a partnership with the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) to run their boating and yachting events, including Miami International Boat Show, last year. The luxury sector has experienced a boon throughout the pandemic, leading to healthy demand for high-end goods and services, and success for the South Florida Ventures portfolio’s platforms.

Premiere Show Group, led by Howard Britt, has experienced quick and significant growth over the last few years, building their keystone show, Premiere Orlando, into the largest beauty show in the nation. The show and its smaller regional counterparts focus on trends in

skincare, hair care, nail innovation, and more, welcoming brands like Conair, Eminence Organic Skincare, Light Elegance Nail Products, and L’oreal, and certified professional buyers ranging from spa and salon owners to cosmetologists, estheticians, makeup artists, massage therapists and more.

This addition also complements Informa Markets’ presence in the global beauty and aesthetics communities, which includes a large beauty portfolio in Asia with more than 12 shows, including the world-renowned Cosmoprof Asia event in Hong Kong, and world-leading aesthetics events in Monaco, Miami and Las Vegas.

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January 2022

Bradley Livesay Exhibit Concepts, Inc. has announced the promotion of Bradley Livesay to Director of NEXT Lab. NEXT Lab is a dynamic and creative team dedicated to the strategy and alignment of unique digital and virtual experiences. Since joining Exhibit Concepts in 2016, Livesay has held the positions of Senior Digital Producer for NEXT Lab and Digital Content Manager within the Marketing team. In his new role, Livesay will be tasked with leading the NEXT Lab team’s strategy and alignment with trade shows, museums, education spaces, marketing initiatives, and interior permanent environments.

Deana Ivey Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp has promoted Deana Ivey to President as the organization restructures its top leadership. Butch Spyridon remains the Chief Executive Officer of the organization. Ivey has been with the organization since 1997, previously serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

Haryati Md Haidar The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has announced the appointment of its first Director of Strategic Projects, Haryati Md Haidar, an experienced programme and project management professional. In this role, Haryati is responsible for establishing the structure and framework for the Centre’s strategic projects and organisational change management, while streamlining, facilitating and providing cross-divisional support to ensure seamless project management.

Jason Stookey Cybertech USA, the joint venture of Cybertech Global and Comexposium, has hired Jason Stookey to spearhead its operation in the U.S. Stookey brings nearly 25 years of experience in events in both the associations and the for-profit sectors. Most recently, he was Vice-President, Partner Development at The International Legal Technology Association, (ILTA) and has held senior positions at National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), Hanley Wood, and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

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Global News

January 2022

Change Of Dates Announced For IMEX In Frankfurt’s 20th Anniversary Edition with current regulatory uncertainty caused Chairman, Ray Bloom and CEO, Carina Bauer to review their plans, together with their host venue, city and industry partners. They have taken the opportunity to accept new dates offered by Messe Frankfurt, meaning the show could return to its more familiar timings in late spring. he IMEX Group has confirmed that it has secured new dates for IMEX in Frankfurt 2022. The change allows the team to stage the 20th anniversary of its market-leading trade show from Tuesday 31 May – Thursday 02 June, giving the global meetings, incentive travel and events industry an additional five weeks to prepare.

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The increase in Omicron cases across Europe and around the world together

As IMEX CEO Carina Bauer explains, “Everyone in our industry can see the current situation in Europe and knows that, with trade shows depending

on such long lead times, it doesn’t support a show in April. We strongly believe that a late May edition of IMEX in Frankfurt will allow everyone to move ahead and plan with certainty and confidence. Having recently come off a highly successful IMEX America, we’re completely focused on building a strong return for IMEX in Frankfurt and we’re also keenly aware of how much our industry needs IMEX to bring everyone together and prove that business regeneration and good lead flow is not only viable but closer than some may think.”

IMEX in Frankfurt takes places 31 May – 2 June, with a dedicated day of tailored education on Monday 30 May for specialist groups such as corporate, association and agency buyers.

MPI Announces Postponement Of The European Meetings And Events Conference (EMEC) eeting Professionals International (MPI), the world’s leading industry association for meeting and event professionals, announced the postponement of its European Meeting and Events Conference (EMEC), planned to take place 27 February through 1 March, 2022 in Brighton, UK. MPI and the EMEC Brighton Host Committee have been monitoring the rapid global proliferation of the Omicron variant, as well as the trends in the UK and across Europe to tighten travel restrictions in response.

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Based on discussions concerning the increase in travel restrictions and the overall health and safety of event

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attendees due to the Omicron variant, named by the World Health Organization as a “variant of concern”, it was determined that the in-person event should be postponed. MPI will be exploring options to bring its European community together in 2022.

“After discussion with our partners and Host Committee members, we’ve determined that continuing to plan for EMEC Brighton would not be a responsible action to take amidst the uncertain landscape unfolding largely due to the Omicron variant,” said Annette Gregg, MPI Senior Vice President of Experience, “The pandemic has underscored the need to review and assess each event fluidly,

adapting plans to ensure the wellbeing, health and safety of all involved in our events.”

MPI has demonstrated success in planning safe in-person experiences. Its last two North American signature events were evidence of well-designed experiences considering COVID-19 precautions. WEC Grapevine in November 2020 resulted in a 99% satisfaction rate with its Duty of Care procedures and zero attributed positive COVID-19 cases. And WEC Vegas in June 2021 received 97% satisfaction rate with its Duty of Care procedures, with only two positive COVID-19 tests, each “breakthroughs”, reported after the event.

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Global News

January 2022

Paul Woodward Joins MBB-Consulting Partners e are delighted to announce

that former UFI managing W director Paul Woodward has joined the MBB-Consulting Partner Group. He brings with him over 35 years of exhibition industry experience, including more than 20 years as a consultant and advisor.

The Partner Group was formed in late 2021 by the MBB-Consulting Group and among its founder partners include Matthias Tesi Baur (MBB), Chris Meyer (Chris Meyer Global), Tony Calanca (Calanca & Associates LLC), and Andrew Furness (Exhibition Strategy Consultant). Designed to leverage the global networks and expertise of its senior members, it will assist exhibition businesses as they rebuild in the coming years.

In November 2021, the MBBConsulting Partner Group launched the 'Commercial Audit Service', a deep-dive analysis of an event business's current operations with the objective of identifying practical steps to significantly improve their client's commercial performance. The Group believe their initiative is particularly timely as companies seek to review their commercial DNA and build a clear

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structure to emerge stronger from the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Woodward commented, “the range of challenges and opportunities with which senior management in the exhibition industry are currently grappling has never been more testing. With that in mind, it makes sense to pool the resources of some of the most senior independent consultants in the world to ensure that the right expertise is available, whatever the project”.

Woodward worked in senior positions with Miller Freeman in Asia until 2000 when he founded Business Strategies Group in Hong Kong of which he remains Chairman. Since stepping down from his UFI role in 2015, he has also

advised companies around the world as Chairman of Paul Woodward Advisory.

MBB-Consulting founder, Matthias Baur said “we are delighted that Paul will be able to join the founder members of this Group. His global network combined with many years' experience in China and the rest of Asia will add another dimension to what we can offer our clients. 2022 will be a critical recovery year for the exhibition industry and many companies have ambitious plans for which we hope to be able to provide support”.

MBB-Consulting Group provides international management consultancy and educational services for diverse B2B sectors, including tradeshows, financial institutions, private equity firms, trade associations and governmental bodies. MBB's consultancy arm covers five distinct areas: strategy; business recovery and agility; sales and pricing; M&A and due diligence; and digital.

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Global News

January 2022

Seafood Expo North America Reunites The Seafood Industry In Person, March 13-15, 2022 he 40th edition of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America will take place as planned from March 13 through March 15, 2022 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

Diversified Communications, organizer of the event, continues to update the Expo's health & safety measures following the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), public health officials, federal, state and local authorities as well as the venue, to provide all participants with a safe and healthy environment.

event website and communicated to exhibiting companies and visitors.

Starting January 15, 2022, the City of Boston will require proof of vaccination to enter certain indoor areas, which includes the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

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The three-day event will highlight a comprehensive exhibit hall for business and networking opportunities, new products, food sampling, special events and education. “We are excited to be

back in-person in Boston to reconvene seafood professionals looking to do business in the North American market,” said Wynter Courmont, Event Director, Diversified Communications.

“Year over year, industry suppliers and buyers have valued the business opportunities at the event, and this year will be no exception.”

Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America has implemented health and safety guidelines, which are posted on the

In addition to a busy exhibit hall, Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America will feature a comprehensive conference program including more than 28 sessions and over 124 experts covering industry trends and timely topics on aquaculture, corporate social responsibility, diversity, equity and inclusion, food safety and compliance (policy), seafood business and leadership, and seafood sustainability, traceability and transparency.

CES 2022 Concludes in Person with Innovation to Better the World ES® 2022 concluded, following a week filled with thousands of product debuts unveiling innovation that will better the world and solve global challenges. The in-person event took place in Las Vegas on Jan. 5-7, 2022. More than 2300 exhibiting companies from around the world, including more than 800 startups, launched products featuring innovation across artificial intelligence, automotive technology, digital health, smart home and more.

our world for the better.”

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After nearly two years, CES returned 'home' to Las Vegas welcoming well over 45,000 attendees in person, including 1800 global media, across 11 indoor and outdoor venues. The show was truly a global event, with 30% of attendees traveling from outside the US

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– representing 119 countries.

“Innovation came to life this week at CES 2022 – with technologies that will reshape industries and provide solutions to pressing worldwide issues from healthcare to agriculture, sustainability and beyond,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, owner and producer of CES. “The CES show floor buzzed with the joy of human interaction and a five-sense innovation experience with products that will redefine our future and change

“CES 2022 furthered global business this week, as our industry gathered – many for the first time in two years – to collaborate, forge partnerships, make deals and advance the economy,” said Karen Chupka, EVP, CES. “After two years of not being able to connect in person, we were thrilled to welcome our industry back together again face-to-face to experience the latest innovation at CES 2022.” CES 2022 featured transformative technologies that will spur business and shift markets, with major brands including Bosch, Canon, Hisense, HTC, LG Electronics, Nvidia, Samsung Electronics, Sony, Panasonic and Qualcomm. CES 2022 was able to successfully gather the industry together in person.

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Global News

January 2022

Double-Digit Growth In C-level Execs At Dubai Trade Shows Confirms Welcome Return To Business For Exhibitions Industry

23rd edition, is set to feature participants from 120 countries, 6,000-plus brands and products, and six world-class conferences with upwards of 200 expert speakers.

he return of physical trade fairs to Dubai in 2021 has been welcomed by C-level decision makers, with one of the Middle East's largest organisers confirming senior management visitor registration to its exhibitions last year increased by 78 percent versus pre-Covid years.

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Messe Frankfurt Middle East returned to the live events landscape at Dubai World Trade Centre in September 2021, and has since hosted eight face-toface exhibitions in the Emirate, welcoming a combined 64,254 trade visitors from 116 countries. The Dubaibased company lists Beautyworld Middle East, Automechanika Dubai, and Intersec as its three flagship shows.

While the total number of visitor attendance is justifiably less than prepandemic years, an increasingly positive trend, said Messe Frankfurt Middle East's CEO Simon Mellor, is the steep rise in visitor registration by the likes of CEOs, Managing Directors, and business owners.

“This growth is mirrored by the number of individuals from the procurement or purchasing function which has increased by an average of 14 percent in real terms compared to 2019,” said Mr. Mellor. “We saw 78 percent more

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senior management visitor registration to our shows in 2021 compared to 2019, which indicates that, while total attendance may currently be less than the bumper pre-pandemic years, those that do attend our shows are high-level decision makers with a clear intent and purpose.”

“There is pent-up demand by visitors to network and find new suppliers that has been largely unfulfilled by alternatives such as digital or online events,” added Mr. Mellor. “Dubai, and the UAE is a prime destination for international professionals to come and do business safely thanks to the foresight of the country's leadership.” Mr. Mellor's comments come as Messe Frankfurt Middle East prepares to host its first major exhibition of 2022 next week from 16-18 January at the Dubai World Trade Centre. That show is Intersec, the world-leading emergency services, security and safety event, which, in its

“As has been the case with all our shows in cooperation with our partner venues, and following thorough government guidelines, Intersec 2022 will take place with robust safety and hygiene measures to keep all participants safe,” added Mr. Mellor.

“And continuing the trends of our exhibitions in 2021, C-level visitor registration for Intersec 2022 has doubled compared to the show's last edition in 2020.

“This is consistent with our own research we've carried out since August 2020. We've conducted three surveys of over 8,000 stakeholders from more than 100 countries to explore the impact of Covid-19 on the exhibitions industry, delving into key areas such as travel, budgets, and the importance of trade fairs in a post-pandemic world.

“Initially, some respondents viewed online, digital events as a viable alternative to physical trade shows, which we anticipated

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Global News given at the time much of the world was still in some form of lock-down. “That viewpoint has changed over time, as the limitations of online events become more evident, coinciding with the return of physical trade shows, particularly in Dubai, where there is a clear shift towards a back-to-business mentality.

“The current event safety measures we have in place, coupled with the government's ongoing efforts to make everyone as safe as possible, has had a really positive impact on participation levels, delivery and upscaling of our traditional trade show portfolios.”

Messe Frankfurt Middle East's first two events of the 2021-2022 exhibition

January 2022 season in Dubai was Light Middle East and Hardware + Tools Middle East, which both took place in September at the Dubai World Trade Centre, soon followed by Beautyworld Middle East in October, also at the same venue. The debut of Hypermotion Dubai and 11th edition of Materials Handling Middle East both took place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo Dubai in November, before the year ended with Automechanika Dubai, Paperworld Middle East, and Gifts & Lifestyle Middle East in December, again at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The eight shows hosted a combined 1,900 exhibitors from 52 countries, while exhibitor satisfaction of these

events increased by double digits compared to their pre-pandemic editions. Added Mr. Mellor: “Exhibitors of our 2021 events were extremely satisfied with their overall experience and ROI of participating at our shows with our Exhibitor CCI (Customer Care Index) increasing by an average of 22 percent compared to 2019.

“Highlighting the international appeal of our shows, and Dubai as a destination, we've also seen significant visitor growth from a number of countries, but in particular Russia, Qatar, Egypt, Poland, Brazil, Israel, Palestine and Colombia.”

The 17th Edition Of The 'Steelfab 2022' Exhibition Concludes On A High Note, Attracting Over 6000 Visitors he "SteelFab 2022" exhibition, MENA's largest event of its kind, concluded with resounding success, enhancing the exhibition's position as an international destination for the most important international companies and major local and international manufacturers.

Organised by the Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the "SteelFab 2022" has attracted over 6,000 visitors, mainly from traders and professionals.

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Over 150 local and international exhibitors from 30 countries and 400 brands of the world's leading brands in the field of metalwork and related industries participated in the event.

Major iron & steel companies from the UK, Italy, Turkey and India, and UAE took part in the event, showcasing the most prominent technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the iron and steel sector, the latest equipment and machinery, and modern

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technologies in the fields of metal forming and lowcost laser systems for metal cutting.

Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah expressed his pleasure with the resounding success of this year's edition of SteelFab, as reflected in the high turnout of visitors and the intense presence of major international steel companies, as well as the clear desire of the companies to participate in the coming editions. "SteelFab 2022 exhibition has further cemented its position as a key destination for metal works in the region and has reinforced its role in supporting the iron and steel industry in Sharjah," added Al Midfa.

“Not only that, but the event has also provided an opportunity for international companies to explore huge and promising investment

opportunities, in addition to enhancing the efficiency and productivity of national and local companies.'’

On the sidelines of the exhibition, A 2day Machinery Technology Equipment Conference took place to discuss issues of concern to workers in the iron and steel industry, foremost of which are key learnings from the impact of Covid-19 on demand and supply, the changing face of the structural steel fabrication market, and digitisation in steel fabrication.

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Global News

January 2022

Expo 2020 Dubai’s Global Goals Week In Collaboration With The United Nations: We Have To Work Together And Act Now ringing the world together to drive collective progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a better and more equitable future for all by 2030 is the crucial focus of Expo 2020 Dubai's Global Goals Week.

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Running from 15-22 January, Global Goals Week, held in association with the United Nations, will serve as a platform for different players – from world leaders and policy-makers, to business leaders and citizens – to connect and work toward achieving the SDGs at a critical time of uncertainty in the midst of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. With less than nine years left to deliver the goals, this week of hybrid events will highlight how the world's fundamental challenges are interconnected and can only be addressed through reinvigorated multilateralism. Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: ““The United Arab Emirates believes in the importance of global collective action to create a future where everyone can thrive in peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

“By bringing the world together, Expo 2020 Dubai provides a launchpad to solve humanity's greatest challenges, in the spirit of hope, resilience and optimism. Hosting the UN Global Goals at Expo 2020 is yet another further testament to our aligned vision for equitable, inclusive and sustainable communities for all.” Amina J Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations, said: “At the core of the 2030 Agenda is the need for urgent action to tackle growing poverty and inequality, empower women and girls

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and address the climate emergency. The world has still not embraced the pace and scale of change required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Kicking off year two of the Decade of Action, Global Goals Week launching at Expo 2020 in Dubai presents a critical opportunity to demonstrate, at every level, our raised ambition and commitment to keeping alive and achieving the Global Goals, ensuring we leave no one behind and that we recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Global Goals Week will feature a plethora of impactful events: from an opening speech by Amina J Mohammed and a showcase of youth around the globe sharing their SDGs commitments on the world's largest 360degree projection screen at Al Wasl Plaza on 15 January to Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week's Opening Ceremony and the Zayed Sustainability.

Prize awards ceremony at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai, on 17 January. The 'Global Goals for All' flagship event, co-curated by Project Everyone, will welcome Her Excellency Mariam Hareb Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment; Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary General's Envoy on Youth; and virtually Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The panel will address the facts and solutions needed to inspire action around the world's most prominent issues, including gender inequality and the climate crisis, on 16 January. SDG 5: 'Achieve gender equality and empower for all women and girls' will be the focus for the Women's World Majlis – A Better Future for All: Leaving No One Behind

on 17 January and will feature discussions with Her Excellency Epsy Alejandra Campbell Barr, Vice President of Costa Rica and Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and a global leader in sustainable development and gender equality, who will participate virtually.

On 18 January, the Global Goals Business Forum, co-curated by Dubai Chamber of Commerce (Official Business Integrator of Expo 2020 Dubai), Estonia and UN Global Compact, will examine how the global community can foster economic prosperity for all, while ensuring the SDGs are achieved by the 2030 deadline. Speakers will include His Excellency Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber of Commerce; Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director, UN Global Compact; and Eva-Maria Liimets, Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs.

From 18-19 January, a trilateral summit, Coming Full Circle: Water, Food, Energy Summit, co-curated by Jordan, the Netherlands and the UAE, will bring together heads of government and policy-makers.

Its aim is to increase the collective understanding of the interdependent relationships between water, food and energy security, and solutions that integrate the three, amid on-going collaborations between the three cocurating countries. On 20 January, the Global Best Practice Assembly will spotlight all 50 Global Best Practice Programme projects selected by Expo 2020 Dubai from around the world that have provided impactful and sustainable interventions, with a view to expanding them elsewhere.

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Global News

January 2022

CEIR Announces Predict 2022 in September he Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) announced it will hold its PREDICT Annual Exhibition Industry Outlook Conference on 15-16 September 2022 at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. For more than 10 years, Predict has served to provide insights into the future performance of the exhibitions industry along with a forecast for the upcoming three years.

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“Now more than ever the business-tobusiness exhibitions industry needs new and provocative insights to manage the fast-paced changing landscape of how we produce shows,” said CEIR CEO Cathy Breden, CMP, CAE, CEM. “The

perspectives presented at Predict both from within and outside the industry provide a balanced and stimulating take on how we move forward bringing buyers and sellers together.”

Each year, Predict attendees leave with insights gleaned from experts in macroeconomic, socio-economic and geopolitical backgrounds.

The 2022 conference will once again

serve as the only industry conference to present future-forward information needed for executives to make strategic business decisions. Registration will open in early June and the program will be announced in the coming weeks. “As far back as the 2016 elections, Predict has proven itself again and again to offer insight in unexpected and very accurate ways for the exhibitions industry, the political climate and the economy,” said CEIR Predict Advisory Council Chair Vincent Polito. “The conference continues to be a must attend event for senior executives from all parts of the industry where we come together to collaboratively connect the dots that allow us to intelligently and passionately prepare for the future.”

2022 IPPE Proceeding As Planned With Updated Safety Measures he 2022 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) will be held in person from Jan. 25 – 27 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta with updated safety measures in place. The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) is a collaboration of three shows - International Feed Expo, International Meat Expo and the International Poultry Expo representing the entire chain of protein production and processing.

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IPPE's show management's goal is to safely bring the industry back together to evaluate new products, technologies and services while reconnecting participants with their colleagues and friends. IPPE is a critical part of the poultry, animal food and meat industry's continuing development, offering timely and important educational information and an efficient way for producers and

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processors to find the solutions they need to continue operations. It is the only annual exposition of its kind showcasing the latest advances and technologies for the global animal food and protein industries.

“Over the past two years, our industries have been doing what it does best – providing safe, nutritious food to keep grocery store shelves stocked amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, our industry leaders are eager to get back together to learn how they can

incorporate best practices and continue to improve their businesses to be more efficient and meet the changing demands in a way that is more affordable for their customers. We are committed to providing a safe environment for them to do so and are confident that the 2022 IPPE will be a valuable experience,” said IPPE show management.

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Global News

January 2022

ESSA Launches Certified Training And Development Programme With Series Of Induction Courses

vent Supplier and Services Association (ESSA) has launched the ESSA Individual Induction, the first in a series of certificated training courses for its members with a focus on health and safety.

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In its continued provision of marketleading services to its members, ESSA has created a series of bite-sized induction courses that cover a range of safety-related areas to provide a key understanding of different health and safety requirements when working at an exhibition or event.

ESSA already offers company-level Accredited status, a quality assurance programme designed to offer peace of mind to exhibitors, event organisers and venues by providing demonstrable proof of a company’s commitment to achieve the highest standards of health and safety benchmarks. These attainable induction courses help pave the way for members to demonstrate their commitment to the highest standards of health and safety practices and invest in their employee’s

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continuous development.

Free and unlimited access to full ESSA members, 12 new induction courses are available in the first series and include: Ÿ

Health & Safety Law

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The CDM Regulations 2015

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Industry Resources

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Risk Assessment

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Work at Height

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Work Equipment

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Fire Safety

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Electrical Safety

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Vehicle Safety

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Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health

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Slips and Trips

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Environmental Awareness

Each short module provides a clear and concise understanding of why certain rules are in place, the requirements needed to follow them and how individuals can help make exhibition halls a safer and more efficient place. As well as being good for business, it is also the law.

ESSA director, Andrew Harrison, said: “At this critical time, we need to support our industry with the necessary training that demonstrates commitment to every aspect of health and safety. We have listened intently to our members and recognise that for many, there is a requirement to work from the ground up to meet the increasing health and safety needs of our sector and exhibit demonstrable training and competency at all levels. “A key focus area and pillar of our leadership, this training enables members to put the stepping stones in place towards ultimately achieving Accredited status by providing the tools and knowledge required to implement best-in-practice health and safety measures as standard.”

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Global News

January 2022

Digital Transformation And A Successful Restart: NürnbergMesse Looks Towards A Better 2022 work schedules, and postponements of planned capital expenditures enabled us to keep the net result from deteriorating significantly further.

Year 2 of the extraordinary pandemic environment led to sales of about EUR 70 million in 2021 and a smaller net loss than in 2020, less than EUR 50 million Ÿ Savings on costs, shortened work schedules, and postponed investments safeguard precious liquidity during the COVID crisis Ÿ “Trade fair” business model validated: Customers enthusiastically welcome restart Ÿ Mixed outlook: A full calendar of more than 100 events and new hybrid trade fair formats raise hopes of a better exhibitions year than 2021, despite further postponements and cancellations Ÿ

nce again in fiscal 2021, the coronavirus pandemic deeply impacted NürnbergMesse. Of the 77 trade fairs planned for 2021 worldwide, 51 had to be cancelled or postponed. The result was that the NürnbergMesse Group saw sales of some EUR 70 million in Year 2 of the pandemic (prior year: EUR 110.3 million), together with a loss of less than EUR 50 million (prior year: EUR 68.6 million). NürnbergMesse CEO Dr Roland Fleck summarised: “We are looking back on a fiscal 2021 governed by extraordinary pandemic conditions.

Systematic savings on costs, shortened

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And in Nuremberg, as well as worldwide, we enjoyed a successful restart in the autumn; the vigorous welcoming response from our customers provided impressive validation for our trade fairs business model.” At the same time, by sagaciously expanding digital options, NürnbergMesse extended the reach of its trade fair themes. And still more, “for the first time, our digital formats generated ten per cent of total sales”, enthused joint NürnbergMesse CEO Peter Ottmann, celebrating the success of the company’s digital strategy.

By systematically putting the brakes on costs and capital expenditures, NürnbergMesse kept the net result from 2021 from deteriorating further, and thus made an important contribution towards safeguarding necessary liquidity. Personnel and material expenses were cut by about 25 per cent from pre-coronavirus plans.

Currently the Nuremberg site has 566 employees (NürnbergMesse Group: 943), roughly 10 per cent fewer (NürnbergMesse Group: 20 per cent) than in the pre-coronavirus 2019 year.

Cancelling or postponing investment projects for the exhibition centre saved nearly EUR 70 million for the year in comparison to pre coronavirus planning – a reduction of almost 90 per cent.

Exhibition Centre After some 19 months without face-to-face events and a total of 243 days during which events were banned, in the autumn of 2021 a variety of sectors and industries enjoyed a successful and emotionally stirring trade fair restart: HUBANA, FACHPACK, it-sa, FeuerTrutz, ConSozial and KOMMUNALE, as well as the CONSUMENTA, BIOGAS and RETRO CLASSICS BAVARIA guest events, filled exhibitors and visitors alike with enthusiasm, even as compliance with the applicable hygiene rules was maintained. “By their participation, they once again underscored the significance of our own events, partner events, and guest events as important, indispensable platforms for their respective industries, and as an economic engine for the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region,” said Dr Fleck.

NürnbergMesse Group has global restart Exhibitors and visitors also enjoyed the pleasure of meeting in person once again at the trade fairs held by NürnbergMesse Group and its subsidiaries around the world. Various segments of the food and tourism industries gathered for artoza, FOODTECH and XENIA, held by FORUM S.A. in Athens.

NürnbergMesse Brasil likewise marked the restart in São Paulo with an array of three fairs at year’s end: FCE

Autumn restart at the Nuremberg

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Global News Pharma and FCE Cosmetique, and PET South America, were the first shows the Brazilian subsidiary had held since the pandemic began.

BIOFACH INDIA took place in New Delhi. NürnbergMesse China advanced further along its path towards normality; thanks to careful contact tracing, this subsidiary was able to continue its events almost without a pause. Compared to 2019, CHINA DIECASTING and CRAFT BEER CHINA in Shanghai were able to catch back up to pre COVID levels or even exceed them, in terms of exhibitors and exhibition space. Dr Fleck: “The restart has shown that our customers want to get back to their trade shows – in person, and on site!”

Digital formats meet with a hearty welcome In addition to well-established inperson events, NürnbergMesse has ventured in the direction of the digital transformation, as a way of enabling its customers both domestic and international to keep taking part in the trade fair experience. Its first digital concepts were created in 2020, and evolved in 2021 into a successful total of 10 digital formats. These enabled participants to exchange ideas with wellmatched contacts, gather knowledge through the programme of presentations and conferences, and generate leads as a result – even without being able to attend an analogue event.

The digital expansion of face-to-face events took another great leap ahead during the successful trade fair restart in the autumn of 2021.

For FACHPACK, more than 4,300 participants attended myFachpack, representing almost 20 per cent of all the event’s visitors. FeuerTrutz had a total of 1,228 digital participants, more than one-third of all participants at the

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January 2022 trainee positions to 51, and filled every one of them,” said Ottmann.

Hopeful outlook for 2022

event. With itsa365 and myBeviale, NürnbergMesse now also keeps digital platforms available to the IT community throughout the year. Peter Ottmann: “As a next step, we’ll be tying in our digital formats even more closely with the in-person events, and offer our customers a total of six hybrid event concepts in 2022 using our successful ‘on-site plus online’ formula.”

Dealing responsibly with the pandemic Last year, NürnbergMesse also made an important contribution towards putting the national vaccination strategy into action, and thus towards holding events safely. Hall 3C served as a vaccination centre for the City of Nuremberg, where some 276,000 residents of the town were vaccinated against the virus. The company also arranged all three stages of vaccination for its own team, thus achieving a vaccination rate of more than 90 per cent among the staff, well above the national average. While the political debate still persists about legally imposing work-from-home rules, NürnbergMesse has already provided its employees with a wide range of flexible models for working hours and work locations. Thus the company has not only offered the best possible response to the evolving infection situation, but also highlighted its own appeal as an employer. “Another part of our taking responsibility during this pandemic is that during this period we increased the number of apprentice and

A well filled calendar of more than 100 trade fairs, conferences and other events for NürnbergMesse Group, gratifying booking levels that in some cases have even surpassed the pre-COVID figures, and the many new formats incline management to a cautious optimism for fiscal 2022, even if the year has at first begun with postponements and cancellations.

There will be product innovations in China in 2022 with Car Symposium China (22 April) and Car Battery China/EVTec, a paired event focusing on the forward-looking field of electromobility and scheduled for the second half of the year. Also in China, embedded world China, the Chinese edition of the international trade fair for embedded systems, will be held for the first time (15–17 June). NürnbergMesse Italia is planning for the debut of its new trade fair for printed circuit board production, “Focus on PCB,” 18–19 May, in Vicenza. The product family of coating shows (colours and paints) will be expanded with two new events in Indonesia (21–23 September) and Dubai (16–18 October).

Any meaningful sales projection for fiscal 2022 remains contingent on how the infection situation develops worldwide, along with further easing of international travel restrictions and visitors’ willingness to return to events in person in sufficient numbers. Given that background, NürnbergMesse management does assume that the year will see a positive change of direction, and expects a mixed fiscal 2022 in which both sales and profits will ultimately perform significantly better than in the first two “COVID years” 2020 and 2021.

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