Oct 2021

Media Partner From India

Oct 2021 Vol 10 Issue 03 Voice of Asia’s Exhibition & Convention Industry

COMEBACK SET IN MOTION

AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

Serious visitors are happily returning to physical shows

Anbu Varathan pens his final column as UFI President

SUSTAINABILITY Buzz word for the present

MEET THE ASSOCIATION MAN Octavio B. Peralta recounts his journey

PAVING THE

WAY FORWARD Dr. Edward Koh Executive Director Conventions, Meetings and Incentive Travel Singapore Tourism Board

Dear Readers, It was indeed wonderful to see the great support which the recently concluded IMS2021 received from the worldwide MICE fraternity. The event proved to be a useful platform to deliberate on the roadmap ahead for the industry. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the distinguished speakers, industry leaders, attendees and esteemed sponsors who made this event possible.

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PSU BUZZ

India recently issued a revised travel advisory for international visitors, making a negative RT-PCR test report must for all. The fresh travel advisory says that fully-vaccinated travellers coming from a country with which India has arrangements for mutual acceptance of WHO approved Covid-19 vaccines shall be allowed to leave the airport after producing a negative RTPCR test report, and will not have to undergo home quarantine and testing.

India has agreements for mutual recognition of nationally or WHO recognised Covid-19 vaccines with 11 countries - the UK, France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary, and Serbia.

On the other hand, the US has said that it will reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from 33 countries on 8 November. Under new rules announced by the White House, vaccinated people who have had a negative test in the 72 hours before travelling will be allowed to enter. The move marks the end of the tough restrictions that have been imposed on travellers since early last year.

As you must have enjoyed reading our new sections on event technology & sustainability since a couple of months now, it is important that we embrace the concept of sustainability in our sector more earnestly. Sustainability means meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The principles of sustainability are the foundations of what this concept represents. Therefore, sustainability is made up of three pillars: the economy, society, and the environment. These principles are also informally used as prot, people and planet! Let us try to learn more on how to put this concept into practice.

Our October issue of Exhibition Showcase is punctuated with stories of onsite exhibitions happening in India and around the world, along with exclusive interviews, insights and current situation of the industry. As you turn over the pages, we have tried to highlight various leading personalities in the global industry by sharing their thoughts on re-opening while also projecting their respective journey to the zenith. I hope that you will appreciate our continued efforts and do share your feedback with me at raghav@exhibitionshowcase.com Happy reading!

In this issue: 40

39

41-52

28-30

Exhibition Showcase Talks To Octavio B. Peralta, Founder & CEO, Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives

31-34

In Conversation With Joel Pascual, President, Philippines Association Of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers

35-36

In Conversation With Sandeep Kochhar, StoryTeller & Founder, BlewMinds

37-38

Exhibition Showcase Talks To Atul K. Todi, Co - Founder at FLOOR

61-62

Pg. 39-40

Pg. 10-11

Industry In Pictures From The World Of Social Media

Pg. 12

Quick Bytes

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Land Forces 2022 Set For October In Brisbane

Pg. 13-21

News Buzz

13

E-Mobility India Forum Launch Edition Concludes After A Prolific Dialogue On ‘Electrifying’ The Future Of Indian Mobility

14

Newly Elected IPAMA Team For The Term 2021-23

16

TAAI Initiates MoU With SLAITO To Promote Tourism Between Both Countries

18

Delhi Jewellery And Gem Fair Concluded With An Impressive Footfall Of 12500+ Buyers

21

BIOFACH INDIA To Be Held From 28-30 October, 2021

Pg. 24-38

Interviews

24-27

In Conversation With Dr. Edward Koh Executive Director Conventions, Meetings and Incentive Travel Singapore Tourism Board

Insights

39

Note From UFI Headquarters

40

Message From Anbu Varathan, President, UFI

Pg. 41-52

IMS2.0 Report

41

IMS2021 Concludes Successfully: Enables Avenues For Knowledge Sharing & Business Networking

42-49

Quotes By IMS2021 Esteemed Speakers

50-51

Glimpses Of Sessions At IMS2021

52

The Role Of Venues And Service Providers

Pg. 55-56

Sustainability

Pg. 57

Tech News

Pg. 58

People

Pg. 60-63

Global News

Industry In Pictures From

About a year ago, the #itsa365 went live.

With over 5,300 users, this is an important step towards bringing together #online and #onsite. Without a great team, we wouldn't have made this step. Would you like to get to know a great product and great people.

This week, we launched the series of events within the “Week of Azerbaijan” at the #EXPODubai2020 at #AzerbaijanPavilion. Opening with a #Slow #Food masterclass presen ng delicious tastes prepared with locally produced, high-quality ingredients, these events are dedicated to the tourism routes of #Azerbaijan and allow the guests to learn more about the exci ng offerings of the country while engaging in fun ac vi es and #networking.

Space Week, the second of Expo 2020 Dubai’s Theme Week, con nued un l 23 October. It presented an array of content, discussions and more that will probe the benefits, solu ons and challenges of exploring beyond our planet’s orbit.

Very privileged and honoured to be a ending this year's ANUGA... especially during the early days of Post Covid-19! A total of 38 SG food manufacturers are represented in the Singapore pavilion as organised by the Singapore Food Manufacturers' Associa on; supported by Enterprise Singapore and held by SG Singapore.

"Bio-ethanol can also be a sustainable fuel for avia on purpose. It can provide 80% savings on greenhouse gas emissions and can be blended up to 50% with conven onal jet fuels without any modifica on. It is already been tested and approved by the Indian air force." Shri Ni n Gadkari, Minister for Roads, Transport & Highways, Govt. of India.

Shri S K Lohia, MD & CEO, #IRSDC par cipated in the 3rd edi on of E2 Forum #conclave held recently to discuss technologies that can elevate the elevator experience. It offered an opportunity to stakeholders to obtain informa on, engage in dialogue and share ideas.

With the Government giving a Nod to the #apparel park expected to come up in Sector 29 along the #yamunaexpressway a new sign has been put up near the #jewar toll plaza.

On October we held in IFEMA MADRID the first mee ng with our interna onal delega ons a er COVID_19. Two intense days where we talk about #internacionalización and #digitalización as pillars of growth of the organiza on.

As economic rebounding process is the need of hour, #PHDCCI’s 116th Annual Session was organised (30th September; Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi) to create a pla orm for much needed policy dialogues and government-industry interface. A step in the direc on of braving new world.

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The World Of Social Media

when design + me culous work gives you an op mal outcome!!!

Bravo to all the Vision team which are glad to see exhibi ons back, and con nue their efforts in inspiring their clients every me.

IndiaCorr Expo and India Folding Carton is back for the packaging industry a er a gap of 2 years. The event is being held from 23-25 October at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi-NCR. It is organized by Reed Manch Exhibi ons in associa on with Indian Corrugated Case Manufacturers Associa on (ICCMA).

Last week was Comic Con in New York. It was incredible and energizing seeing so many people back enjoying in-person events. I even got the opportunity to work the register alongside our fantas c staff. We are already looking forward to London Comic Con this weekend.

Excited to be at GITEX and the German Pavilion again! The DWTC team has truly outdone themselves to bring the tech industry together on such a large scale post the challenging couple of years. The atmosphere is electrifying and one can sense the excitement of the companies finally mee ng face to face at an interna onal show.

A er FACHPACK and it-sa - The IT Security Expo & Congress, another trade fair started today within a few weeks at Nuremberg Exhibi on Centre with FeuerTrutz – Fachmesse und Kongress. We are looking forward to a hot exhibi on autumn and the many exhibitors and visitors who will finally experience trade fairs and congresses live again. #ReExperienceLive #TurningIdeasIntoValue #NuernbergMesseGroup

Dinner on top of Expo 2020 Dubai's iconic Al Wasl Plaza is basically the ul mate experience for all foodies. The Jubilee Gastronomy Restaurant is a new dining concept exclusive to Expo2020 Dubai and it's ready to blow your mind!

A rota ng selec on of chefs from Michelin-star restaurants and establishments featured in "The World’s 50 Best Restaurants".

12th Agriculture Leadership Conclave & Awards 2021 with Hon'ble Agriculture Minister, INDIA, hosted by Agriculture Today Group

Invest Hong Kong announced details of Hong Kong FinTech Week which will be held in hybrid format on 1-5 Nov at Hong Kong Conven on and Exhibi on Center. Audience worldwide can par cipate virtually.

The much awaited IEIA OPEN SEMINAR is back and will be held in a physical format on 20th and 21st December, 2021 at BIEC, Bengaluru.

Registra on details and program schedule will be shared shortly.

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Quick Bytes

Land Forces 2022 Set For October In Brisbane Land Forces 2022 will be staged at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Convention Centre, Queensland from 04-06 October 2022. The announcement was made by organisers AMDA, who said: "It will be the 5th iteration of this internationally renowned event, which despite the challenges of COVID, the last edition of Land Forces was a confirmed success, growing markedly over the 2018 event." Land Forces 2022 will be a three-day event including an extensive conference program covering topical land defence issues, an industry exhibition and formal networking and engagement programs for industry, defence, government and academia from Australia and around the world. AMDA Foundation Chief Executive Ian Honnery said it will provide an important platform for engagement between defence and industry, at a critical time for the Australian Army. “Army is working through the largest single peacetime acquisition phase in the service’s history,” Honnery said. “From helicopters to fighting vehicles, artillery, communications and soldier systems, Army is upgrading and developing its force and is looking to Australian industry to provide capability wherever possible. “Land Forces 2022 will be a hub for engagement across the land defence community to allow Army to detail its requirements, and for industry to demonstrate that it can provide that capability.”

VIV MEA 2021 Returns To ABU DHABI With An In-Person Event

Cosmoprof CBE Asean Reschedules Its First Edition To 15 To 17 September 2022 The organizers of Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN – Informa Markets, China Beauty Expo (CBE) and BolognaFiere – have decided to reschedule the first edition of the event to 15 to 17 September 2022 at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand. Considering the ongoing uncertainty associated with the pandemic in Thailand, and travel restrictions still being in place, the organizers decided to postpone the first edition of Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN, in order to grant all attendees and companies a productive and safe business experience. Companies and operators attending Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN will have the opportunity to test the market and find new leads during Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week, organized by Cosmoprof Asia Ltd, joint venture of BolognaFiere Group and Informa Markets, from 8 to 16 November 2021. All professionals can take advantage of the highperforming match-making systems, highlevel visibility, qualified promotion and a host of special events dedicated to the recent transformations in the industry.

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VIV MEA, the international Feed to Food trade show, returns to Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) on 23-25 November 2021 for its third edition. The city of Abu Dhabi serves as a safe host for this biennial show dedicated to animal protein professionals from the Middle East and Africa.

About 500 global exhibitors are ready to showcase the latest products. Maintaining steady relations with its partners since even earlier than its launch in 2016, VIV MEA 2021 brings on board many of the industry leaders who with their experience and innovations provide a substantial support to the show. Some of the global and regional partners include Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, Ministry of Climate Change & Environment, Dutch Poultry Centre, NABC, Global Dairy Farmers, Emirates Veterinary Association, Hub Orange, IEC, WPSA, and FAVA. VIV MEA participants can benefit from eased travel restrictions in Abu Dhabi. All the vaccinated travelers can visit the city and attend VIV MEA following all the protocols diligently.

Expo Real 2021: New Start Successful It was the first EXPO REAL under COVID-19 conditions. From October 11 to 13, 2021, the real estate industry came together at the most important European industry meeting in Munich.

“In all exhibition halls, you sense the atmosphere of confidence. 1,198 exhibitors and over 19,200 participants made intensive use of the three days at EXPO REAL to drive future projects, gather information and maintain their networks,” explains Klaus Dittrich, CEO of Messe München. “Of course, compared to the record-breaking years before COVID-19, the show was smaller. But the new start was successful and EXPO REAL has once again proven itself to be Europe's most important real estate trade show.” A precondition for success was Messe München's detailed protection and hygiene concept. More than 19,200 participants from 52 countries came to Munich to visit EXPO REAL. Many speeches and discussions held at the conference as well as exhibitor and start-up presentations were recorded and will be accessible on the EXPO REAL ONLINE platform until mid-November 2021.

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News Buzz

October 2021

E-Mobility India Forum Launch Edition Concludes After A Prolific Dialogue On ‘Electrifying’ The Future Of Indian Mobility aunched by Messe Frankfurt India, the E-Mobility India Forum, powered by NGV India Summit, succeeded in bringing the industry face-to-face to discuss the way forward for EVs. Consisting of members from top OEMs, auto component manufacturers and government, the forum highlighted various hurdles and opportunities that the industry is set to encounter on the road to achieving an expansive EV ecosystem.

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The launch edition of ‘E-Mobility India Forum’ turned out to be a productive event for the industry that converged together to gain an elaborate understanding of the business dynamics and possibilities concerning the Indian EV industry. Held on 7th October at Le Meridien, New Delhi, the conference

united a wide spectrum of industry experts, inclusive of EV brand leaders and luminaries from major OEMs, auto component, power and government sectors.

The forum was inaugurated by eminent industry figures, including: Ÿ Ÿ

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Mr Mahesh Babu, CEO, Switch India, & COO, Switch Global Shri Sudhendu J Sinha, Advisor, Infrastructure Connectivity & Electric Mobility vertical, NITI Aayog Shri K C Sharma, Superintending Engineer (Mechanical), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Shri N Mohan, Head – EV Charging Infrastructure, Convergence Energy Services Ltd Mr Winston Pereira, General Manager, Messe Frankfurt Trade

Fairs India Pvt Ltd Hosting 155 delegates under its roof, the E-mobility India Forum delved into various fundamental topics pertaining to the Indian EV industry following a detailed agenda. The versatility of deliberations enabled the attendees to gain a deep-dive perspective on the contemporary and future landscape of the Indian EV space.

The forum discussed topics, such as: the Future of mobility post the conversion to EV; EV Incentives, Policy, Challenges & Government Support in accelerating electrification; Opportunities & Challenges for Auto OEMs; Accelerating EV Component Manufacturing Growth through Make in India; EV Infrastructure & Innovative Business Models, and Interactive Session with EV Startups and Future Guidance.

Mr Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head, Audi India, who was also a part of the illustrious panel, expressed his views on the EV revolution: “When it comes to the success of e-mobility in India, I think we are on the way to becoming a big market for EV. OEMs, policy makers or infra companies converging together is creating a massive pull towards this movement and our responsibility as OEMs, is to give charging facility to our customers. The road to e-mobility is a marathon and we are just getting started. I am sure that in the coming years we will see it moving in a very positive direction.”

According to a Grant Thornton BharatFICCI report, India will require around 4 lakh charging stations for around 20 lakh electric vehicles in the country by 2026. Investment in infrastructure and government support will play a significant role in fast-pacing the growth of e-mobility in India.

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News Buzz

October 2021

Newly Elected IPAMA Team For The Term 2021-23

he elections of the Governing Council Members of Indian Printing Packaging & Allied Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (IPAMA), for the term 2021-2023, were conducted through eVoting on 18th October 2021. The User ID and Passwords were generated by CDSL and sent directly to the eligible Members on their registered Emails and Mobile phones. Mr. Dharmesh Arora of Fair Deal Engineers, Faridabad was nominated as the Returning Officer for the said purpose. After the counting of Votes, the results were declared by the Returning Officer on 19th October, 2021 in the presence of the Candidates and the Staff of IPAMA Secretariat.

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Mr. Harish Bansal

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Mr. Jaiveer Singh

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Mr. Jaswinder Singh

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Mr. Kartar Singh

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Mr. Ketan K. Shah

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Mr. Kuljeet Singh Maan

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Mr. Mr. Paramjit Singh

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Mr. R. Suresh Kumar

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Mr. Rakesh K. Sodhi

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Mr. Ravinder Singh

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Mr. Shiv Kumar Sharma

The following candidates were elected as Members of the Governing Council for the term 2021-2023: -

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Mr. Vinay Kumar Gupta

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Mr. Abhay Datta

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Mr. Adithya Gupta

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Mr. Alpesh Thakar

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Mr. D.K. Garg

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Mr. Gagan Singh

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Mr. Gurpratap Singh

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Mr. Rakesh K. Sodhi, President

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Mr. Jaiveer Singh, Vice President – North

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Mr. Harish Bansal, Vice President – South

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Mr. Iqbal Singh, Vice President – West

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Mr. Vinay Kumar Gupta, General Secretary

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Mr. Ravinder Singh, Joint Secretary – West

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Mr. Dayaker Sripathi, Immediate Past President

Mr. D.K. Garg, Joint Secretary – East

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Mr. Iqbal Singh, Immediate Past General Secretary

Mr. Gagan Singh, Joint Secretary – South

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Mr. R. Suresh Kumar – Treasurer

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Posts of Vice President – East and Jt. Secretary - North are yet to be filled.

Ex-Office Bearers: Ÿ

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Council of IPAMA was held at 5.00 PM on 22nd October 2021 at Hotel Fortune Inn Grazia, Sector-27, Noida in which the following office bearers were elected unanimously: -

Mr. Dharampal Rawat, Immediate Past Treasurer

The 120th Meeting of the Governing

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News Buzz

October 2021

TAAI Initiates MoU With SLAITO To Promote Tourism Between Both Countries ri Lanka has been India’s close partner for facilitating bilateral tourism. Post covid, Sri Lanka is amongst the first country to open tourism for fully vaccinated travellers from India, for which the entire travel fraternity of India is very pleased.

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Most eagerly awaited events of the Travel & Tourism industry TAAI Conclaves & Conventions (Indian Travel Congress) have been so far the biggest platform to bring the global travel trade industry together. TAAI does these events all over the world, including India. TAAI has till 2018 organized 65 Annual Conventions in different parts of the globe & many conclaves, including the most recent this year in Kevadia, Gujarat. TAAI is exploring to work very closely with Sri Lanka for more than these initiatives.

TAAI which is the leader association of India, initiated signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

with the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO).

While signing the MoU, Jyoti Mayal, President said that TAAI has had strong and fruitful relations with the Sri Lankan travel trade partners & especially SLAITO for many decades.

‘I am glad to share that post Covid 19, we are once again working in a collaborative manner to explore promotion of tourism amongst our countries & explore opportunities to organize TAAI Conclave or its Annual Convention in Sri Lanka. Both India & Sri Lanka are rich in its diverse culture & history and with a common goal SLAITO welcomed our suggestion to

collaborate. We are looking forward to visiting Colombo to finalize more details.’ Jay Bhatia, Vice President sharing the details of the MoU said that SLAITO will undertake to liaise with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Tourism, City Hotels associations and other logistical support to the event which would promote revival of tourism.

TAAI on its part will arrange publicity and promote among its members & all its publications including the electronic media, not only the event but Sri Lanka as a safe, leisure & MICE destination, added Bettaiah Lokesh, Honorary Secretary General. Shreeram Patel, Honorary Treasurer thanked SLAITO for agreeing to take tourism to its next level by signing the MoU with TAAI, which would not only give confidence to the traveler but also bring out correct procedures at the TAAI conclave or convention.

India-Europe Food & Beverage BSM rade Promotion Council of India successfully organised India-Europe Food & Beverage Buyer Seller Meet at Koln on 10th October 2021.

The event was inaugurated by Shri Ram Kumar, Consul (Coordination), Consulate General of India, Frankfurt.

Rice, Pulses, Agro Commodities, Honey, Organic food etc. The delegation was let by Shri Abhishek Poddar, Vice Chairman, Food & Beverage Sectoral Committee, Trade Promotion Council of India and Managing Director, Nani Agro Products Pvt Ltd.

The event was attended by 25 prominent exporters of Food & Beverages from India and 80+ European buyers/importers. The companies promoted vast varieties of foodstuff

Nippon Global SL was the lead sponsor for the event.

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ranging from Consumer food, India ethnic food, Tea, Spices, Dry fruits,

The event generated several business enquiries as well as witnessed spot order bookings.

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October 2021

Delhi Jewellery And Gem Fair Concluded With An Impressive Footfall Of 12500+ Buyers The event witnessed 200 + exhibitors, 850 + designer brands and 15000+ unique designs nforma Markets in India, India's leading B2B exhibitions organizer, recently concluded the 9th edition of Delhi Jewellery and Gem Fair (DJGF), North India’s biggest International Jewellery trade show.

DJGF was back in its in-person format, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi after a gap of 2 years. The show witnessed the presence of renowned personalities such as Chief Guests – Shri Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana and Shri Satyendra Jain – Member of Delhi Legislative Assembly along with key dignitaries - Mr. PK Gupta – Additional Chief Secretary Govt of Delhi; Mr. Ashish Pethe Chairman, All India Gems and Jewellery Domestic Council and Partner - Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers; Mr. Yogesh Singhal, President TBJA, Delhi, Mr. Mahendra Tayal, President HJMA and Ms. Pallavi Mehra, Group Director, Informa Markets in India amongst and industry gathering.

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The Expo was marked by the presence of high-profile dignitaries, from ministers, to associations and media from the gem and jewellery industry, all under one roof. It had over 12500 Buyers from various locations, along with fully occupied buyer seller meets, house full conference. DJGF showcased an array of 850 + designer brands and 15000+ unique designs. Some highlights of the expo included the launch of SHAKTI – Women Achiever’s Awards Jointly with the Gems & Jewellery Trade Council of India (GJTCI). The launch of SHAKTI was an effort for supporting the initiative– ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ taken

by Hon. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, on the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence. The Amrut Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in

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bringing India this far in its evolutionary journey but also hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Modi's vision of activating India 2.0, fueled by the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. SHAKTI felicitated the brilliance of women entrepreneurs, business owners, and corporate professionals from the Gems and Jewellery industry in India.

Shri Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana present at the Delhi Jewellery and Gem Fair said, " Such an event helps hundreds of exhibitors from North India. The Indian jewellery & gems industry has made a notable mark and the government has supported in the promotion of this industry". He also graciously invited the Indian jewellery & gems industry to the state of Haryana and promised that the state government will continue to promote the industry by providing acres of lands for establishing the entire infrastructure in the region.

Chief Guest – Shri Satyendar Jain, Member of Delhi Legislative Assembly congratulated the entire team of Informa Markets in India for

conducting such a great exhibition. Mr. Jain added, "Our approach would be to highlight the Information Classification: General importance of increasing value of jewellery, its endorsement and how it needs to be preserved. The Indian jewellery & gems industry contributes 47.5% to the GDP and 14% to the export trade of the country". He also focused on promoting the industry which currently employs more than 5 million skilled labourers across the country.

Speaking on the return of DJGF in the physical format, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India said, “Returning in the physical format after a gap of 2 years, DJGF reinforced a sense of trust in the jewellery market with over 200 participants showcasing an array of unique and trending jewellery.

With this return, DJGF reinforced the bond amongst the jewellery community, Government & Investors. Informa Markets in India stands by the Indian Government’s endeavours of a significant growth in the gems and jewellery sector by serving as a facilitator and bringing in the organised jewellery fraternity together under one roof.”

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October 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Inaugurates New Exhibition Complex (halls 2,3,4 & 5) At Pragati Maidan rime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched PM Gati Shakti – National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity and inaugurated the New Exhibition Complex (Halls 2,3,4 & 5) of International Exhibition – cumConvention Centre at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on Wednesday October 13, 2021. Union Ministers, Shri Nitin Gadkari, Shri Piyush Goyal, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and Shri R K Singh were also present at the occasion.

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While dedicating the New Exhibition Complex to the Nation, Hon’ble Prime Minister hoped that new exhibition halls will host events and exhibitions with

significant representation from MSME sector and thereby promote trade and enhance income levels of those associated with the MSME sector. He also specifically mentioned that our artisans and craft persons would be able to showcase their products in these halls not only for domestic use but also for exports.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister visited the Photo Gallery depicting the journey of making of these 4 new exhibition halls

as a part of the ongoing redevelopment of Pragati Maidan into an International Exhibition-cumConvention Centre (IECC) project and was briefed by Shri L.C. Goyal, CMD, ITPO on the Photo Gallery. These 4 new exhibition halls 2,3,4 & 5 are inter-connected having Ground Floor and First Floor with an exhibition area of 72,000 sqm. This new exhibition complex will have the main entry from Gate No. 5 and Gate No.4 at Bhairon Marg. This complex along with the attendant supporting infrastructure has been built at a cost of Rs.800 crore (approx.).

Most of the world class trade events will be held in this new exhibition complex, which would provide speed (GATI) to the growth of MICE sector in the country.

ExCeL London Enjoying Strong Return With Market Confidence Faster Than Expected xCeL London, the home of world leading events, is returning to pre-pandemic business levels since reopening its doors earlier this year with a packed schedule of almost 60 events. With more than 25 events already successfully and safely delivered, the Royal Docks venue is seeing a faster than expected return in market confidence after reopening in July as the new home of sustainable motorsport with the London Formula E event.

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A-near-capacity 56 events are scheduled until the end of 2021 with 11 new and relocated shows running for the first time at ExCeL, covering a variety of businessto-business and business-to-consumer offerings from The London International Horse Show, Shoptalk

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Europe and InfoSecurity. Last month alone, the venue safely welcomed more than 40,000 visitors for the Virgin London Marathon Show, in addition to strong attendance to Digital Transformation EXPO Europe, the Business Travel Show Europe, Global Offshore Wind and The Meetings Show – the latter officially opened by Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston after relocating from Olympia.

Simon Mills, Executive Director of ExCeL London, said: “After unprecedented times for everyone in the sector, we are pleased to reveal that events at ExCeL are flourishing, and renewed market confidence is growing far faster than expected. Thanks to continued investment, we’ve been able

to secure 11 significant new business wins to reinforce ExCeL as the home of world leading events, aided by aspects like our new entry protocols, which put visitor safety and wellbeing at the forefront of experiences.

“The pandemic has also given us the chance to further enhance our visitor offering such as state-of-the-art digital signage, a new online exhibitor service, significant upgrades in our IT infrastructure and a new partnership with London’s leading street food vendor KERB. All of this combined is leading to renewed confidence in the face-to-face events sector, which is forecast to be worth £27.6 billion by 2026.”

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October 2021

Punjab CM To Inaugurate PITEX 2021 To Be Held At Amritsar From Dec 2-6 cceding to the request of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi gave his nod to organise the upcoming PITEX (Punjab International Trade Expo), to be held at Amritsar from December 2-6, 2021, and also accepted their invite to inaugurate the expo with a thrust on the promotion of tourism across the State.

Member Punjab State Chapter PHDCCI R.S. Sachdeva, Regional Director Madhu Pillai, Head Trade Fairs Hardeep Singh and Resident Director Pradeep Rattan.

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On the request of the visiting delegation, the Chief Minister also directed both the Industries and Tourism Departments to make elaborate arrangements in advance to organize this mega event in a befitting manner. Earlier, the Industries & Commerce Minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli who accompanied the PHDCCI

delegation led by its Chairman Karan Gilhotra called on the Chief Minister at his office to extend an invite for the expo. Meanwhile, Kotli apprised the Chief Minister that the PITEX would offer a healthy platform to the traders and manufacturers from 5-6 countries to showcase their products in order to boost economic activity in the region.

Among others present on the occasion included the Managing Committee

PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) is a National Apex Chamber having its international office at Bahrain for 6 GCC countries, with 1,30,000 companies as its members base, as total focus on the development of small and medium businesses.

PHDCCI has co-opted National and International Industry Associations and Organisations through over 100 MoUs signed between the parties. The Northern Regional Office of PHD Chamber organises a premier international trade fair, PITEX in Amritsar, Punjab every year.

NBT To Organise In-person 30th Edition Of New Delhi World Book Fair 2022 ational Book Trust, India is organising the 30th edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair (NDWBF) from 8 - 16 January 2022 in the in-person format at the newly constructed halls at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. NDWBF organised annually by National Book Trust, India (under the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India) is one of the prestigious and largest book events in the Afro-Asian region and has acquired a high reputation among the international publishing industry.

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Organised since 1972, the NDWBF will be celebrating its 50th year in 2022 with photo exhibition around the 50

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years of the journey. The theme for this year is “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” - the 75 years of Indian Independence, which will see various panel discussions, book exhibitions, photo exhibition, book releases and discussions in the specially-designed Theme Pavilion.

With France as the guest country, the book lovers will be able to enjoy literature of France as well as other countries at the Foreign Pavilion, and a number of literary events will also take place at the International Events Corner. NDWBF organises a number of literary and cultural programmes during the Fair, which include Author's

Corners, Seminars, Discussions, Workshops, etc. In addition, there will be the B2B forums, viz. CeoSpeak and New Delhi Rights Table, where publishers from across the world exchange translation rights and other business deals related to publishing.

The Fair will also have a dedicated Children's Pavilion where children from all parts of the country can visit and take part in activities and workshops held every day, and also meet their favourite authors and illustrators. This year a special Children's Authors' Corner and Yuva corner will be put up for young talents.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

News Buzz

October 2021

BIOFACH INDIA To Be Held From 28-30 October, 2021 he 13th edition of BIOFACH INDIA will take place from 2830 October, 2021 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR. Organised by NürnbergMesse India in collaboration with APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority), the event is expected to successfully bring leading Organic companies and Stakeholders together. Visitors can look forward to a diverse range of products on display, an engaging knowledge programme, along with relevant business and networking opportunities.

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Sonia Prashar, Managing Director, NürnbergMesse India, describes the development of the event as consistently positive, and is looking forward to the upcoming edition “Right from the inception of the event in 2009, till date BIOFACH INDIA has established itself as a strong brand. It is a mustattend event for the organic sector and is a testament of our commitment towards the industry, to create a networking platform which fosters dialogue and business. Our collaboration with APEDA – together with the active support of other leading associations – will ensure that we have a great edition.”

Organic Industry on the right growth trajectory:

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India's organic market is developing rapidly, and is projected to grow from USD177.14 million in FY2020 to USD553.87 million in FY2026 advancing with a CAGR of 21.00% by FY2026. The Indian government has been promoting organic farming through subsidies and more areas are being brought under cultivation using ecological production methods. In addition, online sales of organic food, an increasing health consciousness and changing consumer preferences towards organic products are among the most important factors that are contributing towards the growth of the organic sector in India.

Connect to Re-experience: At the latest edition of BIOFACH India, visitors can look forward to an

impressive display of products and solutions from the various segments including organic food and drinks, natural cosmetics, wellness, ecological textiles and certification.

The event will also offer a knowledge platform for dialogue and networking.

Industry speakers will highlight the latest developments and challenges in the organic sector through presentations, case studies and best practice examples.

The edition will offer an ideal opportunity to the Stakeholders to have an in-person interaction, meet relevant business partners, learn about the latest developments and most importantly find an opportunity to reinitiate the dialogue and discussions around this growing and promising sector.

“India has a favourable ecosystem both in terms of resources and policies and a generation of users who are increasingly turning towards organic products.

BIOFACH India is an important forum which brings the industry together, promotes dialogue and facilitates networking. We look forward to seeing the organic community in person at the show”, said, Markus Reetz, Executive Director International Exhibitions at NürnbergMesse. The event will be held in accordance with the latest Govt guidelines and complete health and safety protocols around COVID-19.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Cover Story

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October 2021

N CONVERSATION WITH DR. EDWARD KOH EXECUTiVE DiRECTOR CONVENTiONS, MEETiNGS AND INCENTiVE TRAVEL SiNGAPORE TOURiSM BOARD ES. You have seen a great potential in the events, experiential marketing and activations space to promote Singapore as a destination for business travellers and tourists. Please share with us, how have you bridged the gap and brought Singapore closer to the business travellers through your unique initiatives?

Dr. Edward Koh. The Singapore government recognises that MICE and business travel is a strategic industry for Singapore, which brings about significant benefits to our overall economy. We also remain confident in the long-term prospects of MICE, because the fundamentals that make Singapore a key MICE hub and an attractive location for leisure and MICE experiences remain unchanged. These include our air connectivity, highly skilled workforce, and the fact that many global MNCs are headquartered here. Accompanying these fundamentals is the resilience of our MICE industry, putting Singapore in a good position to emerge even stronger from COVID-19. Our partners are also confident that Singapore can sustainably host safe, trusted and innovative MICE events on a larger scale.

For example, Singapore has already secured rights to host the Worldchefs Congress and Expo in 2024, and the 110th Lions Clubs International Convention in 2028. The latter is expected to attract around 20,000 foreign delegates. These successes build upon the country’s track record as a preferred MICE destination. We have recently seen the successful completion of Gamescom Asia 2021 (14 – 17 October 2021) and look forward to upcoming prominent conferences including Bloomberg New Economy Forum (16-19 November 2021) and 60th International Young Lawyers’ Congress 2022 (August 2022). STB’s key priority is to ensure that business events can provide a safe and fruitful experience for event organisers and delegates while minimising the risks of transmission.

STB also has a set of subvention schemes available to help secure MICE movements to Singapore, such as Business Events in Singapore (BEiS), Singapore MICE Advantage Program (SMAP) and In Singapore Incentives and Rewards (INSPIRE).

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Cover Story

October 2021

Art Science Museum

ES. SingapoReimagine Global Conversations is a thought leadership series which aims to catalyse discussions on how to reshape global travel post Covid. Please share with us the context and highlights of this initiative in relation to business travel.

Dr. Edward Koh. SingapoReimagine Global Conversations is a key part of STB’s SingapoReimagine initiative, which was launched last year to affirm our destination’s commitment to shape a new standard for travel, through safety, technology, experiences and sustainability.

The series comprises three key forums, with overseas adaptations. The first forum – titled “Reimagine Experiences” – is available on-demand in four video episodes released weekly on STB’s website and YouTube channel.

The episodes will tap into the top minds in tourism and lifestyle, through a rich blend of interviews, rapid-fire questions, and data insights, to inspire new collaborations and ideas. The other two forums, which will focus on the themes of travel journeys as well as sustainability and wellness, will be introduced later this year and in the first half of 2022. We believe that the subject of sustainability will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of business travel and progressively, companies will be interested in selecting destinations where business events and meetings are conducted in a sustainable and responsible manner.

ES. Singapore has been a thought leader & has proven capabilities to support MICE. What is your observation on sustainability in MICE and issues like net zero carbon footprint & responsible business tourism?

richer experiences, with a smaller footprint. We have made good progress toward sustainability with the announcement of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a whole-of-nation movement to advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development. Driving interest in Green Events, Singapore is home to various sustainability events such as Ecosperity Week and Sustainability Reporting Summit.

Various MICE venues have also incorporated sustainability in their events work. For example, the Sands Expo and Convention Centre became the first carbon neutral MICE venue in Singapore in September 2020. Sentosa Development Corporation, which manages the island resort of Sentosa, is also rolling out a slew of sustainability measures and initiatives with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in 2030.

ES. Please tell us about your vision for promoting MICE travel to Singapore? What measures are you planning to take in this regard?

Dr. Edward Koh. As borders around the world gradually reopen, we expect business and MICE travel to Singapore to gradually resume. STB is constantly engaging our intermediary and corporate stakeholders across our key markets, including India. We have also stepped up marketing Singapore as a MICE destination known for Safety, Innovation, and Trust, in order to rebuild short- to mid-term consideration of Singapore among MICE event planners, through media partnerships, digital and social channels, as well as increased business development efforts.

In India, our recent engagement session with 30 corporate decision makers from various industry sectors provided useful takeaways and insights that will help us chart our pathway towards MICE recovery from India to Singapore.

The corporates shared that incentive travel programs will continue to play an important part of their business relationship process in rewarding their employees, distributors and business partners. Even if COVID-19

Blu Jaz Café

Dr. Edward Koh. The current COVID-19 environment presents an opportunity for Singapore to reimagine tourism and design safe experiences for visitors through innovative formats and digital adoption. Our vision is to position Singapore as a top sustainable and innovative urban destination – a place where everyone can partake in bigger,

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Cover Story

October 2021

protocols increase the cost of travel, this is unlikely to curtail their appetite for incentive travel. However, corporates also shared that they may be more selective about the types of trips and destinations, with flying time given greater consideration. We are heartened to know that most of the corporates concurred that Singapore will continue to be an attractive mid-haul destination for the Indian market for incentive travel, once borders re-open.On top of securing more pipeline events and movements to Singapore, STB has worked with the meetings industry to help them upskill to deal with the increasing use of technology as well as to enhance Singapore’s products and experiences. COVID-19 has accelerated the MICE industry’s innovation, galvanising the industry to explore new ways of connecting stakeholders and organising events. MICE events also provide a safe and controlled environment, which gives us confidence to

(SACEOS) collaborated with STB and Enterprise Singapore to develop the Event Industry Resilience Roadmap. In the coming months, we will also be sharing more information about new destination experiences and enhanced incentive programmes for meeting planners.

ES. Supported by STB, Singapore hosted its first international business event with fully vaccinated participants - the "Joint Leadership Summit of AEO / SACEOS / SISO / UFI”. More are in the pipeline. What were the main framework of the show and how it enables the industry to focus to reinvigorate the region’s business events industry and reboot inter-and intra-regional business travel?

Dr. Edward Koh. The Joint Leadership Summit, held from 5 to 7 October, convened regional government representatives, major global organisers and trade association leaders on an

Marina Bay Sands

innovate and testbed new measures that can later be applied across other economic sectors and tourism industries. In July 2020, STB developed the Safe Business Events (SBE) framework to help our industry resume safely. Under the SBE framework, Singapore has piloted over 140 MICE events, hosting more than 15,000 participant attendees.

Riding on the successful pilots of large-scale events such as TravelRevive (November 2020) and Geo Connect Asia (March 2021), STB will continue to progressively resume larger scale events with rigorous protocols and innovative solutions in place for the end-to-end visitor journey. For example, the last quarter of this year will see two major MICE events - the Bloomberg New Economy Forum and Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific. To guide the industry in developing innovative hybrid business models and pathways for new capabilities, the Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers

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action plan for the safe reopening of the business events industry in the region. They discussed the critical need to reopen inter- and intra-regional travel routes while ensuring the health and safety of travellers as core policy measures. These are the foundations and assurances that business event organisers need to commit their resources and investments into the restart of events across the region. Accordingly, the leaders are calling on the authorities to put into place clear policy initiatives and common operating protocols across the region to be calibrated for a Covid-endemic environment. To support the industry’s evolution through a Covid-endemic operating environment, the event also saw the launch of the Asia CEO Summit, an annual dialogue for the exhibition industry to review the regional business environment and chart the next course of action and collaboration for the betterment of the industry. This event will take place in Singapore annually from 2022 onwards.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Cover Story

October 2021

Resorts World Sentosa

ES. Singapore Tourism Board, Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) had partnered to launch a whitepaper titled “Reimagining Business Events –Through COVID-19 and Beyond”. What were the main findings of this report?

Dr. Edward Koh. Launched at the first hybrid Singapore MICE Forum x IBTM Wired at Marina Bay Sands on 28 June 2021, the white paper takes stock of how various sectors within the industry have transformed in response to COVID19, and consolidated ideas from around the world to help business event organisers rethink their offerings and operations.

Some of the main findings: As the world continues to grapple with the pandemic, optimism among business events organisations has continued to grow over the past months and revenues have also started to pick up. This year, the exhibitions industry, which contracted by 68 per cent in 2020, is expected to register global revenues 106% higher than 2020 figures Ÿ Within Asia Pacific, there are strong indications of growth and innovation. Based on UFI, Explori and SISO’s Global Recovery Insights report 12, exhibitions in Asia are likely to see stronger growth in participation from both visitors and exhibitors, compared to the rest of the world Ÿ Visitors from Asia are significantly more likely to convert from attending a new event digitally to attending in person in the future – 64 per cent compared to 48 per cent of respondents from the rest of the world Ÿ

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Kampong Glam

Ÿ

Innovation will be critical to carry the sector through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. To begin, organisations should think about innovating across three pillars: Business Models, Delegate Experience, and Talent and Capabilities

ES. What would be your comments on digitalization and the prospects of utilising technology in propelling ahead the momentum in the industry?

Dr. Edward Koh. The pandemic has catalysed technological innovations and concepts in our events industry.

Experimentation with event formats is an up-and-coming trend, with organisers trialling events in virtual or hybrid models. The integration of technology into the visitor experience, such as digital guides and contactless registration, will also become mainstream. In terms of innovation, this is the most fertile period in our industry’s history, and we have seized this by piloting and scaling many new solutions. For instance, one initiative we have been working on is our Augmented Reality (AR) Strategy, which aims to help tourism businesses develop interactive and engaging AR content for our visitors. We will be creating a repository of high-quality AR content that our industry stakeholders can leverage to enrich their digital platforms and will guide them on how to deploy this technology effectively. Recognising that digitalisation is key, STB has launched TCube (Tourism Technology Transformation Cube), which provides a holistic suite of tools to guide tourism businesses in Singapore to build capabilities to succeed in the digital age. These tools help tourism businesses learn more about themselves, test their concepts or ideas, and build solutions that last and meet customers’ needs.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

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Every channel or pla orm available out there will be helpful for the exhibi on industry. In the end, it is always being able to balance the needs of the industry and needs of the economy as a whole.

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Octavio B Peralta

The association man ES. Over a course of three decades, you have developed a network of friends and allies in the association and MICE world.

Please share with us your career journey, challenges that turn your dreams into reality so far. Who would you attribute your success to?

Octavio B. Peralta. If you ask any association leader today, nobody will tell you categorically that tracking the career path of an association professional has ever crossed their mind. So, I always believed that being an association executive is presented to you by fate. This is the case for me. When I first entered the association world 30 years ago, I had no clue whatsoever on what to expect and what to do. At that time, there was no school to go to and learn association management like other professions. But I was fortunate to have found a great resource in the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) where I subsequently became a member and learned the “ropes of the trade”, so to speak.

I have learned along the way that there is such a field of management as association management which is unique in itself since nowhere else can you find specific issues for associations only that are discussed and deliberated on as a body of knowledge such as, membership recruitment, retention and engagement, volunteer management, tax-exempt accounting and financial management, development of non-dues revenue, fundraising, among others. From my engagement with ASAE and involvement in its committees and task forces, I began to meet peers in the profession and built a network of contacts around the world. It also helped that my job as Deputy Secretary General and subsequently as Secretary General of my association then, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), has afforded me to travel across the globe and has enabled me to establish relationships that I still have up to now and is still increasing.

I think my successful career as an association leader can be attributed to my focusing on what I call as the “3Rs” of association management, i.e., relevance, relationships, and resources (people, technology and funding).

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OCTAVIO B. PERALTA Founder & CEO Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE)

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021 Octavio B. Peralta. APFAO was natural and pleasant consequence of the global network of peers and associations that I have built over these years. ASAE was very much a part of APFAO, providing it with a venue to meet with other “associations of associations.” Established in March 2015, APFAO’s founding members include PCAAE, the Associations Forum, the Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) and the Korean Society of Association Executives (KSAE).

ES. What is your vision for APFAO? Can you share the latest developments of APFAO?

OBP - Global Symposium on DFIs

ES. Better known as Bobby in the industry, and also known as 'Association Man', you have been instrumental in creating and sustaining multiple associations. Juggling multiple roles, what difficulties do you face while handling the tasks simultaneously?

Octavio B. Peralta. Having a global network in the association and MICE world has opened for me opportunities of creating, managing, and sustaining many associations, most of the time, even simultaneously. When I was ADFIAP Secretary General, I concurrently held the position of Secretary General of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI) with members in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and was the only one to hold the position for two 3-year terms. In November of 2013, this global experience and network have given me the wherewithal and the confidence to pursue my longtime dream of giving back to the profession I was destined to be and was able to establish the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) and thereafter in March 2015, through my initiative, the AsiaPacific Federation of Association Organizations (APFAO) got created.

While there were successes, there were challenges, too, like working in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual environment, relationship dynamics with different boards, planning events remotely and implementing them on-site, budget and financial management, communications, visibility and branding, etc. But all these challenges were surmountable because of the support and cooperation of members, the secretariat staff, peers in the industry, and similar-purposed organizations.

ES. How does your past experience helped you in building APFAO? 29 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

Octavio B. Peralta. APFAO’s vision is to be the hub of excellence in association leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. While APFAO is still an informal network of “associations of associations,” it is guided by its own constitution and office bearers. I currently serve as APFAO President. APFAO continue to collaborate with ASAE, the African Society of Association Executives (AfSAE) and the European Association of Association Executives (ESAE) as well as the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), among others.

ES. A mechanical engineer by education and a development banker by career, how did you land up here?

Please tell us about what motivates you as an association executive.

Octavio B. Peralta. As mentioned, being an association leader is my destiny. My education as a mechanical engineer has given me a logical mind which is helpful in project management such as event planning. My training as a development banker has given me a caring heart, needed to advocate in the area of social, environmental and good governance (ESG) aspects of sustainable development.

Having a WHAM (whole heart and mind) in everything you do brings forth inspiration, motivation, and a wellspring of ideas to do your work passionately as an association executive.

ES. What has been your biggest challenge in navigating today’s uncertainty? How have the fraternity come together to overcome challenges that you think was not possible without their efforts?

Octavio B. Peralta. The biggest challenge in today’s uncertainty, to me, is how to build a sustainable revenue stream that has been impacted adversely by the pandemic.

One of the biggest generators of revenue by

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

associations are registration fees from conferences, training programs, exhibitions, and other events which have been markedly reduced as they have been shifted from inperson to virtual events. Another source of revenue that has been unduly hit by the pandemic is sponsorship.

Discussions and experience-sharing on these issues among other associations through forums such as IMS have been helpful to gain ideas and collaboration to meet these challenges.

ES. The exhibition industry has always been a good platform to plan ahead and provide a better platform for all trade. What are your thoughts on how best we can bring back business in the new normal?

Octavio B. Peralta. I have heard many times over from exhibitors that virtual, or even hybrid, exhibitions will be unable to replace the face-to-face version of it. I certainly agree with this observation because business transactions are built on trust and personal relationship between the buyer and the seller. Also, there is a limit and constraint in showing exhibited items virtually like a piece of machinery, for example. I think the government has a big role to play in leading the way for trade exhibitions to be back in business and industry and trade associations need to work together to bring their case to the government as well.

weekly column for a local newspaper and posting blogs in my “Association Man” blogsite.

The pandemic however has altered all these activities as mobility and meeting family and friends have been restricted. The work from home environment has been a balancing act between work and family bonding. But I still keep my date time with my wife watching videos at home on Saturday nights and my “me-time” interspersed during the day.

ES. What would be the one piece of advice you'd pass on to the industry?

Octavio B. Peralta. For associations, I would say to stick and to focus on their purpose because with purpose, they will remain relevant; if they are relevant, they will have loyal members; and if they have supportive members, they have the opportunity to develop services and generate revenues; and so on. For the events industry, I would say to stick to what they are good at, showcase more content and solutions, organize more impactful and experiential events, as well as create more opportunities for engagement and networking.

ES. Talking about the new approaches of learning and how the pandemic has changed the face of Exhibition industry? Do you think the industry would be shifting towards omnichannel business models to elevate a show’s value proposition post the pandemic?

Octavio B. Peralta. Every channel or platform available out there will be helpful for the exhibition industry. In the end, it is always being able to balance the needs of the industry and needs of the economy as a whole.

ES. On a personal note, we are curious to know what keeps you busy when you are away from work? Please tell us about your hobbies and other activities that you would love to do at home.

Octavio B. Peralta. Work has been an integral part of my life as an association leader. Before the pandemic, there was a clear-cut allocation of time for work, family and “metime.” Weekends are bonding time for me with the family, including babysitting duties for my 3-year old granddaughter. Saturday is dining out with the family and date time with my wife to see a movie. Sunday is visiting friends and relatives or they visit us in our home. My “me time” is doing light weight workouts, reading books on personal success stories, doing crosswords, writing short articles on association management and governance in my 30 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

OBP at PICC Aug. 8, 2018

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

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“The effec veness and amount of business generated by the face-to-face is unmatched anywhere in the world. Therefore, during a mee ng with the biggest MICE players around the world, it was agreed that virtual will just remain as an added feature but the main focus will con nue to be the physical expo.”

“

In Conversation With Joel Pascual, President, Philippines Association Of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers ES. How has PACEOS role been instrumental in developing the Philippines into the leading, top-of-mind destination for MICE? Joel Pascual. At a time when MICE was not a priority of the national government, PACEOS lobbied for recognition of the industry as a high-impact contributor to the country's economy in both tourism and trade.

Some of the efforts PACEOS initiated were the very first Philippine MICE Forum which brought global players into the country. This made government pay attention and eventually adapted the project as its own. Only in recent administrations has MICE finally been put as part of the country's tourism priority industries. To further drive the importance of MICE, PACEOS once again initiated the creation of its own MICE Roadmap. This was, likewise, quickly adapted by the national government and has resulted in the creation of a consortium of private & public MICE stakeholders towards the realization of the goals of the Roadmap.

Today, PACEOS and the Department of Tourism are closely working together in training and capacity building of MICE in the major cities of the Philippines.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

ES. Leaders sit at the helm, confront high stakes, and are charged with advancing. What were early projects you are particularly proud of and early defining career moments?

recognized as delivering highly effective trade shows. Some of our defining moments were : Ÿ

Joel Pascual. As President of PEPTarsus Corporation, our growth and industry leadership has largely been a product of 3 main thought pillars within our company : Ÿ

Value for Money: the age-old adage of “under promise, over deliver” has never gone out of style and that, to this day, has been a mantra for the company. Exceeding expectations is what creates a loyal customer base Ÿ Innovation: at the end of every show, we already ask ourselves what new things we can introduce the next year. We are never satisfied unless we are able to answer the questions “what's new?” This is the only way we know how to remain fresh and relevant for both our exhibitors and our visitors. Ÿ It's The People: every effort is exerted to equip our people to be professionals and, at the same time, have a healthy relationship with our client base. Our expertise should always evoke confidence while our relationships create that all important team spirit between organizers and exhibitors. Ÿ

With these at the core of who PEPTarsus is, we very ambitiously opened up shows and quickly grew and was

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Ÿ

Ÿ

Ÿ

Just on our first year, we already opened up strong with two halls of the World Trade Center, and it just continued to grow every year until WOFEX became the biggest food show in the country Since we already filled up World Trade Center, we took the courage to open up a second venue, the SMX Convention Center, a 10min ride from WTC. That leap of faith paid off as we eventually filled up both venues as well.

We created the Philippine Culinary Cup, the only WACS accredited competition in the country and quickly attracted global participation and is acknowledged as one of the best the region has to offer.

Because we were wall-bound, one of the ways we could grow was to go regional. By bringing our show to the major cities around the Philippines, we were able to bring the sellers closer to the buyers and WOFEX quickly became the natiowide marketing strategy for a lot of our clients.

We also created World Food Magazine, a quarterly trade publication that further extended our capability to disseminate relevant information at the same time serve as a marketing medium for our clientele.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

ES. What is WOFEX and what makes the concept special?

What are some of the products that you find are a unique addition to the sustainable and organic market?

ES. What are your thoughts on 'Local food players should invest in research and development' and why is it important to upgrade their skills?

Joel Pascual. WOFEX is the World Food Expo which is the largest and most effective food show in the Philippines.

First thing about its being special is its size and international participation which is the biggest in the country. Also, it houses the most prestigious culinary competition. It has simultaneous seminars, conferences and cooking demos throughout its 4-day run.

Joel Pascual. It is often said that information is gold and it will always remain true. R&D should never be left out if a company wants to progress in its business. Big or small, with or without government assistance, the key to being a step ahead of the competition is to invest in research and development. It is even more important for local players who want to penetrate the bigger international markets.

WOFEX has also been supporting the Slow Food Movement, an international organization that started from Italy and has become nationwide. It highlights the importance of biodiversity, of organic and natural farming and chemical free produce. Through the support of WOFEX, the movement has grown in size, importance and relevance.

ES. 'Investing in equipment is vital to further increase the production of food products. It's not enough to harvest, it should be processed.' Please comment.

ES. A sustainable world starts with good food. How WOFEX has consistently been innovating to become the biggest and most effective trade show in the region?

Joel Pascual. That is one of the most important purposes of WOFEX. A walk through the expo gives the visitor fresh ideas and/or aspirations to level up. Food producers can look at the equipment available on the floor and can study the possibilities of transitioning from being a farmer to a food processor. Processing and the added value it puts into the product will make the company more profitable and the produce can reach wider markets.

Joel Pascual. WOFEX achieves its success by being able to showcase the best of the world side-by-side with the best of the Philippines. This allows the participants to benchmark on international standards and sets the tone for the upgrading, upskilling of the entire foodservice industry of the country. When the best of the world come to Manila during WOFEX, great things happen.

ES. World Food Expo is the leading and most effective food show in the Philippines today. Simultaneously occupying the two biggest venues in the country, the World Trade Center and the SMX Convention Center. What is your objective for organising this year?

Joel Pascual. Due to the pandemic, a physical event has not been allowed by the government since the beginning of the spread of covid. Therefore, to remain relevant, we have pivoted into the virtual world. We quickly offered many webinars to inform, to assist and to educate the foodservice industry while everyone was adjusting to the new normal.

Early 2021, we finally did our first virtual expo with much success. This November, if the situation does not change, we will be having our first hybrid edition of WOFEX. The virtual and hybrid shows are much smaller than prepandemic WOFEX, but still it is important to try and reboot the events industry in the country.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

ES. How is WOFEX helpful in educating its participants?

Do you organise any conference or session during expo?

Joel Pascual. A tag line that always go with the WOFEX name is “The Ulitmate Food Show Experience”. This is because visitors come to WOFEX not just for the exhibition but also for the many learning opportunities it offers.

Simultaneously running are: Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

lectures and cooking demos on 2 main stages called Kitchen Theaters, 4 seminar rooms on wide ranging topics which we call WOFEX University, 4 meeting rooms for associations which we call B2B Prime 2 conference halls for large conferences which we call World Food Summit; The country's most prestigious culinary competition we call The Philippine Culinary Cup

Clearly, education is a pillar of every WOFEX edition and is the reason the visitors come back and stay long with every edition of the show.

ES. What kinds of trends are you noticing in the last few years? What would be the highlights of upcoming WOFEX? Joel Pascual. With the advent of the pandemic, trends will greatly focus on SAFETY, SANITATION, ON-LINE COMMERCE, DELIVERY and SUSTAINABILITY. This are the issues that have always been important but the pandemic has made it even more relevant for the years to

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come.

ES. What are your learnings from the pandemic and how it has changed the face of Exhibition industry?

Joel Pascual. Many around the world have tried to pivot to virtual expos, but most have largely been a poor version of the physical expo. The effectiveness and amount of business generated by the face-to-face is unmatched anywhere in the world. Therefore, during a meeting with the biggest MICE players around the world, it was agreed that virtual will just remain as an added feature but the main focus will continue to be the physical expo.

Worldwide, the push is to reboot, reopen and return to the expo floor.

ES. What are your upcoming plans? What would be your message to the industry?

Joel Pascual. For us, we continue to touch base with our base through different online activities. However, we are pushing to be able to do a physical event soon as there is a definite clamor from our clients to once again enjoy the benefits they can only get from the influence of WOFEX. For the industry, let us continue to do our best to prepare for the reopening of events safely. There is light at the end of the tunnel and the experience of those that have already reopened is that it has exceeded their expectations.

Rebooking rates of 80-90% has been reported. The exhibition industry is becoming upbeat in parts of the world. For those like us in the Philippines who are still not allowed to open, let us keep the faith that our time will come soon enough. There is do substitute to the efficiency of a trade expo.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

“I intend to be an instrument of change in the society. BlewMinds is a dream come true, a rm of passionate folks with the desire & ambition to transform people, organisations & in time, the world" Transformation, Organization Restructuring & Change Management in companies like Aurea Software, HT Media, British Council, Honeywell, IBM, & HCL Technologies. I moved from one domain to another, eager to learn & explore - from technology to marketing to eventually entrepreneurship. My first few ventures as an entrepreneur failed. I turned to writing to discover meaning & purpose & became a StoryTeller - writing about my experiences, helping people through my stories.

I have carved my own path by sharing my learnings with the world. I have written more than 2500 stories & have reached more than 250 million views.

SANDEEP KOCHHAR StoryTeller & Founder, BlewMinds ES. An MBA Graduate from IIM Bangalore, what made you become a Storyteller?

Sandeep Kochhar. As a child, I was fascinated by stories they took me to different worlds which were full of wonderous possibilities. Much like others my age, I took the commonly trudged upon road - taking up science, pursuing engineering & getting a job. But I didn't wish to be yet another money-making machine. Additionally, I didn't enjoy what I was doing. I was tired of the proverbial corporate set-ups – with their lack of empathy & culture. I desired to work in an organisation that promoted sustainable growth & learning. So, one day, I handed in my resignation to the company I had worked at for over 15 years & gravitated towards writing.

My stories come from my own experiences – facing fears, surmounting odds & learning through steady practice. I love working with people – adults & youth alike, & aiding them in becoming the best versions of themselves.

ES. Please highlight your career journey, major hurdles overcome and milestones achieved so far.

Sandeep Kochhar. I have worked in various roles relating to Program/Project Management, Business/Process 35 | www.exhibi onshowcase.com

ES. One of the biggest perks to becoming a motivational speaker is the ability for your words to travel. What systems do you use when researching motivational topics & how do you prepare for your talks?

Sandeep Kochhar. I look for stories which my audience can relate to – stories that cultivate empathy, convey insight & set them on a path towards growth by sharing experiences from my own life journey. I wish to move my audience from thinking to doing. At IMS 2.0, my audience were leaders from an industry which was badly hit by the pandemic. Basis this, my talk was aimed at reigniting the passion of those folks, to overcoming the challenges that they had faced due to Covid-19.

ES. Your 'Wabi Sabi' StoryTelling style Leadership series has helped people make a big switch in their lives & radically improve their way of thinking. Can you cite some examples of those people who are thankful to you today?

Sandeep Kochhar. I started writing stories with the idea of helping people, improving their thinking & creating powerful & positive impact through unconventional learnings from Stories. I have finally discovered my life purpose after meandering around for years: it is to Touch & Transform 5 billion humans by 2030'.

ES. BlewMinds Consulting was one of your dreams and you must have set up your goals to reach this point.

Where do you see yourself today and what are your upcoming plans?

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

Sandeep Kochhar. I intend to be an instrument of change in the society. BlewMinds is a dream come true, a firm of passionate folks with the desire & ambition to transform people, organisations & in time, the world. As an organisation, we are committed towards creating passionate & heartfelt stories for both individuals & organisations. Our team of determined folks work towards transforming people & companies, enabling in their progress & guiding them towards sustainable growth. Our culture is embedded with value, respect, empathy & self-love.

Currently, we are in the process of building a platform named PaintMinds, which is aimed at aiding people who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.

ES. How do you ensure your speeches are captivating and informative?

Sandeep Kochhar. StoryTelling, in general, connects us all.

It being one of the oldest forms of teaching, helps us understand the ways of the world & its people. Some stories make us laugh, some stories help us get inspired & some help us learn. We are all StoryTellers at heart & we all have stories hidden inside of us that have never been told before.

The idea isn't just to share my learnings but to inspire others to share theirs too. With Corporate StoryTelling, our aim is to bridge the gaps between the workforce of organisations, overcome challenges & grow organically.

For us, building a positive culture is more than just the spoken word, rather it is what sets us apart.

ES. The hardest part about public speaking is actually being able to attract the attention of your audience? What would you say is the most important part of being a motivational speaker or a storyteller?

Depression, for instance, comes not only from the negative surrounding of the present but it stems from our past experiences. Often traumas from our childhood leave scars, & it is very important to heal them as we grow up. What we need now is more empathy, kindness & lending an ear towards people who are struggling with such issues & to quash any taboos that revolve around it.

ES. With each role, come different responsibilities, how do you minimize your role conflict and time pressures that lead to daily stress and strain?

Sandeep Kochhar. Writing for me is a release mechanism.

It enables me to stay connected to myself. There are times when I have a topic in mind. For instance, I like to pen down the challenges I am facing, or thoughts that are bothering me, & when I do, they seem to go away, & if not, they help me in understanding & discovering a new perspective. Then, there are times when I write to destress – when I don't know what I want to write about, but I begin writing. The results are often surprising & fruitful.

ES. Would you like to give out any message to your readers?

Sandeep Kochhar. The key is to think big & act small.

Quite often, successful people do the boring things better they innovate, reflect & think outside the box. Our goals are often so focused on the end of the road, that we forget to enjoy the journey. So, disassociate yourself from the result, associate to actions. Believing in the idea of DOTS (Do One Thing Surely) is essential for success – whether you do one thing for day, week, month. The biggest challenge humanity is facing today getting stuck, or becoming stagnant. Inculcate in yourself a growth mindset & move from thinking to doing.

Sandeep Kochhar. My aim of StoryTelling is to establish an emotional connect with people, one that is relatable, empathetic & authentic. I focus on creating stories that touch hearts, foster hope & inspire people to discover themselves – what they are passionate about, what they struggle with & how they can overcome said struggles.

ES. Do you think, storytelling benefits all, irrespective of their age? What are your views on mental health?

Sandeep Kochhar. Mental health problems are one of the biggest challenges that we are currently facing.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

“Technology by definition serves the purpose of making things easier, more effective and solve problems in general"

Exhibition Showcase Talks To Atul K. Todi, Co - Founder at FLOOR ES. 10Times recently launched the business events management platform FLOOR which focuses on virtual events. How did this idea flash through your mind?

Atul Todi. To drive digital engagement for events has always been part of our ethos. While we didnt think a complete virtual event platform would become a reality in 2020, we had looked at the pieces needed to build something that would work.

When early signs of pandemic started coming out of China, we realised that a solution was needed for the industry and zoom was not going to be enough. With our tech infra in place, we discussed with over 100 clients to understand the GAP. ES. How Floor can help event planners effortlessly? How handy the floor is for an organisation to switch over this work from the home environment at such a large scale?

Atul Todi. We see FLOOR as an extension to in-person events and not a replacement. If pre-covid, each organiser did a lot of engagement before and after the event. FLOOR solution is version 2 of that engagement, where now we can build community, host roadshows, drive engagement with content, etc. FLOOR opens many new doors for event planners. Gives wider reach to new regions and audience,

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gives speed to address fast changing nature of industries and user requirement and massive saving on costs. So FLOOR is an effortless extension to every event that seeks to grow and build their user engagement.

ES. You have been an active role player in the Exhibition industry for many years and have deeply supported the industry by providing a platform to connect with each other.

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

Atul Todi. The journey started almost a decade back, when 10Times started digitalising events which were stuck in physical journals and magazines.

Having attended mutliple conference while doing research in the US and later attending expos, when helping my family with business, I realised how powerful events could be, but the high level of fragmentation and lack of information access. 10Times sole goal has been to drive more people to events and find opportunities. We have made some progress, but a long way to go.

ES. How can be floor beneficial for the MICE industry? Any marketing strategies that you are planning?

Atul Todi. MICE industry needs to first accept that we are

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Interview

October 2021

curators and have a very important role to play in the future humanity is heading towards. With explosion of content and over a billion knowledge workers, curating the right experience and bringing the right set of people together is going to be extremely critical. 10Times and FLOOR are just tools for the overall industry to leverage and address some of the inherent challenges. Talking about FLOOR, it provides a virtual space for MICE partners to build, engage and grow their community. Solution like this should be incorporated by all partners as an extension to their current marketing & communication plan. To simply, FLOOR unlocks active engagement opportunities inorder to drive higher conversation and participation.

ES. Technological change is creating historic shifts in industry footprints. Do you think, this process will accelerate?

Atul Todi. Technology by definition serves the purpose of making things easier, more effective and solve problems in general. Till the time there is room for improvement, technology will continue to push us to move in that direction.

With Gen-z entering the workforce, globalization becoming irreversible, the internet becoming omnipresent and smartphones becoming accessible, there is way too much room for innovation in our industry. So I believe that pandemic just accelerated what was inevitable and this trend will continue. And, as more event companies leverage new tech solutions and show clear benefits, the rest with eventually follow. However, as part of the process, tech solutions which deliver result with continue to evolve, while the rest with perish.

ES. Low bandwidth problems remain a challenge for attendees? How do you tackle these problems?

Atul Todi. Right from the beginning, we built with low bandwidth issue as core proposition for FLOOR. Instead of trying to be a fancy 3D graphic platform, with complicated navigation option, our main goal was - how to make the application functional on phone and with low bandwidth. To achieve this, we had to focus on keeping things simple and light, rather than complicated and heavy.

Also, we have the option where if someone has low bandwidth, the live streaming component can adjust to ensure seamless experience.

ES. Your first event must be a memory that you would cherish forever. We would love to know about the story.

Atul Todi. Before we could pitch the product to clients, we had to do testing with actual audience. in order to do this, we hosted events on our own, called speakers we knew. Over the

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4-5 initial events, the goal was to ensure we are able to host a 1000 concurrent audience and identify bugs which needed to be addressed. It was a nerve recking experience, something I can never forget.

ES. According to your expertise & knowledge, what are the top trends you’ve witnessed in the Indian exhibition ecosystem?

Atul Todi. There are a few things that have changed, but I think its still work in progress and Indian Exhibition Ecosystem has a long-long way to go. Since the pandemic, there is higher willingness to adopt technology, greater value for digital platforms, willingness to experiment with new ideas and overall appreciation for data. These are all good signs for the Indian ecosystem and we hope to see this grow and become part of daily discussion of event planners in coming days.

ES. Sitting at the helm, your role at 10times must have been exhausting. Can you give a glimpse of how your daily work life looks like? Also, we would like to know what keeps you busy when you are away from work?

Atul Todi. When you love something, its not exhausting.

Personally for me, 10Times is a project for greater good. We are helping connect people with opportunities across regions and industries. When people connect, it gives life to new business, drives innovation and helps propel humanity forward. My daily work life is quite similar to any early stage entrepreneur. Your mind is working 24/7, trying to connect the dots, fire fighting, exploring ideas, while making sure we are financially stable. When not working, I indulge in meditation, playing squash and road trips while listening to some podcast. I do occasionally paint as a form of mediation.

ES. What is the edge your company has over other players in the industry?

Atul Todi. We have 10 years of experience in the space and we dont believe in a quick fix. Things in the event industry takes time, and we are willing to put our heads down and keep moving. FLOOR has been able to innovate, host over 1500 events in less than 18 months time and deeply understand the challenges and opportunity. We have over 12 months of development in pipeline, with some really powerful solutions for our partners. 10Times on the other hand continue to be the biggest and most reliable platform to find business events. We have been quietly developing over the last 18 months to make the platform more sound and effective. So a lot to look forward to and continue to make the industry stronger.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

October 2021

Insights

Note From UFI Headquarters

Kai Hattendorf MD & CEO, UFI rom 5 to 7 October, I was in Singapore, taking part in the Joint Leadership Summit.

This joint meeting of top representatives from the AEO, SISO, SACEOS, and UFI aimed at aligning around initiatives and projects going forward. We have built a packed programme for this “Joint Leadership Summit” – around industry dialogue and advocacy. We met with representatives from countries across South East Asia, to push for a realignment of travel protocols and procedures.

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The events sectors in APAC has outpaced other regions in many metrics during the past 10 years, in terms of both size and number of events, and governments across APAC have supported these events. We hope that we can bring attention and awareness to the significant and critical

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role that business events play in driving global commerce. Our message is that we have already seen this “building back better” happening in the others areas of the world, and we look forward to working with the governments and industries in South East Asia to once again hold safe and successful events.

At UFI, driven by Anbu Varathan, UFI President, we have intensified such dialogue with governments and other advocacy work. If you have not done so already, I encourage you to watch the conversations we are having with government ministers from around the world in the “Global Policy Leadership Series” (ufi.org/gpls). Also, after having been active in Brussels since 2012 with the “European Exhibition Industry Alliance” (EEIA - www.exhibitionalliance.eu), UFI is also one of the

associations funding and supporting the “Exhibitions & Conference Alliance” (ECA www.exhibitionsconferencesalliance.or g) in Washington, DC. This week's advocacy work in Singapore now adds an additional focus on Asia.

The focus will shift even more towards our UFI Global Congress, taking place in early November face to face in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Please do join the over 200 colleagues who have signed up already – the Dutch authorities have waived quarantines for fully vaccinated travelers, and we have been granted an exemption from quarantines for non vaccinated UFI members as well, pending certain protocols. You will find all the information about that as well as the programme and the list of participants at uficongress.org.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Insights

October 2021

Message From Anbu Varathan, President, UFI

he time has come for me to write my final column as UFI President. They say that time flies when you are working hard and having fun! And, I must say it has been an incredibly interesting, exciting and rewarding experience and one of the shortest years of my life.

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It has been a great privilege to hold this position, and I hope my contribution as UFI President, and efforts to serve the exhibition industry, have been appreciated. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout the year. Over the past twelve months, our association has continued to strongly support and serve the industry. It is important that UFI continues its sustained efforts of policy advocacy enabling our industry to reach out to governments in all markets to achieve the desired goals.

To that matter, it pleases me to see the launch of the Global Policy Leadership Series .

I am particularly proud of what we achieved during the past twelve months. When I started my tenure as UFI President, the exhibition industry was facing extraordinary times with the

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COVID-19 pandemic having a profound and lasting impact on human life, the global economy and, in particular, our exhibition industry and all related industries.

During my time as President, I had four priorities: resilience, leadership, technology, and community. The pandemic has definitely taught us to think afresh and find ways to be more resilient. To keep businesses running, leadership has been a crucial asset.

While technology and especially digital technology played a huge role in being connected. Unity means strength and connecting with the community is the key for exhibition industry to emerge more successful at international and regional levels. We need to ensure that we can easily stay connected as industry professionals and colleagues. For our future success, it is vital that our industry remains attractive. Exhibitions give opportunities for exploring new ideas, establishing partnerships and building a personal presence. I try to attend as many events as possible as it gives continued learning opportunities on how exhibitions are organised, how relationships are forged, what new

technologies have emerged in the market, etc. The more I learn, the better position I am in to contribute to the industry.

So, I really look forward to seeing many of you in Rotterdam next month to enjoy a high-quality programme as well as meeting in-person. I’m sure nobody will want to miss out the first face-to-face UFI Congress postpandemic!

During our Global Congress in Rotterdam, I will pass the gavel to Monica Lee-Müller, my successor. I wish her all the best. I had the honour to represent UFI with the support of an excellent and dedicated UFI team.

I treasure the many new and stronger friendships and my list of memorable moments. Thank you colleagues as well as the Executive Committee, Board of Directors and the Past Presidents of UFI for your extraordinary support during these challenging times.

I hope to give back to UFI as I continue to serve UFI where I can.

Wishing you all the best for the future.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

M I C E Showcase

October 2021

IMS2021 Concludes Successfully: Enables Avenues For Knowledge Sharing & Business Networking

ICE is a great enabler of business travel & tourism. In the new normal, MICE is going to become even more relevant as it is a crucial catalyst to business growth. As the exhibitions, events & conventions are beginning to resume around the world, IMS2021, held on 30th September 2021, became a good platform to discuss and analyze the roadmap ahead for the industry and also forge business connections across territories.

FLOOR, IMS2021 brought together over 800 Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events & Exhibition industry professionals from 50 countries and witnessed 93 global leaders as esteemed speakers in 20 live sessions through the course of the day.

Held successfully on virtual platform –

The key highlights of IMS2021 were:

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The participants appreciated IMS2021 for its quality content and valuable insights delivered by the distinguished speakers across all spectrum of the MICE ecosystem.

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Participation by over 800 MICE industry professionals globally

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Live sessions in 3 parallel tracks, i.e.

Exhibitions Reboot, MICE Showcase, Associations Buzz

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Over 20 live sessions with 90+ distinguished speakers

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Delegates benefitted from interactive networking opportunities

The sessions can be viewed on-demand on Exhibition Showcase official Youtube channel.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

October 2021

M I C E Showcase

Quotes By IMS2021 Esteemed Speakers OCTAVIO B. PERALTA Founder & CEO, Philippine Council of Associations & Association Executives

Learning from the pandemic, the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) www.pcaae.org has undertaken measures that revolved around “4Ps”: (1) Pivot to digital – boosted operational and member communication capabilities and used various platforms to conduct virtual events. (2) Partnership build-up – collaborated with members and other same-purposed organizations to deliver online training and knowledge-sharing programs. (3) People focus – provided staff with the opportunity to add new skills as well as card for their mental health and physical wellness. (4) Plan for recovery – gone back to basics by thinking of members first, i.e., maintaining relevance, harnessing relationships, and sustaining resources.

Attending and participating as a panellist in IMS 2021for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised with the purposeful mission of the event, the breadth of the programme, the depth of discussions, and the quality of speakers. Congratulations to Raghav and team for a very successful event. I will definitely recommend to my fellow association leaders to join future IMSs.

The outcome of the pandemic and its impact, though negative, has created RUPA NAIK great opportunity for enhancing virtual showcasing of products and reaching Executive Director, out to larger number of buyers and expanding footprints to exhibitors globally.

World Trade Center But the impact of the pandemic is felt more by service providers such as Mumbai, MVIRDC exhibitors, venue owners and other service providers required for installing stalls, lighting, designing etc. Going forward, physical events may continue to face pressures like venue availability, extra costs of meeting regulations along with challenges in attracting overseas buyers and visitors. The hybrid events may provide an excellent opportunity to mitigate these challenges while maintaining profitability.

Hybrid events can also help serve local as well as international participants, and enhance the geographical reach of the events.

RISHABH C. KOTHARI President, Fragrances & Flavours Association of India

Whether it is individuals or organisations, the key to survival is resilience. The pandemic has amply demonstrated that if we are adaptable, several new opportunities shall open for us. While online events may not have the same impact of an in-person event, they have their own advantages and economies which cannot be ignored. Therefore the future shall belong to hybrid events, where people will selectively participate as per their preferences and conviniences and this model is here to stay.

While the pandemic has had varied impact on various industries, it has perhaps hit the MICE sector amongst the hardest. In such a scenario, it was heartening to participate in IMS 2021 and exchange notes with others on what the future holds for all of us as organisation yearn to get back to business. My compliments to the organisers for hosting such an excellent exchange of ideas, views and deliberations and wish them all the very best in all their endeavours.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

M I C E Showcase

October 2021

The industry faces an unprecedented challenge and the top goal for all stakeholders can only be to rebuild the trust of the exhibitors and the visitors.

On top we have to learn how to integrate digital tools into our events, however it is clear that there never will be any replacement for the human touch and face to face experience on the showfloor. New formats may come up in the future ahead and the industry needs to stay flexible, alert and quick-moving.

PUNAM SINGH Chief Happiness Ofcer & Founder Member at Indian Hospitality Network

MICHAEL KRUPPE General Manager, Shanghai New International Expo Centre Co., Ltd.

Your event did indeed receive very positive feedback and I am pleased to have been part of it. Though I had time constraints and could not attend other sessions or visit exhibitors, for my own session, I found the backend process and management very smooth, user friendly and quite idiot proof too. My compliments on that! I am sure you will use the feedback gathered from all to improve the process in your next edition.

I was happy to speak at the Sustainable Events session at IMS 2021, a foremost online M.I.C.E. Platform. It is a topic very close to my heart. Our entire lives in the current fragile & environmentally degraded planet Earth are teetering on the verge of disaster. Sustainability has to be part of our daily lives. We need to act now; to take stringent measures to protect our ecosystem. If we don't, we may not have a planet to leave for future generations anywhere close to what we inherited. It is more of an urgent imperative than a legacy now!

As TAAI President, we believe the Revival of tourism in India is now based on JYOTI MAYAL how soon we open borders, how well we train our people, and in the best way President, possible waywe can infuse confidence in the industry and travellers asap.We Travel Agents can’t be dependent on the government for everything. We need to develop Association of India alternate sustainable strategies for our sector so that we have a contingency plan in place to face any such unprecedented plans. Unlike other businesses or sectors, the market which we cater to, can only be experienced and based on that, opinions can be formed. The issue which we are facing is that until unless traveller does not experience those services provided, post covid, they won’t be able to trust the fraternity. Therefore, our aim and objectives are to be more vaccinated, open visa, commercial flights & with efficient marketing show how well prepared our industry is to welcome travellers and offer hygienic and safe travel, post-pandemic.

The most sought after and well planned & executed virtual event as always was IMS 2.0. Raghav Khosla & the team have been working committedly and diligently for many years and the outcome is reflected in the finest way the event was executed. The most relevant exhibitors participated giving the travel & tour operators way to connect & see how they could avail opportunities to revive & thrive. The numerous knowledgeable deliberations held in many ways impressed on the pain points and key issues faced by the travel tourism industry during the pandemic. While touching upon every aspect of the trade theynot only highlighted the challenges which we have been facing since last two years but most importantly new opportunities for the future. I wish success to the organisers and looking forward to attend the next edition of IMS in the future.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

October 2021

M I C E Showcase

DR. EDWARD KOH Executive Director Conventions, Meetings & Incentive Travel Experience Development Group Singapore Tourism Board

Singapore’s recovery and living with the pandemic is underway. As we pursue our national policy of Test, Trace and Vaccinate, we are dealing with the global trends of more conservative corporate travel policies, global MICE travellers prioritising health and safety, as well as the increased use of technology to deliver meaningful hybrid events. As Asia’s top meetings destination, Singapore will continue to instil trust and confidence by supporting your meeting needs through our SG Clean quality mark, CruiseSafe Certification and Safe Business Events Framework. MICE travellers can look forward to new, more meaningful and sustainable meeting experiences on their next visit.

IMS is a great platform for thinkers and shakers of the industry to discuss the latest global developments and especially those that influence a unique and important market like India. The discussion we had on kickstarting the industry post pandemic was particularly stimulating and I look forward to working together with my fellow industry friends and colleagues to revitalise this industry we hold dear.

POH CHI CHUAN I would like to emphasise again the importance of Executive Director knowledge sharing and collaboration is the most critical Exhibitions & Conferences element that determines the speed in which the sector reExperience Development Group opens itself. Covid has proven once again that no man is an Singapore Tourism Board island, and MICE is one sector that requires all stakeholders to pitch in and corral the strength of the collective experience and knowledge across countries to share best practices and help each other shorten our learning curves and hasten the speed of opening. Technology is a force multiplier on this front and we thank you for your platform IMS for lending a hand towards this global effort.

CHEW TIONG HENG Divisional Director Business and Experience Development Sentosa Development Corporation

Peace of mind is what a destination needs to provide business travellers and MICE delegates in the new normal.

Accountability and adherence to COVID-safe protocols will be what Sentosa will focus on. Sentosa’s ‘islandness’ is also our strength that we will be leveraging. Beyond offering an experience that features our island charm, MICE activities and business events in Sentosa can also be reimagined and contained within dedicated zones, providing guests a safe environment. Our diverse island assets and strong relationships with business establishments on the island also enable us to design a diverse range of unconventional and unique MICE experiences, making Sentosa a ‘one-stop-shop’ for event organisers. Together with the Sentosa community, we have also committed to major sustainability goals, and have embarked on a strategic roadmap to build a sustainable future.

The International MICE Showcase Summit was a wonderfully IAN WU organised event, and a positive demonstration to how our Co-Owner and CEO industry has pivoted to organising online conferences and HUONE Singapore seminars during these really difficult two years. While I believe that face-to-face meetings will one day return in full force, the skills that we are currently developing to cope as an industry, will definitely hold us in good stead when the pendulum swings back to a better balance of online and offline meetings.

IMS2.0 Report

M I C E Showcase

October 2021

As more and more exhibitions continue to return on scale, visitors and exhibitors are voting with their feet and are returning to exhibitions; validating the importance that business professionals place on exhibitions, it’s role in rebuilding economies, connecting people, and that this vital face to face medium is more relevant than ever.

ASHLEY ROBERTS General Manager, CONNECT

Whilst the last 19 months have had a significant impact on the global exhibition industry it is vital that the learnings that have been established during this period are not disregarded and that we embrace them, that we continue to evolve, innovate, and to push the envelope.

Excellent idea to sensitize people from different walks of life on current issues which affect all of us . I am a technologist and one of the goals of MICE could be to share technologies available in different countries with the contact details of the Innovator : experience of use of this technology will be very useful . To start with Singapore tourism board and India's entrepreneurs , Department of Science and Technology could complement each other and showcase technologies and products thru Exhibitions .

DEEPAK BHATNAGAR Secretary General, Pellet Manufacturers' Association of India

I was organizing such exhibitions from Department of S&T -we went to Singapore and several countries in ASEAN . Lot of good examples of Technology Transfer took place . I will be glad to give a short talk on how this could help build bridges across Nations .

As trade shows are re-opening around the world, we’ll see buzz and excitement. But to build back successfully, we need to apply what the pandemic has taught us

MICHAEL MANDL Principal, AMR’s Events Ecosystem & Technology Practice

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KAI HATTENDORF MD & CEO, UFI

The opportunity to become an integral part of the customer’s value chain rather than being a once a year marketing tool has become real now. Effective use of content and data as well as a customized online-offline strategy are key though.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

October 2021

M I C E Showcase

I would like to congratulate you for the seamless and finely organized 2nd edition of IMS2.0 virtual summit that gives us an arena to showcase as much as to be inspired by different thought leaders. The event was timely as the green shoots of resurgence is now visible in this sector, inspite of being profoundly impacted by Covid-19. The session I was happy to be a part of was ‘Returning to Trade shows’ along with Kai Hattendorf, Michael Kruppe and Poh Chi CHaun.

The trends worldwide ultimately emulate a certain pattern - with every event, the confidence to come back is increasing. Getting our exhibitors back needed convincing and the shows are not on the same scale as 2019 yet. But these are exciting times. In India, Informa Markets in India has been pioneering this comeback, with a number of in-person shows that aid in re-discover the joy of in-person re-union, driving business objectives, spotting innovations, gathering marketing intelligence With the slew of hybrid events, it is upto us to harness them well, so that it’s a win-win situation for us in the industry as well as the economy at large.

YOGESH MUDRAS MD, Informa Markets In India

AFECA is the only international umbrella association for the MICE industry DATO’ VINCENT LIM in Asia with over 140 member organisations from 16 countries across the President, Asian Asian regions. This federation serves 34 national MICE associations, which Federation of Exhibition together cover more than 11,000 MICE companies. AFECA plays an even and Convention more important role during this pandemic. Communication is very important Associations in this time, so we continuously have engagement with member countries, such as through gathering or sharing of industry updates, data and information.

Webinars were organised on pandemic impacts and sharing the success stories of reopening by other countries. Again to keep members updated, the AFECA newsletter were initiated to keep members informed of updates of the industry.

Surveys were conducted to gather industry data from member countries as well. All these information produce crucial facts for members to present or raise to governmental bodies in their respective countries pertaining to the impact of the pandemic on MICE in the Asian region. Also, one of AFECA’s core value is promoting growth and development of the industry in Asia.

So, besides learning from each other, AFECA’s aim is also to bring members closer, strengthen relations, friendships and to collaborate more amongst member countries to benefit the MICE industry, as Alone we can do so little; Together we can do so much!.

Technology can be used to truly elevate the scale and scope of an in-person event like an exhibition or conference. At the 28th Convergence India & 6th Smart Cities India expos that we organized in a physical format in March 2021 in New Delhi, we were able to leverage technology to ensure that the expo was truly international, despite travel restrictions, by offering hybrid participation, as well as connecting leaders from across the world for our conference sessions.

While nothing can match in-person networking for quality of engagement, there’s no doubt that technology has opened a new domain in terms of the ability to connect virtually, and this will remain an integral part of expos going forward – even once global travel resumes.

CHANDRIKA BEHL Managing Director, Exhibitions India Group

IMS 2021 was a valued platform for the exhibition industry to convene and deliberate various challenges in the wake of the pandemic, and how we can navigate through it judiciously and effectively. It’s the need of the hour for the global exhibitions industry- which was deemed one of the fast-growing sectors in the world- to work together, demonstrate solidarity, and continue to serve all businesses in a time of global distress.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

MEL LANVERS-SHAH Vice President - Asia, dmg events

M I C E Showcase

October 2021

Raghav and the team at Exhibition Showcase have and continue to play an extremely important advocacy role for our industry. The summit this year was really well balanced showcasing global perspectives, providing advocacy for the successful reopening of our industry as well as bringing to the fore key competencies that we as a sector need to accelerate and build on in going forward.

The panel I participated at was built to provide global industry insights on the way forward and the trends we are starting to see across the world. We are in the business of forging business and human connections and the pandemic has impacted this role of ours in the societal and corporate domains. As we start our journey back to Live and hybrid environments I can see our industry and our people coming out stronger with a renewed sense of agility and digital capability and with a clearer focus on critical success factors that will drive service excellence and ROI delivery for a diverse set of customers across various industries. The positively disrupted future of our industry is here and I believe we are ready to make the most of it.

Incentive Travel is universally recognized as the ultimate motivator, peer recognition driver and corporate goal achievement enabler. Post COVID-19, it will be even more crucial for elevating performance improvement that organisations can leverage upon. Corporate, intermediary and all supply chain players need to play their parts together to ensure positive outcome in all aspects

SUMATE SUDASNA Managing Director CDM - Conference & Destination Management President, Thailand Incentive and Convention Association

GUIDO FORNELLI Chairperson, International Exhibition Logistics Association

I was honoured to be invited as speaker to the IMS 2.0 MICE Showcase. The possibility to represent IELA in such an important event for the international MICE industry was a great opportunity to introduce our Association work and restate strongly how Associations of professionals play an important role in the exhibition industry and in the restart of live events. So I thank once more Raghav Khosla and Exhibition Showcase for inviting me and hope to meet all these fantastic colleagues again to discuss about our industry future.

There is a new value proposition to be discovered. And it’s not about technologies, we need new business models satisfying new customer’s needs. And for this “new era of service”, for new business models to be conquered, we need space for open conversations in the value chain in order to create new value in our service offer. Thank you Exhibition Showcase for creating this discussion space in the NEW NOW!.

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ELIZABETH NIEHAUS Executive Ofcer, International Exhibition Logistics Association

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

October 2021

M I C E Showcase

Virtual Events came to the rescue of the MICE industry last year when the world shut its door due to the pandemic but now with restrictions being eased and vaccination drive being carried on aggressively in India, small scale and regional business events, meetings and social events have seen increase in numbers in the country. Globally, many physical events have already been handled in Singapore, UK and the Europe and large scale events are also making a come back in some countries.

Sporting Events held particularly in Europe saw an overwhelming response from spectators as stadiums were full and tickets sold out within a short span of time. The passion behind physical events hasn’t diminished, attendees are now looking forward to engagement and networking at in-person events rather than virtual or hybrid events. The Events industry always had the resilience and ability to overcome challenges. This is a good time for the industry to re-imagine how business events can be held differently and find new solutions for mice events experiences. To get started with the new normal, respective governments introduced SOP’s for industry partners to resume MICE events in a safe manner and to build up confidence of MICE delegates. But challenge came due to SOP’s being different for states/ countries.

In order to open international events, we need single SOP in place for all MICE industry affiliates globally. With international borders being opened up slowly, we should be ready fully to take the MICE delegates around the world again in a safe and secure manner.

NAVEEN RIZVI Executive Director, ICE

The debate on whether virtual/hybrid would replace physical trade shows is over RAJESH BHAGAT with physical shows declared as the clear winner. However, hybrid and virtual MD, Worldex India trade shows and events have been an enabler during these difficult times as it Exhibition & has enabled businesses to remain connected and created a new stream of Promotion Pvt Ltd revenue generation. While physical shows will be the future, hybrid/virtual activities would not fade away but would play a supporting role to the physical shows as there would always be a section of companies who would like to test out different shows and different markets through hybrid / virtual modes before taking a decision to participate in person. In a way, hybrid / virtual has helped in expanding the marketplace. With the advent of new technologies such as 5G, VR, AR, Machine Learning, Blockchain, etc. hybrid / virtual shows may just get another dimension.

It is absolutely crucial to get back to physical events in 2022. This unprecedented health crisis has clearly proven the value of trade shows. Our RODOLPHE LAMEYSE clients are eager to get together again! Vinexposium aims at boosting the CEO, recovery of the wine and spirits trade in the global arena by hosting seven inVinexposium person events over the next eight months. Economic activity is promising to resume and we are ready to orchestrate a raft of pivotal business gatherings. The group will be travelling to today’s and tomorrow’s key markets to maximize interactions between wine and spirits producers from around the globe and qualified buyers. Drawing on its digital development and its long-standing support of the industry, Vinexposium is ready to help drive export sales for industry members through a complete roster of dedicated events.

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

M I C E Showcase

October 2021

STUART BAILEY Chairman, Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association

It was a pleasure to be part of the discussion on ‘Event strategies in the new normal’ at the International M.I.C.E Showcase virtual summit. The panellists were all very optimistic that in the post-covid era trade exhibitions and conferences are going to come back stronger than ever! Technology will enable organisers to capture and share more relevant attendee data and enhance the experience that only face-to-face events can bring.

We have been trying to push the government, firstly we wanted at least 500 SUBHASH GOYAL people to be allowed and if we could have a political rally of 500 people then Chairman, why can't we have a MICE event or a conference. All our states should have the STIC Travel Group same protocols since we have been saying this because India is one country and there should be one for all as far as traveling is concerned. Secondly, what we have told the government is that, the foreigners coming to India for a MICE event, if the MICE events are taking place in other countries, you should also consider the same so that people are also allowed to hold their events in India.

My session – How associations are planning their upcoming events & meets, was with speakers representing trade and professional associations. The unanimous thread through the discussions was the need to return to pre Covid models of operation. The was articulated for exhibitions dealing with machinery, where there is a need for buyers to see the product. This sentiment was also echoed by the medical fraternity, particularly those dealing with medical equipment. But the future ofmeetings seems to be going the hybrid way for the medium term. Hybrid meetings open up participation to a very wide audience, who could otherwise be challenged by costs and travel from participating.

MONIMITA SARKAR Managing Director, KW Conferences

IMS 2021 ESTEEMED PARTNERS Platinum Partner

Signature Partner

Ofcial Partners

Featured Partners

Media Partners

Video Partner &

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Gold Partner

PSU BUZZ

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

October 2021

M I C E Showcase

GLIMPSES OF SESSIONS

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

October 2021

M I C E Showcase

AT IMS2021

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

IMS2.0 Report

M I C E Showcase

October 2021

The Role Of Venues And Service Providers moderated an interesting session at an Indian conference IMS2021 on 30th September. Our brief was broad, 'Discussing the role of Venues and Service Providers'. We had a panel including organisers from India and the Philippines, an Indian contractor and venue owner, IELA, the logistics association and Tesi Baur, consultant, educator and, of course, EW contributor.

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Baur raised an issue which has been worrying me for some time. The good news is that events are returning quite strongly in many parts of the world.

Web Summit’s Paddy Cosgrave just told the world that they had sold out exhibit space for this year’s Lisbon event three weeks early and with numbers up from 2019. The worry is what was described to our conference panel as a shortage of suppliers and people. “Suppliers are in high demand again,” Tesi told the conference. Normal rules of economics suggest that this should be reflected in higher pricing power for suppliers.

But, these are far from ‘normal’ times.

One of the panelists, Rajan Sharma of Interads, felt strongly that organisers are the foundation of the industry. “Without the organisers, there is no industry,” he said. It was proving quite tough in some cases for them to win back exhibitors who remain very cautious about spending. Joel Pascual from the Philippines Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers reminded the panel that there were significant costs associated with meeting new health protection measures as shows reopened.

Sharma suggested that there was a need for the venues and suppliers to assist organisers by cutting price.

The suppliers also say that they are feeling very hard pressed. They admit that they are under severe pressure from

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organisers to offer significant discounts, up to 20% according to one panelist. At the same time, there is significant upward pressure on the prices they are paying for most of their raw materials.

It’s a squeeze which has led a number of the largest companies in the industry to withdraw from some international markets or refocus their activities onto only the higher value elements of the business. Questions are being asked about the capacity of the market to actually build and service all the events which are now re-opening.

Meanwhile, the venues are being squeezed too. Some are only just now re-emerging from having been requisitioned as emergency medical facilities. At the same time, and only partially related to the pandemic, venues were already grappling with the changing nature of events. Baur told our panel that there was significant pressure on them to invest in facilities that properly addressed attendees’ interest in better connectivity, entertainment integrated with their events and, in some cases, the introduction of modern co-working facilities into their buildings. It’s hard to reconcile that pressure with cost-cutting.

This varies according to where you are

in the world and how the industry is organised, but Sharma was concerned that some venues in India were organising their own events at “huge discounts” while holding the line on prices for independent organisers. Some venue owners, he said, such as the ITPO and Hyderabad were helping while others were not being as flexible as he would like.

It seems a bit like what our friends in the US would call “motherhood and apple pie”, but it’s hard to disagree with the solution on which the panel converged: closer co-operation. Whether it’s between the alphabet soup of different industry associations, between organisers who compete in some markets but can collaborate in others, or between the organisers, suppliers, and venues, a more collaborative approach seems essential if the industry is to emerge successfully from the challenges it’s facing.

Written By Paul Woodward, Chairman, Paul Woodward Advisory

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Sustainability

October 2021

ASM Global Launches ASM Global Acts - A Worldwide Sustainability And Equity Program

SM Globa has announced a bold new corporate social responsibility platform, ASM GLOBAL ACTS, which dramatically elevates the entertainment giant's commitment to protect the environment, invest in people and strengthen communities around the globe.

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ASM Global will also launch the ASM Global Acts Foundation to support philanthropic and community-based endeavors guided by its sustainability and diversity pillars. In addition, the ASM Global Acts Scholarship will focus on serving diverse and underresourced communities with educational and career-development opportunities.

“ASM Global operates hundreds of stadiums, convention centers and arenas around the globe, which boost local economies, employ area residents and provide meaningful opportunities for the communities we call home,” said Ron Bension, president and CEO

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of ASM Global. “We will immediately launch this initiative at our Pennsylvania Convention Center, Chicago's McCormick Place, California's Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, Ontario Convention Center and Toyota Arena; but we plan to implement ASM Global Acts at every venue we have under our guidance as we roll it out in 2022. The ASM Global Acts Foundation and Scholarship further strengthens our philanthropic efforts and solidifies our intention to make a difference in the communities where we do business.”

Aligned with many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the new initiative is an extension of ASM Global's longstanding commitments to creating a better workplace, a more diverse workforce, serving the communities where it operates, and contributing to a healthier environment and planet. The execution of these commitments will happen at both the corporate and local level, creating value at scale within

communities.

ASM Global has outlined the following broad goals and commitments: PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT – Reduce waste from the guest experience across our venues, enhance facility efficiency through capital investments, and protect and preserve resources in and around our communities.

INVEST IN PEOPLE – Create an environment of inclusion and gender equity across our organization, grow the diversity of our business partners around the world, and enable opportunities for our current and future workforce.

STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITIES – Engage in improving the vitality of our communities, increase philanthropic support through meaningful efforts, and enhance the health and well-being of our coworkers, clients and guests.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Sustainability

October 2021

Gothenburg’s Hybrid+ Initiative Is ‘Commitment To Sustainability’ ybrid+ is a new innovative tool from Göteborg & Co for creating new and improved digital meeting experiences. Hybrid meetings play an integral part in the future development of meetings and events. Today it is mostly digital forums that exist. Zoom and Teams are perhaps the two largest, but pandemic-induced digital fatigue has set in. However, the digital format still offers many positives, such as helping to improve efficiency in various ways, for example. Among other things, we can enable meeting organisers to reach out to a broader spectrum of participants while also meeting additional needs.

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The thing that makes Gothenburg one of the world’s most successful cities for sustainable meetings and events – and winner of the GDS Index 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 – is a spirit of constant renewal and great potential development for meetings and events. “In the future, most physical meetings and events will be combined with the digital. It’s now up to us within meetings and events to shape the new normal. The aim of the Hybrid+ project is to build a strong position in hybrid experiences and therewith secure Gothenburg as a sustainable meeting region in an innovative way,” says Henrik Svensson, Project Manager for Hybrid Experiences at Göteborg & Co, which also includes Gothenburg Convention Bureau.

“Hybrid experiences for meetings and events” focuses on laying the foundations for new and improved hybrid experiences. The project offers free consultation for meetings

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and events that have to choose platforms for their events. The basic premise for delivering new values for many digital and hybrid events is that the rights holder allows sponsors to create engaging content. This can then be advantageously combined with brand exposure. With the help of a technical supplier, you can then build in values for the sponsors.

companies often have interesting insights to share from research projects and case studies. Digital and hybrid meetings and events often create interactivity and opportunities for sponsors to engage participants.

Different platforms will help to involve partners who can contribute content, increase the outreach and enhance the experience.

The Hybrid+ method not only creates an easy way to produce content with a sponsor if allowed by the programme committee or programme manager, but also a balanced programme that invites the sponsor to host selected expert-led sessions. As a supplier,

The primary target group for Hybrid+ is the meeting and event industry and their rights holders, including PCOs, corporate planners, industry organisations, and event agencies, facilities, technology suppliers and more.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Tech News

October 2021

Deutsche Messe Takes Innovative Approach To Trade Fair Business eutsche Messe is breaking new ground in the trade fair business and is converting Hall 23 with permanently installed stands, event areas and hybrid stages into an event location that can be used and booked immediately for any type of trade fair, confex format and presentation event. The name: INSTANT FAIR. The concept: innovative, unique and one-of-a-kind in the event industry. Completion and start of rental: March 2022.

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"INSTANT FAIR means that Hall 23 at the NORTH entrance to the Hanover exhibition center can be booked as a self-contained location with up to 3,000 marketable square meters with up to 130 fully assembled and equipped system stands ranging from small to medium-sized plus innovative communal areas for up to 3,000 guests per day without long lead times," says Robert Bachmann, Director Venue Sales, Deutsche Messe AG. The hall layout meets all Corona requirements and is designed to be costefficient, budget-safe and sustainable for customers. "INSTANT FAIR offers many possible uses - any type of event can be represented, especially trade fairs with event character, modern in-house trade fairs and hybrid confex formats.

We can turn the modern row and innovative block stands into a world of experience for event organizers and their guests. In addition, there are several forums, of course with a streaming and content creation focus, as well as different areas for startups and meeting lounges," adds Bachmann.

What's special about INSTANT FAIR is that it's a fully integrated system for optimally hosting small and medium-

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sized events without having to invest unnecessary resources in organizational and operational structures. Thus, the customer focus is on "content" and "community".

The infrastructure of the exhibition hall is set up and equipped once and then remains as a finished module for individual event branding. The hall and supply infrastructure as well as the booth spaces are directly available. The exhibition stands, forums and common areas only need the respective customer or event design to create a world of experience. After each event, all booths and common areas remain in the hall.

Only the branding changes with the next event.

Sustainable INSTANT FAIR stand construction For Bachmann, INSTANT FAIR fits into one sentence: "Your event: innovative and sustainable, thus costefficient and immediately available."

The regional partner, GO EXHIBITIONS, developed the sustainable and permanently installed stand construction. All 130 booths, forums and common areas will be used for several years before being renewed.

Stand construction is done with the most sustainable product currently on the market. With its low weight, the beMatrix system is easy to work with, and no polluting acids are used in the production of the aluminum frames. In addition, the textile cloth or panel design largely avoids the use of harmful substances, such as paint and glue, and replaces plot films - and thus the use of plastic in a sustainable way. "The aluminum frames are even 100 percent recyclable after a long life cycle.

This keeps waste to an absolute minimum," Bachmann sums up. For all customers, the existing INSTANT FAIR infrastructure is equally effective and efficient, because the time-, resource- and cost-intensive stand construction and trade fair set-up are completely eliminated. In addition to the 130 ready-made stand structures, there is also free space available for shows or for individual stand construction. Bachmann: "The advantage for customers is obvious.

With INSTANT FAIR, they save time, costs and resources and thus increase their sales opportunities as well as their new business with a clearly calculable investment.”

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

October 2021

HEIKO M. STUTZINGER Heiko M. Stutzinger has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Member of the Executive Board of international venue and event organizer Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs|VNU Group, as of December 1, 2021. Based in the Jaarbeurs head office in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Mr. Stutzinger will contribute to the organization’s ambitious post-pandemic growth strategy, which underpins the company’s commitment to sustainability, digital and technological innovation, employee wellbeing and overall business growth.

MICHAEL DEHN As of October 1, 2021, Michael Dehn is the new Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt South Africa. He succeeds Joshua Low, who has elected to resign from the company. Dehn has more than two decades of trade show experience. Before becoming general manager of Messe Frankfurt India in September 2018, he worked for Messe Frankfurt Middle East for 16 years, serving as group exhibitions director since 2012 and in charge of the entire exhibition portfolio. Prior to that, he worked as exhibition manager, launching Automechanika Dubai. Dehn began his training in 1998 as a dual student at Messe Frankfurt and completed it in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in business management at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) in Ravensburg.

ANTHONY FLOREANO Anthony Floreano has been named President of Skyline Exhibits in 2021. Mr. Floreano succeeds Bill Dierberger, who is retiring after serving as President and CEO for 11 years. Mr. Dierberger will continue to serve on Skyline’s Board of Directors. Floreano most recently served as Senior Vice President at the Freeman Company, where he spent 14 years, and was responsible for leading the design, graphics, and corporate accounts organizations. Previously, he served as the Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer of the EMEA Region (based in the United Kingdom) and Vice President of Operations for the Northeast Region.

TAMARA JONES Choose Chicago Interim CEO, James Meyer, announced Tamara Jones has been promoted to Senior Director, Conventions & Tradeshow Sales. Jones represents and sells Chicago’s convention citywide packages with a focus on largescale medical, sports, and other key association meetings at McCormick Place. Additionally, she will be leading the for-profit tradeshow sales efforts in her diversified portfolio. “In addition to representing major association accounts for Choose Chicago, Tamara will be handling the highly competitive and sought-after for-profit trade show market,” said James Meyer. Jones has been representing Choose Chicago since 2015. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the hospitality sales industry.

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Global News

October 2021

CTICC Commences On An Exciting Local Show Season For Summer 2021 Matlhabane, CEO of the CTICC. The local show season also includes Ultimate Beverage Show in partnership with Musgrave Spirits and Schweppes, which runs from 27 - 29 January 2022.

The show 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 finest local craft and smallbatch producers in South Africa.

The Cape Town International Convention Centre Visitors will have the opportunity to taste and purchase the wide selection of beverages on offer and learn about the different techniques used in creating the ultimate flavour combinations in these small-batch products. The AllSport Expo, in partnership with KFM and Momentum Multiply, runs from 9 - 11 September 2022 and is the only local show to showcase the City's wide variety of sports activities and Health and Wellness experiences under one roof.

Visitors will get a chance to interact, learn and engage with the latest innovations in health, wellness, technology, equipment and apparel.

ver 350 local businesses, craft beverage makers and artists will showcase and sell their craft at the CTICC over the summer season. With the return to COVID-19 lockdown alert level 1 and the holidays approaching, the CTICC is launching their calendar of locally grown shows starting on the 26 November 2021, with the This is Art Fair and the CTICC Gift Fair, followed by the Ultimate Beverage Show in January and the AllSport Expo in September 2022.

“After a challenging year for local shows, the CTICC is excited about safely opening its doors to our exhibitors and visitors.

This is Art runs from 26 - 28 November 2021 and celebrates South African artists. The show created and curated by the CTICC is about celebrating and supporting South African artists by showcasing their art and handmade pieces. Top artists from the South African Art Society, Western Cape Art Society and Constantia Art Society will be on show. The CTICC Gift Fair runs alongside the This is Art Fair from 26 28 November 2021 and boasts a wide variety of local entrepreneurs selling health and beauty products, arts and crafts, clothing, toys, accessories, gadgets and jewellery all under one roof, just in time for your endof-year gift shopping.

We are excited about the upcoming season and providing a platform for the local artisans and entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their goods. The CTICC has set a global standard with our C19 Care© protocols. The team developed these protocols in collaboration with the health, tourism, and events industry leaders to ensure that all visitors, exhibitors, and staff of the CTICC have a safe and memorable The CTICC 2 Atrium experience," said Taubie

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Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Global News

October 2021

Reopening Roadmap For Regional Business Events Reaffirmed By ASEAN And Global Exhibitions Leaders In Singapore reopening roadmap for the region’s business events industry has been charted and reaffirmed

by ASEAN leaders and Global Exhibitions Organisers, who met face-toface at the Joint Leadership Summit (JLS) of AEO / SACEOS / SISO / UFI – Singapore at the Fullerton Hotel on 57 October 2021.

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As Southeast Asia continues its reopening journey, there has never been a greater need for clear steps in bringing back the core purpose and value of exhibitions as vital economic drivers and a sustainable way of promoting and accelerating global commerce.

To support the industry’s evolution through a Covidendemic operating environment, the event also saw the launch of the Asia CEO Summit, an annual dialogue for the exhibition industry to review the regional business environment and chart the next course of action and collaboration for the betterment of the industry. The inaugural Summit will take place from 4-6 October 2022 at the Fullerton Hotel, Singapore.

Supported by Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and co-organised by Singapore Association for Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS), Association of Event Organisers (AEO), Society for Independent Show Organizers (SISO) and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, the JLS convened regional government representatives, major global organisers and trade association leaders on an action plan for the safe reopening of the business events industry in the region.

Singapore Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by AEO, SACEOS, SISO, UFI and Singapore Tourism Board. The MOU showcases the commitment to revitalise the regional exhibitions industry and strengthens Singapore’s long-standing position as a safe and trusted Global Asia hub for business events.

They discussed the critical need to reopen inter- and intra-regional travel routes while ensuring the health and safety of travellers as core policy measures. These are the foundations and assurances that business events organisers need to commit their resources and investments into the restart of events across the region.

Accordingly, the leaders are calling on the authorities to put into place clear policy initiatives and common operating protocols across the region to be calibrated for a Covid-endemic environment.

Aloysius Arlando, President, SACEOS said: “The reopening of our MICE and Events industry requires a global effort and commitment by public and private sector players. As we continue on our journey towards an Endemic Covid-19 world, it is now time for us to bring back the core purpose of business events – driving commerce. We are delighted that regional leaders and global industry partners have come together to chart a practical roadmap towards the reopening of business events. And the launch of the Asia CEO Summit in 2022 gives added momentum to the restart of inter

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and intra-regional business and MICE travel. This will be vital in rebuilding our communities and economies.”

Mary Larkin, UFI Immediate Past President & President of Diversified Communications USA said: “We are on our way to recovery. We came together as a united industry during the Joint Association Leadership Summit to advocate for the reopening of business travel and events in APAC so as to revitalise the incredible international marketplaces that come together here.

“With our experience in the US, Europe, and Middle East, we were able to demonstrate the safety protocols and reopening successes we have had in many regions, and to share that it can be adapted and implemented throughout ASEAN. We did lament not being joined by our colleagues from the APAC region, like UFI President Anbu Varathan and our next UFI President, Monica Lee-Müller, because of unaligned travel policies, but we are heartened by the strong roadmap in place for restarting the industry. “Most critically, what was abundantly clear from this week’s dialogue is that our customers need events. Businesses, especially SMEs, rely on events. The

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Global News economy is bolstered by events. There are no other channels where businesses are able to accomplish so much, so quickly, and we have seen time and again in regions where events are restarting that business is recovering faster and innovation is pushing forward.”

Quote from Hervé Sedky, SISO Chair, President & CEO of Emerald said: “We have been working on putting this event together for over three years, and the global leaders in attendance at the Joint Association Leadership Summit this week in Singapore, along with others who were not able to join, have put in a substantial effort into making this happen – this is a significant moment.

“We have always recognised the importance of the Asia event market,

October 2021 and how we need a forum to bring together global leaders in the industry, to share and exchange ideas about opportunities in the ASEAN market.

AEO, SISO, and UFI all run annual CEO summits, and these are key meeting places for us as an industry, and a fixture in all of our calendars – but we were missing a critical gathering in Asia.”

Carina Bauer, AEO Chair, and CEO of IMEX Group said: “Reconnecting face to face with the colleagues from across the world during the AEO, SISO, SACEOS, UFI Joint Association Leadership Summit, over the last few days has provided strong evidence to support, and a real reminder of, the power of face-to-face events. Many leaders had not met, or indeed

travelled, since February 2020, and we are grateful to SACEOS and STB for enabling this leadership summit to take place.

“Sharing experiences of how other regions have restarted their event sectors, in a safe and controlled manner, has been hugely valuable, and the roadmap we have proposed during the summit we hope provides the framework to support the safe reopening and restarting of the APAC events sector which is critical to economic recovery. We very much look forward to returning to Singapore, for the inaugural Asia CEO Summit in October 2022, to further this dialogue, and enhance collaboration across both the region and our respective associations.”

Urban Future Conference Will Take Place In Stuttgart In 2023 Stuttgart’s Lord Mayor Dr. Frank Nopper and Gerald Babel ‐ Sutter, CEO of UFGC GmbH, signed the contract to host the Urban Future Conference in Stuttgart in 2023 in the town hall of the state capital on Thursday, September 2nd. The Stuttgart Convention Bureau accompanied the application process intensively.

Stuttgart as a cosmopolitan, economically strong and future-oriented metropolis. We also want to show how innovatively the key issues of urban transformation are being approached in our city and region. ”

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The Urban Future is one of the most important and largest international conference events on the subject of urban transformation and development, with particular emphasis on sustainability and climate protection. It is organized by UFGC GmbH and takes place annually in different cities. The main focuses of the Urban Future Conference include the areas of energy, housing, mobility, water, circular economy and urban society.

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Around 2,600 guests from over 60 countries attended the last conference in 2019 in Oslo, Norway. Helsingborg in Sweden was selected for the conference in 2022. Stuttgart as a cosmopolitan, economically strong and future-oriented metropolis.

Lord Mayor Dr. When signing the contract, Nopper said: “I am very pleased that the Urban Future will be held in our city in 2023. In addition to the exchange with guests from home and abroad, this major event is an excellent opportunity to present

Gerald Babel ‐ Sutter stated: “In the state capital Stuttgart we have found a strong cooperation partner for our conference in 2023 and we are very much looking forward to the upcoming cooperation. Together we will set up an inspiring and innovative event that addresses the core issues of sustainable urban development. Cities and metropolises have an important pioneering role on the way to more climate protection and sustainability – this is one of the reasons why the talks and discussions at Urban Future 2023 in Stuttgart will be as exciting as they are forward-looking. ”

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE

Global News

October 2021

Sydney’s Business Events Industry Gets Multi-Million-Dollar Boost aunch of the ‘COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan’ by the NSW Government will play a significant role in rebuilding business confidence and incentivising event organisers to book their in-person meeting, according to the State’s global bidding specialists BESydney.

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The more than $530 million support package includes $6 million for business events, conferences and conventions across Greater Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, as part of a major COVID-19 recovery package designed to encourage people back into the Sydney CBD in particular, and support industry suppliers hard hit by COVID19 restrictions.

The package also includes an Event Saver Fund to provide immediate support to organisers if events are cancelled or disrupted by any Public Health Orders during the 2021-22 summer, and $60 million for an Aviation Attraction Fund to incentivise international airlines to recommence flights to Sydney. Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said the muchneeded investment will help revive businesses and bring tourism providers

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back to their vibrant best.

“This funding recognises the sustained impacts from the pandemic, which severely damaged our tourism industry and put significant strain on businesses and staff.

“For our once thriving business visitor economy to reach its full potential we need caps to be lifted, delegates able to fly in, and staff attracted back to our world-class hospitality and event venues to put on the best of events for which Sydney is well-known.” BESydney CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said the funding announcement was a great outcome for Sydney’s business events industry which has the lion’s share of the events market and could therefore have the biggest impact in restarting the economy, as we build back, and gives event organisers another reason why #itsgottobesydney for their next business event.

Ms. Lewis-Smith added: “With restrictions continuing to ease, Sydney is coming back to life and the funding will continue the positive momentum that we are starting to see. People are excited about reconnecting with friends and family and the prospect of travel as borders open. We can’t wait to see that same confidence now flow through to business and to welcome our national

and global business delegates back here soon.”

Meanwhile BESydney is still winning domestic and international meetings and the forward pipeline of confirmed business is very strong, with a bid win tally at 24 year-to-date, and 98 events secured through to 2029 with a combined estimated direct expenditure of $524 million.

The funding package announcement continues BESydney’s industry support initiatives, alongside the ‘It’s got to be Sydney’ campaign which launched last year to drive domestic business whilst international borders were closed, and to provide a suite of resources on meetinsydney.com.au for decisionmakers and event planners when booking in Sydney.

BESydney will administer the funding program in conjunction with Destination NSW, on behalf of the NSW Government. Matched funding will be available by application in rounds, commencing late November 2021. Events eligible for funding are conferences, conventions, symposia, congresses, seminars, training courses, trade exhibitions attracting a minimum of 100 delegates to a venue for a gathering of at least one day’s duration.

Asia’s Most Comprehensive Media Pla orm For MICE