The UFI Board of Directors and Global Annual Congress took place in Cologne, Germany, from 20 to 23 November. During the meeting, both the UFI Board and representatives from the international exhibition industry praised the UFI Annual Asia-Pacific Conference held in Macao in March this year. They also acknowledged the professional training in the exhibition sector set to begin in Macao in June 2024, and confirmed that a series of exhibition training courses will continue to be held in Macao in 2025. President of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) Vincent U and President of Board of Directors of the Macau Fair & Trade Association Chan Si Nga attended the meeting as UFI Board members and participated in annual meeting activities along with representatives from Macao’s exhibition industry.
During the visit, IPIM’s representatives, under the framework of regional co-operation between Shenzhen and Macao, met with Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government Jiang Likun, visiting the headquarters of Chinese tech companies in Germany as well as exhibition enterprises.
International Industry Recognises Macao's Efforts
The "91st UFI Global Annual Congress" attracted over 500 industry leaders from around the world, focusing on the theme "Changes2Chances," which addresses trends and challenges in the exhibition industry. The event was held at the newly constructed Confex venue in Cologne.
The international exhibition industry expressed appreciation for the UFI Asia-Pacific Annual Conference held in Macao in March this year and agreed on the importance of the upcoming training for exhibition venues in Macao starting in June 2024. In terms of work plans, UFI has confirmed that a series of exhibition training courses will continue to be held in Macao in June 2025. Additionally, the Macao exhibition industry is organising a delegation of over 40 members to attend the UFI Asia-Pacific Annual Conference in Australia in February 2025.
Partnering with Shenzhen to Visit the German Business Sector and Expand International Business Networks
During this period, IPIM President Vincent U, along with Jiang Likun and his team, visited the German headquarters of Chinese technology companies and met with the management of internationally renowned exhibition enterprises to discuss economic and trade co-operation between Europe and the Greater Bay Area.
During the meeting, IPIM President Vincent U introduced Macao's trade service platform capabilities to international business guests, promoting the exhibition advantages of Macao and Hengqin, as well as the “Multi-venue Event" model.