tors used to go to fairs to find out about the products and services on offer this task is now largely fulfilled by the Internet Buyers are therefore well informed and want to communicate with exhibitors when they at tend a fair And trade fair fringe programmes have also become popular sources of know how There was also great optimism in other respects at that time 2004 saw the EU s en largement by ten mostly Central and East ern European countries giving a boost to the trade fair industry both before and after Euro scepticism was by no means as wide spread as today On their accession in 2007 hopes were also high for the new members Romania and Bulgaria Some trade fairs there posted record figures that almost seem like from a different epoch today These lofty dreams have long given way to reality and 16 FOCUS TradeFairs Internation al 2 2018 F or a while it seemed like the sky was the limit sustainable growth a world of unlimited possibilities German trade fair managers also dreamt of a little economic miracle in the late 1990s antici pating e commerce returns on an unprece dented scale But the dot com bubble burst and with it the dreams of lucrative new busi ness models At least one prediction from the years before and shortly after the turn of the millennium did not come to pass The prop agated virtual trade fairs have by no means replaced live events But the World Wide Web has changed their function While visi 20 YEARS OF TFI Our first decade Be it SARS or 9 11 The years from 1998 to 2008 brought dramatic events aplenty But for the international trade fair industry this was a phase of new beginnings Birthday Greetings from UFI the global association of the exhibition industry Dear readers The exhibition industry reflects changes within our society more than any other in dustry It has seen huge development over the last 20 years down to the global econo my expanding at the fastest ever rate in recorded history Many challenges and un expected events have come our way but we have always been able to overcome them This magazine has tracked all these developments and just like the industry has undergone some changes along the way too At present we are living in an increas ingly digital environment Technologies like artificial intelligence virtual reality and blockchains represent the next wave of po tential mainstream technologies and come just 10 years after the smartphone changed the way we use digital technology By embracing digitisation we are half way there to transitioning to the new business model Speaking of changes I would like to point out that the landscape of our industry is shift ing too In recent years traditional trade shows have changed their format to meet cus tomer expectations The Confex model is be coming increasingly popular and dialogue networking and innovative content now play a much bigger role Our industry is welcoming a new breed of organisers with events that grow and evolve from digital communities As the next generation progresses into senior positions within the industry they bring different expectations to the show floor Young connected and passionate they are searching for inspiration personal growth and networking In today s market to make a show successful you don t just need to en gage with younger participants before dur ing and after an event but you need to do it throughout the whole process of organising the event too Exhibitions are flexible events that are open to large communities from all areas of society bringing together people with similar interests and generally involv ing travel networking and use of the latest digital tools As such I truly believe that our industry has a lot to offer in the future Happy anniversary to Trade Fairs International Corrado Peraboni UFI President Italiens Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi eröffnet 2005 das neue Mailänder Messegelände Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi opens Milan s new exhibition centre in 2005 Ph ot o F ie ra M ila no

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