About 70 industry professionals from Asia and beyond are expected to attend the forum, which is open to UFI members and non-members.
SINGAPORE – UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will hold a conference on sustainability in the exhibition industry, on 21-22 February in Singapore.
Entitled “Sustainability 2.0”, the UFI Educational Forum 2017 will show how venues and organisers can collaborate with public authorities, businesses and associations to make exhibitions more sustainable.
UFI Managing Director Kai Hattendorf says: “Exhibition companies in Asia are showing a particularly keen interest in sustainability – and our forum is tailored to help them achieve success in this field. In fact this is UFI’s third sustainability forum in Asia in three years.”
About 70 industry professionals from Asia and beyond are expected to attend the forum, which is open to UFI members and non-members. It is hosted by the Marina Bays Sand and organised in partnership with the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau.
New longer programme
Packed with practical case studies and discussions, the programme has been extended to two days this year by popular demand. The first day showcases how Singapore is tackling sustainability, from governmental initiatives to the MICE industry. It includes guided tours of the venue and nearby Marina Barrage, looking at energy and water conservation, waste diversion, and innovative technology. Speakers came from the National Environment Agency and, for the event industry, Globibo Marina Bay Sands, the MCI Group and Reed Exhibitions.
The second day will highlight best practices in collaboration:
- At destination level, with presentations from Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand
- At venue level, with a presentation by Greenview of the latest edition of the global “Green Venue Report”
- And at the organiser level, with presentations from Experia events, Informa and UBM.
The sustainability forum comes just a day before UFI’s Open Seminar in Asia, from 23-24 February, a must-attend event for the Asia-Pacific exhibition industry and other business leaders investigating opportunities in the region.
UFI and sustainability
“UFI puts sustainability at the heart of its work: we pool our experience and work with experts to launch diverse, valuable initiatives helping companies make the exhibition industry more sustainable,” says Michael Duck, Executive Vice President, UBM Asia, Hong-Kong, and Moderator of the forum. Mr Duck is Former Chair of UFI’s Sustainable Development Committee, an international group of 23 UFI members.
One such project is the newly published UFI Report on Best Practices in Sustainability, which showcases 41 best practice cases, with solutions ranging from solar panels on roofs, waste reduction and taxi-bikes, to innovative strategies for cost-saving, participant engagement and sustainability reporting.
Beside the venue and the supporting organisations already mentioned, UFI would also like to thank the badge sponsor U-Win, and the welcome dinner sponsor SINGEX.
Angelos is the news editor for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). His role includes to monitor the hundrends of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skim the most important according to our strategy. He currently studies Communication, Media & Culture in Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens.
