UFI主席9月致会员信：展望巴林UFI全球大会

Dear UFI Members & Friends,

This latest edition of my newsletter brings us to the end of summer — or perhaps I should say, the end of the summer holidays.

For those of you who have children — even if yours are all grown up now — you may well remember this feeling. After 2.5 months together, I must admit I am rather pleased to be sending mine back to school! Summer holidays are not always much of a holiday for parents. Between work, travel & planning their daily activities, I seem to have taken on another unofficial title: Chief Holiday Officer.

For those who did manage to take a proper summer break, I hope it was a wonderful, quiet & recharging one — with a little less scheduling than mine!

While many trade shows also take a summer break, life at our own venue, BITEC, has been anything but quiet. The venue has been buzzing with all kinds of activity — from Boys’ Love concerts & consumer events to meaningful workshops & pop-up activities at SAMA Garden — and I suspect many venues across Asia have been just as busy. It is a good reminder that today’s venues are no longer defined by trade exhibitions alone. They are places for business, entertainment, learning & community, often all at the same time.

It has been quite fun to see such different communities coming through our doors. It is also a good reminder that venues today are no longer defined by one type of event. They are places for business, entertainment, learning & community — sometimes all in the same week.

My summer also continued in true bleisure style — business mixed with a little pleasure.

I was invited to speak for the Phuket Tourist Association on the topic, “Is a MICE Venue the Key to Phuket’s Next S-Curve?” And, as I rarely travel alone — and remain a firm believer in the wider economic impact of business events — I brought five members of my family along & somehow turned what could have been a one-afternoon trip into three nights in Phuket.

Phuket continues to have enormous potential. Yes, there are still challenges, traffic being one of the obvious ones, but we were blessed with sunshine even in the low season. I was also glad to catch up with local friends, hear first-hand what is happening on the ground & refill my brain with updated local perspectives. And, just as importantly, genuinely have a good time.

On the international front, the bleisure continued with a work trip to Seoul — and once again, my family came along. I have to admit, I had never experienced Seoul quite this hot before! But when work calls, the weather does not really get a vote. As with Phuket, I wanted to make sure we did more than simply fly in & out. We made time to experience something local & importantly for me, to reconnect with the exhibition community on the ground.

During a very short visit, I was fortunate to meet with colleagues from AKEI, COEX & EXPORUM. It was a real pleasure to catch up with so many people, exchange perspectives & hear first-hand what is happening in the local market.

These moments always remind me why local connection matters so much. Wherever work takes me, I try to use the opportunity to understand the community around me — professionally & personally — because there is always something new to learn.

And while many of us have been juggling summer schedules, the world around us has certainly not stood still.

Over the past two months, we have continued to see a mixed global picture: economic uncertainty alongside resilience, rapid developments in technology & AI, changing travel patterns and businesses continuing to balance growth ambitions with cost pressures.

For our industry, this reinforces something we already know well — exhibitions do not operate in isolation. We are closely connected to business confidence, international travel, investment & the movement of people and ideas.

Yet there is also a great deal of positive momentum within our own UFI community. As we move into the final part of the year, there is much to look forward to — from our next generation of leaders & a new governance mandate, to preparations for our global community to come together once again at the UFI Global Congress in Bahrain.

It feels very much like a season of looking forward.

Warm Regards,

Panittha Buri
UFI President

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