Michael Duck (EVP – Commercial Development, Informa Markets, and EVP – Commercial Development, Group at Informa Group) is UFI’s next President, taking up office at the end of the Global Congress in Muscat. He is joined in UFI's new presidential leadership trio by Geoff Dickinson (CEO, dmg Events) as Incoming President, and Monica Lee-Müller (Managing Director of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML), Hong Kong) as Outgoing President.

WASHINGTON (September 14, 2022)—A broad, cross-industry task force today released a report identifying key focus areas to support the B2B trade show industry’s transition towards a more sustainable, low-carbon economy. The report, titled Finding the future, together: Towards a more sustainable B2B trade show industry in the U.S. and Canada, creates a foundation of data and knowledge for decision-making, knowledge-sharing, and action, highlighting the industry’s most significant environmental impacts. It also showcases steps the industry has already taken to address those impacts and identifies 30 near- and long-term steps to secure a more sustainable future. The full report can be downloaded here.

(LONDON) – Informa Markets has today confirmed that CEO Charlie McCurdy, who joined Informa in 2015, will move into a new role as strategic advisor to Informa Group in 2023. Effective 1 January 2023, Patrick Martell, current CEO of Informa Intelligence and COO of Informa Group, will assume the role of Informa Markets’ CEO, while continuing in his role as Group COO.

Charlie McCurdy is a renowned leader in the exhibitions industry, having spent 35 years leading B2B events and media businesses, including the last seven as CEO of Informa Markets, the world’s leading business-to-business exhibitions and market access business.

He has overseen Informa Markets through the company’s acquisition of Penton Information Services, the YPI boat show business, and the landmark UBM acquisition. He also led Informa Markets through the pandemic, helping to identify new digital solutions and emerging data opportunities, while building the exhibitions business back to strength throughout 2021 and into 2022.

McCurdy will remain CEO through the rest of the year before beginning his new role as Strategic Advisor to Informa in January. In this role, he will continue to support the development of Informa Markets’ digital and data services, as well as providing broader input and support on key partnership relationships and future growth opportunities, through the period of Informa’s 2021-2024 Growth Acceleration Plan II.

(MIAMI, FL)– On Saturday, Premiere Beauty Orlando, the largest beauty show in the U.S., will open its doors at the Orange County Convention Center, welcoming thousands of international beauty industry professionals ranging from cosmetologists to aestheticians, make-up artists, salon owners, and more. And in 2023, Informa Markets’ Premiere Group will open its doors in two emerging new markets, announcing an exciting 2023 show schedule that sees the return of the flagship Orlando show and regional Show in Columbus, Ohio, as well we the launch of two new shows in emerging new markets: Anaheim, California and San Antonio, Texas. Premiere Beauty Anaheim will launch in April and dates for Premiere Beauty San Antonio will be announced shortly. This move looks to solidify Premiere’s leading voice in the U.S. beauty community, under the guidance of Informa Markets who brought the shows into their South Florida Ventures portfolio last year.

Informa Markets Singapore announces the exciting return of several in-person events from April through November 2022. Singapore Maritime Week returns to the show floor in April, ATX makes its 2022 return in June, FHA F&B and Jewellery and Gem World (JGW) will take place in September, FHA HoReCa and Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) is set to return in October, and OSEA and Cosmoprof Asia wrap up the in-person calendar in November.

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has released the latest edition of its flagship Global Barometer research, which takes the pulse of the industry. The results highlight the quickening pace of the industry’s recovery in 2022, after the continuing impact of COVID-19 throughout 2021. There is a strong belief that the sector, primarily driven by physical exhibitions and business events, will bounce back quickly.

In terms of operations, the proportion of companies declaring “normal activity” has increased from less than two in ten, in July 2021, to around four in ten, between October 2021 and February 2022. And this looks set to increase to around six in ten companies expecting normal activity levels from March 2022. Subsequently, the proportion of companies expecting “no activity” dropped from 34% to 16% during the second half of 2021, and only 4-5% of companies expect no activity from March 2022.