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Top announcements from UFI Global Congress 2025

Welcome to the latest edition of Snöcap 🏔️ – our weekly event news roundup

This week it’s all been about the UFI’s Global Congress 2025.

The 92nd Congress witnessed leadership changes, industry recognitions and a redesigned website as part of its centennial celebrations. And there was quite a bit of 1920s-themed fun!

To read all the major announcements from the ongoing Congress, scroll down below.

All the major announcements from the UFI Congress 2025

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, held its 92nd Global Congress in Hong Kong, where the organization announced leadership changes, award recipients and a website redesign to mark its centennial year. Here are the top updates:

Leadership transition

Panittha Buri, vice chairperson of BHIRAJ BURI GROUP, was named UFI president. The UFI Trio for 2025-26 includes Panittha Buri as president, Hugh Jones as outgoing president and Wolfram Diener as incoming president.

2025 UFI Awards

The organization presented awards across six categories:

Sustainable Development: RX Global
Marketing: Targi w Krakowie Ltd. (EXPO Kraków)
HR: IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
Operations & Services: Exhibition Place
Industry Partners: Kuehne+Nagel
Digital Innovation: Italian Exhibition Group Spa

Medal of Honour recipients

UFI President Hugh Jones presented medals to four industry figures during the congress:

Chen Xianjin (UFI President 2012-13)
Michael Duck (UFI President 2022-23)
Jo-Anne Kelleway (Innovator & Industry Ambassador)
Cliff Wallace (UFI President 2008-09)

“Mr. Chen Xianjin devoted four decades to advancing the exhibition industry in China and beyond,” Jones said. “From chairing the Shanghai International Exhibition Corporation and serving as Deputy Director of the Bureau of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, to leading the China Association for Exhibition Centers, his leadership has raised industry standards. As UFI’s first Asian President, Chen built vital bridges between China and the global exhibition community.”

“Michael Duck’s name is synonymous with passion and commitment to the exhibition industry,” Jones said. “Since joining the Hong Kong Trade Fair Group in 1994, Michael has dedicated his career to building outstanding trade shows across Asia. He served as UFI Treasurer for 20 years and played a key role in opening UFI’s Asia-Pacific office in 2004. As a former UFI President, Michael has been a strong advocate for sustainable events. His dedication and leadership have made a lasting mark on our global community.”

“For more than 35 years, Jo-Anne Kelleway has been a driving force for innovation in our industry,” Jones said. “As founder of Info Salons, she transformed event registration and data management, introducing new technologies that reshaped how events connect with their audiences. After selling her business to Freeman in 2018, Jo-Anne continued her role as an industry ambassador, something she had been in spirit since day one. Within UFI, she has served as a mentor, an active Working Group member, and an enthusiastic speaker at many events.”

“Over the course of 50 years, Cliff Wallace has shaped the exhibition industry in Asia like few others,” Jones said. “Closely involved in all aspects of the expansion of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Cliff’s leadership helped define our industry in the region. During his UFI Presidency, he helped initiate the UFI Global Exhibition Barometer report, which has become a flagship industry study. As a passionate educator and mentor through the Venue Management School, his influence continues to inspire new generations of professionals.”

The UFI Medal of Honour was introduced in 2024 to recognize individuals for their contributions to the global exhibition industry and the UFI community. The UFI president selects recipients in consultation with members of the UFI Trio.

Website redesign

UFI also launched a redesigned website at www.ufi.org as part of its 100-year celebration. The organization stated the website was redesigned to showcase and serve its global community.

93% of disabled delegates face event barriers, finds new accessibility report by the Business of Events and ICC Wales

Ninety-three percent of disabled delegates encounter barriers when attending events, according to research by The Business of Events and ICC Wales, supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Events.

The report, “Access All Areas: Closing the Accessibility Gap in Events,” was launched Nov. 19 at IBTM World. The research surveyed 1,000 delegates who attended an event within the last six months and more than 100 venues.

Nearly one in three delegates identified as having a visible or non-visible disability. Of those, 93% reported encountering barriers including inaccessible layouts (28%), lack of accessible toilets (24%), untrained staff (25%), overstimulating environments (27%) and missing accessibility information (17%).

Nearly half (46%) of venues admitted they sometimes charge for accessibility adjustments such as gender-neutral toilets or ramped stages. Only 15% of venues claim to be compliant with the European Accessibility Act, which came into force in June 2025.

“This research deserves real applause – it’s not just a report, it’s a rallying cry for progress,” Dr. Shani Dhanda said. “Accessibility must be woven into every stage of design and delivery.”

“Accessibility must sit at the heart of every event,” Craig Bingham said. “This report reinforces the urgency for collective action across the sector.”

Download the report

dmg Events and Deutsche Messe AG join forces to develop new global energy exhibition and conference

dmg events and Deutsche Messe AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a global energy exhibition and conference set to launch in Germany in 2027.

Christopher Hudson, president of dmg events, and Dr. Jochen Köckler, chairman of the board of Deutsche Messe AG, signed the agreement during the UFI Global Congress in Hong Kong from Nov. 19-22, 2025.

Global electricity consumption is expected to grow by around 25% by 2030, fueled by population growth, urbanization and rising living standards. AI and data centers could consume up to 10% of global electricity by 2030.

The partnership will create a platform spanning fuels, power generation, grids, storage, clean technologies, digital infrastructure, mobility solutions and energy-using sectors. The event will convene producers, solution providers, technology companies, financiers, policymakers and innovators.

Christopher Hudson said. “By partnering with Deutsche Messe AG, we are creating a platform that brings together the decision-makers who produce, move and consume energy, enabling them to confront shared challenges and accelerate the solutions needed for global progress.”

Dr. Jochen Köckler said. “Working with dmg events allows us to build a platform that unites the world’s leading voices across energy and technology, creating the space for the partnerships, innovation and investment required to meet the demands of tomorrow.”

The event will feature a conference, technical exchanges, leadership roundtables, technology showcases and discussions on system resilience, energy addition, supply security and digital transformation.

Read the full press release

IAEE announces Kyle Scheele as keynote speaker for Expo!Expo!, releases playbook for midsize exhibitions

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events has announced Kyle Scheele as the keynote speaker for Expo!Expo! in Houston, Texas.

Kyle, also known as the “Champion of Crazy Ideas,” has featured in the Washington Post, Fast Company, Wired, Yahoo and BuzzFeed, with videos of his projects viewed over 200 million times. He gained more than 1 million TikTok followers overnight from a Christmas present project.

Meanwhile, IAEE has also released a Performance Benchmark Playbook for midsize business-to-business exhibitions measuring 50,000 to 199,000 net square feet. The playbook provides revenue, return on investment and exhibitor benchmarks, along with strategies for event organizers.

Download the playbook

Snöball named finalist for ‘Best Use of Tech’ at the TSNN 2025 Awards for G2E 2025

Snöball has been shortlisted as a finalist in the “Best Use of Tech” category at the TSNN 2025 Awards for its collaboration with RX Global on G2E 2025.

The platform enabled RX Global to mobilize attendees and speakers as campaign advocates. The implementation included personalized social cards distributed across 17 social channels, branded landing pages for speakers, and a real-time performance dashboard for tracking.

The G2E 2025 campaign produced the following metrics:

15,780 participants mobilized
2,000 social shares
10,514 landing page views
51.5% referral-to-registration conversion rate

The conversion rate surpassed the industry benchmark of 31.9%.

G2E (Global Gaming Expo) is the world’s leading event for the gaming industry, bringing together casinos, suppliers, regulators, and technology innovators. It serves as the premier marketplace for new products, industry insights, and global networking in gaming.

Read the full list of finalists