Interview with Paul Woodward
Regional Office Manager for the UFI Asia Pacific Chapter

"UFI affiliation carries a significant cachet because it implies rigorous international standards of operation. This can make a huge difference not only to the numbers of exhibitors and buyers attracted to a trade fair, but to their scale and quality too."

UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, opened an Asia Pacific office in 2004, and appointed Paul Woodward as its Regional Office Manager. Centrepoint talked to him about his achievements over the past year.

"UFI initially asked me to focus on building up regional membership," he says. "In the past year, membership in Asia has increased from 43 to 63 members, so I think you can say we've been successful!" Woodward emphasises that the UFI connection is highly sought after. "UFI affiliation carries a significant cachet because it implies rigorous international standards of operation. This can make a huge difference not only to the numbers of exhibitors and buyers attracted to a trade fair, but to their scale and quality too."

Is Woodward's job, then, one of opening the door and welcoming everyone in? "Not at all," says Woodward. "At the heart of UFI is its tough set of quality standards, and we've been heavily involved in helping organisations understand and achieve those standards, and getting them in a position to successfully apply for UFI membership. One of the issues that existing members feel very strongly about is that UFI quality standards must never be compromised by pressure for growth. The essence of UFI is that its standards represent a benchmark pitched at a high level. Organisations that attain those standards have a definite advantage in the marketplace."

Woodward pinpoints two other key advantages. "UFI members gain a platform to meet, network, and discuss common issues," he says. "Recent hot topics have included the exploding number of new exhibition venues in the region, the rapid growth in competition, and the way competing trade events are managed." He also outlines the education and training opportunities that come with UFI membership. "This kind of training opportunity is particularly valuable in countries like China. Remember that the Asia Pacific exhibition industry is a mere 25 years old. The opportunity to draw on UFI's long experience is invaluable for many members."

Standardisation is another key area in which UFI helps its Asia Pacific members. "Standardisation means using consistent terminologies and methods of presenting data," explains Woodward, "so that when trade fairs are assessed around the world we can compare like with like. This is particularly important in an industry where success is generally measured by visitor numbers and exhibition space. UFI stipulates consistent standards for counting these statistics, and one of our roles is to ensure Asia Pacific members implement UFI methods."

Woodward's efforts have built up a growth momentum. "Our target is to have acquired 100 members by the end of 2006," he says. "The pace of growth really is remarkable. The Mainland and Hong Kong together already make up the second largest national body in UFI."

What does the future bring? Says Woodward, "We're looking to provide more activities targeted specifically at our Asian members, including communications, meetings, and networking opportunities. Having said that," he adds, "let me emphasise that UFI's goal is to develop a truly representative global organisation, so we're working to attract a good cross-section of new members from right across the Asia Pacific, from India to Korea to New Zealand."