Muscat to host UFI Global Congress in November

Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Pakistani-Canadian journalist, and activist Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is to deliver the keynote at the 89th edition of the annual UFI Global Congress in Oman in November.

Obaid Chinoy is the director of the Marvel Studio’s series Ms. Marvel.

The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry’s Congress this year runs in Muscat from November 14-17 at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The association says its Congress this year is tracking to be among the largest ever gathering of leaders of the exhibition and business events industry. The 2022 iteration is the first to return to the Middle East since 2012, though UFI has hosted regular regional conferences each spring in the region.

UFI CEO, Kai Hattendorf said: “We couldn’t be more proud to bring the industry to Oman for this year’s event. The Middle East, and Oman specifically, has shown significant investment and commitment to developing a world-class business-events ecosystem. They are embracing our sector as a driver of economic growth. We are excited to be working with the host team to put on this truly unique event, and our promising early-registration numbers show that industry professionals are also eager to meet again face-to-face, and to see what Oman has to offer.”

The Obaid Chinoy keynote will begin the Congress with an audio-visual journey about uncovering the unseen, and the entire program will be guided by former broadcast journalist, Eithne Treanor.

The November Congress program will cover topics such as the state of the economy, global risks and opportunities, and trends in the industry. It will also dive into transformational topics, like the industry’s sustainability agenda and talent narrative, as well as data and insights for creating serendipity.

Congress will feature this time the first-ever ‘Industry Board meeting’, which will cover the 2023 agendas of senior members of pre-eminent organizations in our industry.

UFI is expecting to attract 500 attendees from 50 countries and regions — including new faces to the industry and first-time attendees.