Home NEWS UFI’s Global Congress to take place in Oman in 2020

UFI’s Global Congress to take place in Oman in 2020

Jul 5, 2018

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry announced today that the 2020 UFI Global Congress will be held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, and will be hosted by the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The UFI Board of Directors made the decision to take the UFI Global Congress to Muscat, Oman, during their meeting on 2nd May in Verona. UFI President, Corrado Peraboni, said “We are delighted to be returning to the Middle East – the last congress that took place there was in Abu Dhabi in 2012 (hosted by ADNEC). This region is of great importance to UFI, and this is the message we wish to communicate”.

Oman is a diverse nation rich in both history and culture

Ideally situated on the Arabian Peninsula and only seven hours away from half of the world’s population, Oman is a country that merits to be discovered. Oman is a diverse nation rich in both history and culture, blessed with a breath-taking natural beauty.

UFI CEO/MD, Kai Hattendorf, had the immense pleasure of welcoming the Chairman of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, H.E. Mohsin Al Balushi, to the UFI Headquarters in Paris, to officialise the arrangements by the signing of a hosting agreement. This unique moment was captured in the photo. H.E. said that “It was an honour to have been selected to host the 2020 UFI Global Congress and bringing such prestigious delegates to Oman would showcase the wonderful exhibition facilities and services that the country had to offer and reflected the growing confidence in the local marketplace. I am sure that the delegates will have a memorable experience in this land of enormous diversity and natural beauty. Our new convention and exhibition centre is the ideal venue for facilitating the exchange of ideas amongst the UFI members”.

The UFI Global Congress is organised in November of each year and brings together more than 500 industry professionals from more than 50 countries. It has previously been hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa (2017), Shanghai, China (2016) and Milan, Italy (2015). This year, it will be hosted in St. Petersburg, Russia, followed by Bangkok, Thailand in 2019.

Trevor McCartney, General Manager of Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre and UFI Board member commented, “We are delighted to have been chosen to host the 2020 UFI Global Congress and Team Oman will ensure that each guest will receive a very special welcome in this destination renowned for traditional Omani hospitality”.