UFI President Mary Larkin: “Exhibition Industry committed to providing meeting places around the world”

As the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, UFI is actively working with its members around the world in responding to this situation.

PARIS - The outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is impacting the global exhibitions and events industry, as events of all kinds are being postponed or cancelled.

UFI President Mary Larkin issued the following statement:

“We stand in sympathy and support of everyone affected by the current COVID-19 outbreak, whether directly or indirectly.

The exhibitions and events industry exists to provide platforms for people and industries to meet, to trade, and to collaborate.

These gatherings are especially important in times of disruption. It is our obligation to maintain opportunities for people to meet wherever possible. Small and medium businesses in all industries in particular depend on exhibitions. And, like all types of events, they support the economy worldwide.

We, as representatives of the exhibitions industry, are committed to providing these much-needed meeting places around the world, wherever we can do so.

When it comes to health, we will rely on the experts in that field, from global bodies like the World Health Organisation but also the national, regional, and local health authorities where we are running exhibitions and events. We will follow their advice to keep participants safe.

We confirm that we are both supportive of the markets and communities we serve, and resilient in challenging times. We are ready to demonstrate this again, and will do our part to overcome the current situation.”