UFI Global Congress in Oman Attracts World-renowned Keynote

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will keynote the 89th edition of the annual Global Congress. Registration pacing trends show the 2022 event to be one of the largest and most diverse in UFI history.

UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has announced today the keynote for its 89th annual Global Congress, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker, and director of the critically acclaimed Marvel Studio’s series Ms. Marvel.  

This year’s Congress will take place in Muscat, Oman, on 14-17 November, and is tracking to be among the largest ever gathering of leaders of the exhibition and business events industry.

The 2022 iteration of the UFI Global Congress 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 prouder 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.

Long renowned for its networking, the UFI Global Congress is also at the forefront of industry thought leadership. Ms. Obaid Chinoy keynote will begin the Congress with an audio-visual journey about uncovering the unseen, and the entire programme will be expertly guided by former broadcast journalist, Eithne Treanor.

In addition, the programme 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. Further, the UFI Global Congress will feature the first-ever “Industry Board meeting”, which will cover the 2023 agendas of senior members of preeminent organisations in our industry.

This year, the Congress is on pace to attract over 500 attendees from more than 50 countries and regions — including new faces to the industry and first-time attendees. The UFI Global Congress is the global meeting place for the industry, both for newbies and veterans of the industry.