Paul Woodward provides advisory services to the B2B media and global events industries as Chairman of Paul Woodward Advisory. Before this, he was the managing director of UFI, the global exhibition industry association from 2010 – 2015. He was responsible for all UFI activities and events as well as for the operations of its offices in Paris, Hong Kong and Sharjah.

Before taking up the UFI role, Paul was based in Hong Kong for 25 years. In 2000 he founded Business Strategies Group Ltd., a business intelligence and strategy consulting firm serving the business media and events industries. BSG established UFI’s Asia/Pacific office in 2004 and Paul was UFI’s Regional Manager in Asia. Paul is now BSG’s chairman.

Originally a business journalist, Paul worked from 1985 until 2000 for the publishing and exhibitions business which now operates as Informa Markets Asia. He was a director of that business responsible for new business development and strategy across the region.

• Trade shows cover a wide swath of target audiences and intended outcomes. Some expect filled order books at the end of the event, while others are more of marketing events that intend to put the exhibitor top of their mind.
• The trade shows and exhibitions industry is a profitable vertical that has evolved over the last few years due to black swan events such as the pandemic and the inevitable progress of technology. A basic digital deployment involves a website with information, and slightly more advanced engagements allow booking of booths and so on.
• However, the exhibition industry has not been able to integrate digital services into the core of the events and leverage them to enhance customer experience. This is partly because the lucrative returns in the events industry have urged people not to upset the applecart. Now that we are in a post-pandemic world, it remains to be seen how mindsets and attitudes evolve over the next five or ten years.

Run time – 59.51 mins.