HE Saif Mohammed Al-Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah and member of the Board of Directors of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), took part in the Global CEO Summit (GCS) 2018 that is organized by the UFI. The Summit will be held in Cannes, France and will take place from the 24th to the 26th of January.

During the Summit, Al-Midfa discussed the UAE's experiences in both organizing exhibitions and developing the exhibition industry, which has greatly contributed to the national economy and to supporting many economic sectors, as well as providing thousands of jobs for UAE nationals and residents.

Al-Midfa stated that the UAE holds a competitive position in the regional and international exhibition industry, which is reflected in the UAE’s success in hosting Expo 2020. He also reflected on the experience of Expo Centre Sharjah in organizing and hosting exhibitions, which has led the Centre to realize many achievements since its establishment in 1977. He added that this experience has also led to enhancing Sharjah’s position as a leader in the exhibition industry in the region, due to the diversity of its economy, its stable financial and political environment, its infrastructure and low production costs and its commercial laws.

Al-Midfa pointed out that the summit provided a space for dialogue and communication between CEOs around the world to constructively discuss the current and future status of exhibitions, which was done through group meetings, lectures and workshops. He also pointed out that the participation of the UAE, which was represented by the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) and the Expo Centre Sharjah, was an opportunity to discuss areas of cooperation and build partnerships with officials of other major international exhibitions.

More than 140 CEOs from around the world attended the summit, where they discussed the latest developments in the industry and discussed the Association’s plans for the current year and its various activities. Many CEOs have also discussed taking advantage of the latest technology to improve the operations of the sector and to meet the growing needs of customers.