Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah, will now spearhead the growth of the meetings and exhibitions industry in the Middle East and Africa region.

Mr. Midfa has been chosen as the Chairman of the Middle East/African Chapter of the prestigious Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), Paris. This was announced at the UFI Open Seminar held in Marrakech from March 23 to 25, 2015.

This recognition for Mr. Midfa and Expo Centre Sharjah has come soon after he was selected as the Chairman of Arabian Gulf Chapter of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the leading association for the global exhibition industry, earlier this month (March).

Now, Mr. Midfa, in his capacity as the Chairman of both UFI’s Regional Chapter and IAEE’s Gulf Chapter, will help shape the future growth of the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) industry of the region.

“It is an extremely proud moment for both me and Expo Centre Sharjah. I feel honoured to be elected as the chief of the regional chapters of two prestigious associations that set the growth agenda for the global meetings and exhibitions industry. These back to back recognitions are indeed overwhelming,” said Mr. Midfa.

The UFI Middle East/African Chapter currently has 67 members and the number of shows held in the region runs into more than 900 B2B and B2C exhibitions. Globally, UFI represents 650 member organisations in 83 countries and more than 928 trade fairs and exhibitions organised by its members carry the UFI-approved tag.

“The new responsibility gives me an opportunity to work for the continued success of our members and the regional MICE industry. The fact that the UFI Middle East/Africa regional office is at Expo Centre Sharjah also helps in improving coordination among the regional members,” said Mr. Midfa.

Mr. Midfa, who takes over from Mr. Abdullah Al Omran, CEO, Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center, was chosen as the First Vice-Chairman for the Middle East/African Chapter of UFI in June 2014.

Mr. Midfa believes that given the plethora of opportunities and challenges like geo-political and financial risks facing the region and the industry, the UFI regional chapter will have a key role to play in working for the mutual benefit and development of the members.

Mr. Midfa is a seasoned finance and marketing professional, an effective thinker with practical hands-on approach to solving problems. He has been instrumental in expanding the business horizon and profitability of Expo Centre Sharjah, which became a member of UFI in 2009.

The main objectives of the UFI regional chapters are to discuss specific problems and ideas concerning their region, to encourage cooperation between members within their region, and to promote UFI in their region and encourage additional membership.

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