WAM Sharjah, June 28th, 2012 (WAM) -- The global exhibition business has moved from renting space to facilitating business and the Middle East meetings and exhibitions industry too needs to keep pace with such changes, according to a senior Sharjah official.

Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah, was speaking after returning from high-level meetings of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) in Hamburg, Germany, recently.

"The participants took stock of the fast-paced economic changes taking place globally and the challenges they are throwing up. They also examined real case studies to see what options related to these issues are viable in today's tight economic climate," he said.

Midfa was among the 200 exhibition industry professionals from 39 countries who took part in the meetings of the UFI - UFI Open Seminar in Europe (June 18-20) and the UFI Focus Meeting on Sustainable Development (June 21).

"The meetings turned out to be a great forum that provided exciting opportunities to explore new ideas and exchange practical information among top-level international executives from diverse regions and backgrounds," the DG Expo Centre Sharjah said.

The UFI Open Seminar in Europe focused on exploring the changing expectations of exhibition customers and urged trade fair professionals to retain the unique flavour of exhibitions' face-to-face marketing experience.

WAM/ES/AM