Celion Su

The 36th IELA Congress as part of the IELA BACK TO BUSINESS programme and took place online from June 29th to July 1st 2021， with 348 registered delegates from 48 countries. What were the highlights of the Congress？ How will the exhibition logistic section evolve to embrace the future of the industry in the New Normal？What is the unique charm of the exhibition industry？…The reporter interviews Guido Fornelli， IELA Chairperson recently.

Strengthen industry communication with all elements

As the most prominent industry gathering for the global exhibition logistic sector， this years IELA Congress was themed “A Beginners Mind”. As Guido Fornelli， IELA Chairperson explains， A Beginners Mind is necessary to face the NEW NOW and we have to adapt and be more efficient. The Congress looked at new and disruptive actions to reshape our future， and accompanied all IELA members in building new outlooks & new paths to re-invent themselves.

To facilitate industry communication to the greatest level， the congress encouraged free movement between flows with panel discussions， keynote speakers， live sessions and breakout rooms and regional key industry stakeholders. Regarding the feeling on attending the online exchange platform， Guido Fornelli remarks， “I am a strong supporter of person-to-person events but I am very happy with our digital event. Our congress remains the strongest business platform for the exhibition logistics industry. It makes us particularly proud to present the work we have been doing over many years in building bridges with all industry players.”

Strong growth accompanied by the Chinese exhibition industry

IELAs presence in the Chinese market is not new. Concerning the rapid development and recovery of the Chinese exhibition industry， Guido Fornelli observes that China no doubt was and is the fastest growing exhibitions market globally. “For me， its always quite impressive to look at the number of SQM available in the main Chinese venues compared to the those available in 1988 when I started working in the industry. ” He tells the reporter. He thinks that the rapid bounce after the pandemic is the result of quick development of efficient sanitary protocols， the dynamism of Chinese organisers as well as the Macro trend of the economy. Of importance is how the domestic Chinese market assumes a lead role in recent years.

The rapid development of the Chinese exhibition industry is also reflected in the IELA footprints. As Guido Fornelli introduces， IELA has the highest number of members， namely 12 companies， in China. In 2018 IELA launched the regional event IELA CONNECT to build bridges between IELA members， organisers， venues， associations and press. The first IELA CONNECT took place in Shanghai on October 15th 2018 with Evan Li from UFI China Office， Xianjin Chen from the Shanghai Convention& Exhibition Industries Association， and other industry players & including the presentation of the IELA Security Guidelines. Numerous activities have since then been organised with industry partners from China， for instance， the ASIA PACIFIC Talk during IELA RELOAD featuring key stakeholders who also participated in the CONNECTED MIND ASIA session during the 2021 Online Congress.

“We are now looking at the development of the IELA AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME， with the participation of 3 IELA Ambassadors in China to promote our image.” Guido Fornelli adds.

Talent cultivation leads us into the future

To meet evolving industry needs， IELA has always holding talent training in high priority and has many good practices to share. Guido Fornelli says， IELA has been actively boosting talent cultivation since 2002 with the IELA Winter Seminar， the biennial members only education and networking event for young professionals and industry newcomers. Under the slogan BUILDING THE FUTURE， the focus was on training for day-to-day operations of exhibition freight forwarders and on-site agents.

“The future of exhibition logistics depends on well-trained teams.” He points out. In 2016 IELA reinforced its focus on talent， creating the IELA OPERATIONS SUMMIT. This dedicated forum offers valuable perspectives on improving operational efficiencies， enhancing service standards， optimising worldwide relationships and increasing the bottom line. More recently， IELA launched the POWER UP Campaign to support and encourage Womens Leadership in the exhibition & event logistics industry.

Meet future challenges with new e-tools

Concerning new trends in the industry， Guido Fornelli points out that IELA has been focusing on the transformation of the industry and technologies since its 2018 Congress， when an interactive， solution-based approach were used to help the members understand the challenges and benefits of digital technologies like Automated Logistics， Artificial Intelligence， Cyber Security， Data Analytics and Internet of things.

“A safer， more efficient and sustainable on-site environment and the creation of new events will be possible through new digital applications in the industry. Im convinced that a range of new e-tools will dramatically change logistics activity and more in general onsite operations in the years to come thanks also to AI and IoT.” He says.

As an exhibition veteran， Guido Fornell remains passionate about his job. He says， he still really loves the chance that this industry gave him to travel and meet people from different regions in the world， experiencing different cultures from different economic sectors. He enjoys looking into the logistics needs of varied industries regarding the planning of participations at a new event. Personally， he try to leave at least one day per week totally dedicated to his passions： reading， running and enjoying good food and wine with friends. “This gives me the energy to start the new week on a positive note.” He says.