V. Anbu along with Craig Newman and Mary Larkin at the UFI Global Congress in Bangkok

UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry held the 86th UFI Congress from 6th to 9th November 2019 at Avani + Bangkok Riverside Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand. UFI members from more than 50 countries with over 550 registered participants attended this year's event which was the largest in UFI's history, matching the record number of attendees drawn at the Shanghai (China) Congress in 2016.

Chaired by UFI's 2019 President, Craig Newman, the General Assembly highlighted an array of new initiatives supporting UFI's global membership in around 90 countries.

The 86th UFI Congress featured 21 delegates from India including exhibition organizing venues and service providing companies from the Indian exhibition industry. 

At the 86th UFI Congress, V. Anbu, Director General & CEO of Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA) and BIEC took over as the Incoming President of UFI for 2020 - 2021.

Earlier this year the UFI board of directors had elected V. Anbu as its President for 2020-2021. The decision was taken at the board meeting, which marked the start of the annual UFI European Conference in Birmingham (UK).

V. Anbu has been active in UFI for many years, supporting its mission and driving developments. He has been serving on the UFI Board of Directors since 2011 and was further appointed to the UFI Executive Committee in 2017. Anbu is also the first UFI president from India in the history of the association.

Expressing delight in his new role V. Anbu said, "It is indeed a privilege to be associated with the apex international body for exhibitions in such an important role. I am thankful to UFI for reposing their faith and trust in me and I am confident of discharging my duties at the highest levels. I believe that BIEC and the Indian exhibition industry will now get wider recognition and this will also enhance their positioning in the global map."

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