Pictured at right, recent VMA graduates
UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and the Venue Management Association Asia and Pacific (VMA) announced today that these two industry-leading associations will jointly launch a new venue education initiative.
UFI will adapt and modify VMA’s industry leading venue management school in order to offer exhibition venue managers the opportunity to improve their operational and managerial skill sets. The programme will cover a wide range of capabilities including leadership skills, strategic planning, marketing, people management as well as problem solving and decision-making skills.
In addition to adapting VMA’s current programme content for an exhibition industry audience, UFI will also take the lead in recruiting top-quality, local instructors, translating the course modules into local Asian languages, as well as promoting and operating the new program.
The inaugural programme will be held in China in the second half of 2017. Mr. Cliff Wallace, who is a past-president of UFI, as well as a past VMA Council member and long-time VMA Venue Management School instructor, has agreed to act a senior advisor overseeing the development of this new Asian program.
Kai Hattendorf, managing director of UFI, commented, “The exhibition market in Asia continues to grow and over the past decade, Asia’s venue infrastructure has also rapidly expanded. So it is no surprise that there is strong demand among UFI’s members across Asia and beyond for a comprehensive venue education programme aimed at training senior management. UFI is proud to partner with VMA to bring its widely respected venue management school to new markets in Asia and beyond.”
Steve Romer, CEO of VMA, stated, “The VMA is thrilled to partner with UFI in the delivery of professional development programs for the exhibition sector in the Asia Pacific region, and in particular mainland China. The VMA has coordinated the delivery of the Venue Management School in Australia for more than 20 years, with some 500 plus students graduating from the programme, many of those from Asian venues. The VMA welcomes this important partnership with UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, to improve and enhance the profession of venue management in the Asia Pacific Region.”
For more information, please visit ufi.org or contact UFI at mailto:asia@ufi.org, or visit vma.org.au or contact VMA at mailto:msteve@vma.org.au.
