The annual UFI Marketing Award has been awarded to VNU Exhibitions Europe for their innovative KAP programme showing goodwill and demonstrating appreciation for key VIV exhibition buyers and exhibitors at the European and Asian events.
Organized by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, UFI’s Marketing Award competition recognizes innovative, exhibition-related marketing programmes. At their recent meeting in Munich, UFI’s Marketing Committee judged the programmes presented by the 2011 finalists: Montgomery Africa (South Africa), UBM Live (UK) and VNU Exhibitions Europe (The Netherlands).
The attached photo shows the members of the UFI Marketing Committee and the representatives of the 2011 finalists, Montgomery Africa and UBM Live, and grand award winner, VNU Exhibitions.
VNU’s KAP award winning programme provided a unique opportunity to 2010 VIV Europe exhibitors and their preferred buyers to participate in the VIV Asia 2011 event in Bangkok, Thailand. VNU’s objectives were to boost international attendance at VIV Asia and stimulate exhibitors to increase their investment in VIV Asia. But most importantly the KAP programme was designed to build goodwill with both the international VIV community which had been grounded by the volcano ash cloud incident during the European event and the Asian business community which was hesitant to participate in VIV Asia after Thailand’s 2010 riots.
The VNU programme offered 2 nights of free hotel accommodation to each exhibitor for use by their stand personnel or as their gift to a business contact. This meant exhibitors would have a strong incentive when inviting visitors to attend VIV Asia 2011. The programme made 10,000 complementary nights available to exhibitors and the results were exceptional. VIV Asia 2011 registered a 20% increase in both exhibitors and sold square meters, and a 60% increase in international visitors over VIV Asia 2009. The goodwill gesture of VNU’s KAP programme was appreciated by VIV visitors and exhibitors alike, with the exhibition registering a significantly higher satisfaction rate than in the past.
Ton Otten, CEO VNU Exhibitions Europe: “We are honoured that our colleagues from the sector appreciated this initiative so much that they rewarded us with the UFI Marketing Award. Customer satisfaction and loyalty are an expected and acknowledged top priority in all our events and exhibitions. This is par for the course when customer satisfaction is your motto. The result is an even stronger relationship with our clients. When it matters, you have to be there for them as an exhibition organizer: Be there for your customers.”
Katharina Hamma, Chair of the UFI Marketing Committee, pointed out that, “only programme entries which can prove their marketing success with measurable quantitative and qualitative data are eligible for this international competition. For this reason winning the UFI Marketing Award is a true acknowledgement of creativity and results. The VNU KAP programme is one that seems guaranteed to result in the return of satisfied customers.”
The 2011 UFI Marketing Award will be presented to VNU Exhibitions Europe at the 78th UFI Congress in Valencia from November 9-12, 2011. The annual UFI Marketing Award competition, open to UFI members and non-members, attracts entries from exhibition organizers around the world.
