The UFI Board of Directors, who are meeting this week in St. Petersburg, Russia, has announced that the next UFI President’s Triumvirate will be composed of:

Andrés Lopez-Valderrama (Corferias, Colombia), President 2014-2015

Sergey Alexeev (ExpoForum-International Ltd., Russian Federation), Incoming President

Renaud Hamaide (Comexposium/ViParis), Outgoing President

This decision becomes effective at the conclusion of the 81st UFI Annual Congress to be held Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Bogota for the 2014/2015 term of office.

With this announcement, UFI has ensured that Sergey Alexeev can move seamlessly into the position of UFI President for the period 2015/2016.

UFI has found that this Presidential trio provides for greater management continuity. It also enables the association to represent the exhibition sector in a greater number of international industry events and activities.

Renaud Hamaide, current UFI President, welcomed the arrival of Alexeev, saying, “Sergey brings 30 years of exhibition related experience to our UFI president’s trio! As the first Russian UFI President, he will certainly provide valuable insights for the development of UFI programmes in this country.”

Russia has the third largest number of UFI members after China and Germany.

Exhibitions act as a motor for economic growth, support employment opportunities, drive local infrastructure development and influence investment decisions.

As the leading international association of the exhibition industry, UFI supports its members’ business objectives by providing industry promotion, industry research, educational programs, and professional networking opportunities.

Sergey Alexeev acknowledged the importance of this new role, adding, “Joining the UFI Presidential Trio is a reflection of the prospects and professionalism of the Russian exhibition industry. Over the past 20 years, Russia has taken its place among the world’s exhibition leaders. Today. we play a key role in supporting the development of the Russian economy as a major partner in the global economy.”

UFI’s 38 Russian members organize 106 UFI-approved events. With more than 20 venues offering a minimum of 5-000 square meters of indoor exhibition space and a combined capacity of almost 600,000 square meters of indoor exhibition space, Russia places 10th in the world in terms of exhibition infrastructure capacity.

UFI ranks Russia 8th in terms of exhibition activity, with approximately 3 million square meters of net exhibition space rented every year. UFI Members in the Russian Federation organize more than 400 exhibitions every year, representing more than half of the Russian market’s net rented exhibition space.