Eventprofs descend on London for Confex 2025

Thousands are starting to descend on London to connect, learn and collaborate at one of the biggest gatherings for eventprofs of the year.

International Confex 2025 will open its doors on Wednesday to act as a launching pad for ideas that define the next era of our industry. Scroll down for the details.

Here are the top headlines for your weekly event news updates:

• Eventprofs get set for International Confex 2025
• Informa achieves top ESG ratings 
• UFI opens Next Generation Leadership Grant 2025
• Gulfood to double capacity across two Dubai venues

Will you be heading to International Confex this week? Team ExpoPlatform is exhibiting and would love to show you how event tech for big exhibitions works.

Make sure you drop by Stand L8C to say hello!

Eventprofs get set for International Confex 2025

International Confex 2025 is getting ready to open its doors to thousands of eventprofs for a massive industry gathering.

The two-day show at Excel London will see over 200 suppliers, 500 exhibitors, cutting-edge tech showcases and a packed conference programme.

Among the speakers at this year’s event will be ExpoPlatform CTO Mykyta Fastovets, who will take a deep dive into the power of event tech in 2025.

He explore the trends and strategies shaping the future of tech in our industry – as well as how to take advantage.

WHERE: Event Tech Theatre
DATE: Thursday February 27
TIME: 13:00 – 13:30

Heading to Confex? Add it to your schedule here.

Informa achieves top ESG ratings

Informa has achieved top ratings for environment, social and government ratings from five top bodies.

The organizer giant was awarded the status from leading performance evaluators MSCI, CDP, ISS and S&P.

These ratings identify industry leaders according to their exposure to ESG risks and management of them relative to peers.

Stephen Carter, droup chief executive of Informa, said: “Strength in sustainability is good for our brands, for our customers and for the communities that we serve and work with – and therefore it is good for our business.

“At Informa, sustainability has been operationalised, it is not a side-track activity.”

ALSO: Read the Transformation Interview with Ben Wielgus, head of sustainability at Informa Group.

Informa has maintained its AAA rating, the highest possible level, in the MSCI ESG Ratings.

CDP Worldwide is a non-profit organisation that runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system, scoring each disclosing company according to strict measures.

The organizer’s latest A- CDP score is one of the highest ratings possible.

ISS ESG is a division of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a global leader in corporate governance and responsible investment solutions.

Its Corporate Rating Reported saw Informa maintain its ‘prime’ status and is in the top 10% of companies ranked its sector.

For the seventh year running Informa is also included in the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices, formerly the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, appearing second out of 264 companies in its sector.

Informa also features in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2025, which collates the top performing companies according to the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.

UFI opens Next Generation Leadership Grant 2025

Talented eventprofs from around the world are invited to apply to an UFI scheme which aims to investigate the future of exhibitions.

The Next Generation Leadership Grant (NGL) 2025 is now open to candidates, who are asked to focus on a mission that tackles a critical topic facing the industry.

This year’s mission calls for applicants to explore innovative, unconventional formats to inspire the next evolution of event models.

The 2025 UFI Next Generation Leadership Grant is officially OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS!

Deadline to apply is 3 April 2025. For more information, visit: https://t.co/y57XO2XHkp#ufi #ufingl #eventprofs #exhibitions #events #talent pic.twitter.com/GRBsnwYFTF

— UFI (@UFILive) February 20, 2025

Chris Skeith OBE, CEO of UFI, said: “There has never been a better time for fresh talent to step forward and rethink exhibition formats.

“The NGL Programme offers a unique platform to challenge conventions and shape the future of events.

“I urge industry leaders to put forward their best and I challenge bright minds everywhere – step up and redefine exhibitions.”

Gulfood to double capacity across two Dubai venues

A new plan for world’s largest food and beverage tradeshow has been launched as it gears up to double its capacity in 2026.

The move will see Gulfood continue to take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), while simultaneously running at the new Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) so the growth can be made possible.

It follows HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s $2.7 billion expansion plan for DEC – announced in September 2024 – transforming it into the region’s largest purpose-built indoor events venue.

Trixie LohMirmand, DWTC executive vice president, posted: “In January 2026, Gulfood shall be expanding and doubling its capacity by 100% to be hosted in 2 mega venues simultaneously at the current DWTC and the new DEC Expo City, a $2.7bn venue expansion project with phase 1 completion in 2026.

“Today we launched the Gulfood 2026 Big Plan to the global audience from 190 countries.

“Gulfood shall be even bigger in 2026. 100% growth in capacity, multiplier growth in business volumes and limitless growth in impact on the global food economy.

“Dubai, UAE and DTWC is ready to welcome you to the most powerful and highest ROI food show in the world –  Gulfood, right here at the most opened, innovative and business friendly global nexus in Dubai, the centre of the New World.”

The expansion development will significantly increase the show’s capacity, opening space for new industry sectors and broader participation from global food industry players.

Meanwhile, Gulfood 2025 concluded on Friday and was already the largest ever edition of the show.

Get in-depth insights into the digital landscape of events this year – download the Event Tech Forecast 2025