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Easyfairs acquires Food Hotel Tech and Tech For Retail
Easyfairs has made a significant expansion to its hospitality and retail portfolio with two takeovers.
The event organizer has acquired Food Hotel Tech and Tech For Retail as part of its wider growth strategy.
Your other top headlines include:
- Informa announces the appointment of the inaugural inD CEO
- WTM Africa 2026 opens to record numbers
- UFI association committee chair and vice chair re-elected
Read on for more event industry news.
Easyfairs expands its hospitality and retail portfolio
Easyfairs has announced the acquisition of Food Hotel Tech and Tech For Retail.
The Paris-based shows are two of Europe’s leading hospitality and retail events.
This strategic partnership seeks to combine French heritage with Easyfairs’ global network.
Alison Willis, CEO of Easyfairs UK & Global, said: “We are delighted that the brilliant people behind both Food Hotel Tech and Tech For Retail will join us and continue to drive the inevitable success going forward.”
The move also comes as part of Easyfairs’ broader growth strategy to enhance its portfolio.
Food Hotel Tech and Tech For Retail see this partnership as an opportunity to build on their success.
Part of this is to capitalize on Easyfairs’ international networking to take the events’ reach beyond Europe.
Karen Serfaty, CEO of Tech For Retail and Food Hotel Tech, added: “My team and I are excited to join forces with one of the world’s largest event organizers, which will enable exhibitors of both events, in particular Tech for Retail to connect with a wider French audience and meet even more international attendees.”
Informa announces the appointment of the inaugural inD CEO
Informa has announced David Lynn as the first-ever CEO of inD.
The B2B event organizer launched the partnership venture back in January alongside Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC).
inD was launched to meet the growing demand for B2B events in the Middle East.
Stephen Carter, group chief executive of Informa, said: “We are delighted to confirm David’s appointment as inD’s inaugural CEO.
“The appointment of an experienced international media and content executive underlines inD’s ambition and the significant growth opportunity for high-quality B2B brands in the IMEA region and beyond.”
David brings a wealth of global executive-level experience to the inaugural position.
He has the task of combining DWTC and Informa event brands to create a single operating business and growth plan for inD.
David will relocate to Dubai in May to begin this new chapter.
Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO of DWTC, added: “The CEO appointment reaffirms Dubai’s attractiveness as a leading global destination for international executive talent.
“More specifically, it highlights the growth potential that inD as a business represents for the international B2B Events sector.”
WTM Africa 2026 opens to record numbers
World Travel Market Africa 2026 opened its doors to a record-breaking 8,000 trade professionals from 63 countries.
These numbers made it the largest and most diverse edition of the event to date.
RX sees this as confirmation of Africa’s position as one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism markets.
Carol Weaving, managing director of RX Africa, said: “Africa Travel Week has evolved into a powerful in-person event where technology handles the heavy lifting and humans focus on the relationship building that defines this industry.”
The number of exhibitors also rose to 780 – a significant increase from the previous year.
WTM Africa also saw a rise in hosted buyers and buyers’ club members – with 81% being new to the event.
RX feels this is also a significant implication of the event’s expanding international reach.
UFI association committee chair and vice chair re-elected
UFI has announced the results of its association committee elections.
The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry saw the re-election of Jorn Holtmeier and Synthia Chan as chair and vice chair respectively.
Both will also join its board of directors – with Jorn also sitting on the association’s executive committee.
Panittha Buri, president of UFI, said: “On behalf of UFI, I congratulate Jorn and Synthia on their re-election and thank them for their continued dedication.”
The association committee focuses on identifying, advocating and collaborating on key issues facing the exhibition industry.
It comprises over 75 local, regional and global event associations.
Jorn and Synthia will start their three-year mandate at the 93rd UFI Global Congress.
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