Kai Hattendorf

Kai Hattendorf leads UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, as the association’s CEO / Managing Director. In this role, he is responsible for UFI activities and events globally, as well as the operation of its Paris headquarters and the offices and presences around the world. Serving the wider events industry, Kai sits on the Board of the Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC), the umbrella organisation for of international and global associations serving the Business Events sector. He led JMIC as President from 2019 – 2021. Prior to his current role, Kai worked in the exhibition industry for numerous years in senior management positions at Messe Frankfurt’s global headquarters, focusing on transformational issues ranging from digitisation to marketing and communications. Kai’s work in the events industry has been recognized through various awards and recognitions around the world. Most recently he was named “Business Events Strategist of the Year” by PCMA. His previous career also includes leadership positions in marketing/strategic communications as well as in strategy and product development in the ITC and Media Industry for the Deutsche Telekom Group, the dpa Group (the German Press Agency), and a fintech start-up. A journalist by education, Kai has internationally reported for broadcasters in Germany, France, the UK, and the US, including the BBC and the Voice of America. Kai holds a Master’s degree from the American University, Washington, DC. He also studied in Dortmund and Edinburgh.