Dear fellow IFES Members, dear friends,
In an industry that operates across borders, cultures, and increasingly complex expectations in uncertain times, excellence cannot be just a local ambition. It must be dependable wherever a project takes us. That is the promise of IFES: a global community built to help its members work locally, at global scale.
With more than 350 members across 47 countries, IFES connects exhibition and event professionals who understand that success abroad relies on more than a supplier list. It depends on trusted relationships, local knowledge, professional capability, and shared accountability. Our members can access partners who understand the expectations of one another and who know the realities on the ground – from regulations and logistics to cultural expectations and market-specific delivery – while maintaining a consistent commitment to quality.
This reach is also a powerful form of risk minimisation. International projects naturally introduce uncertainty: unfamiliar operating environments, compressed schedules, compliance requirements, and the challenge of choosing reliable partners at a distance. IFES reduces this uncertainty by bringing together companies that have been carefully assessed and that agree to work according to our Statutes, Rules of Procedure, and Code of Conduct. Membership is not simply a badge; it is a commitment to integrity, fair dealing, confidentiality, professionalism, inclusion, sustainability, and responsible business practice.
Our careful admission process reflects this responsibility. New members are more than welcome when they demonstrate professional services, sound organisational and economic conditions, and relevant industry experience. Every one of us has been, and any future member will be, reviewed by the Membership Committee and Board. Every incoming member requires recommendations from existing members, and must formally accept IFES’s governing principles. This rigorous selection and onboarding process protects the quality, diversity, and integrity of our network, and, ultimately, provides greater confidence to the clients our members serve.
Yet, IFES is more than a framework for trusted delivery. It is a place to learn faster. By bringing different cultures, markets, and professional perspectives under one roof, we enable members to exchange best practices, challenge familiar assumptions, and discover new solutions. Our cross-industry peers – from design and production to logistics, technology, sustainability, and overarching communication agency and other related and relevant services  – expand our collective horizon every day. Through annual meetings, masterclasses, knowledge-exchange platforms, committees, and global collaboration, members gain insights that no single market or company could generate alone – IFES Membership Benefits
This permanent learning is visible in the work our community shares:practical sustainability initiatives, material innovation, improved event standards, and new approaches to responsible delivery. These success stories show what becomes possible when knowledge is exchanged openly and translated into action.
For our clients, the benefit is clear: access to capable local partners backed by global standards and a community that stands behind its commitments. For our members, IFES creates opportunities to grow responsibly, serve clients with greater confidence, and perform consistently on the world stage.
That is how we define excellence at IFES – not as a claim made by one company, but as a quality promise upheld together.
Yours
Jorg
