Mary Larkin, executive vice president of Portland-based Diversified Communications’ U.S. operations, has been elected to serve as president of an international trade group representing the exhibition industry.

The trade association, which simply goes by the initials UFI, describes itself as the global association of the world’s leading tradeshow organizers and fairground owners, as well as the major national and international exhibition associations and partners of the exhibition industry.

UFI represents roughly 50,000 exhibition industry employees globally and has 770 member organizations in 87 countries around the world. More than 1,000 international trade shows bear the UFI-approved label. She is the first woman to lead the group.

“I am delighted to be part of UFI’s leadership in the coming years, and to continue with the development and support that UFI has provided the industry for so long,” Larkin said in a news release. “I am particularly looking forward to representing and working with women to help increase the level of female representation in leadership positions within the industry.”

Larkin has been executive vice president at Diversified since 2014 and has held other leadership positions within the exhibition industry, according to the release. She became show director in 2001 for the Seafood Expo, which became Diversified’s largest brand and the seafood industry’s leading series of global events, it said.

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