Thailand’s conventions post strong performance

Thailand, 12th December: According to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), convention delegates posted an increase of almost 200% in 2024, compared with the figure in 2023.

Overseas MICE travellers increased by 42% for the fiscal year of October 2023 to September 2024. Business event arrivals for the fiscal year was 1.14 million, compared with 810,000 in 2023. Top 10 market sources for the year were China, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, the U.S. and Japan.

It is expected a better performance in 2025 as several international events will be held in the coming year: Money 20/20 Asia 2025, a fintech event; International Diabetes Federation (IDF) World Diabetes Congress 2025; and Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress (APLIC 2025).

Bureau president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, said, “With the record performance in 2024, TCEB would like to thank overseas MICE travellers for their trust and confidence in Thailand. TCEB and Thai MICE entrepreneurs will always strive to deliver high value to clients because we are well aware that the economic challenges are driving the need for more return on investment and return on experience. In this connection, we aim to achieve higher at 1.4 million overseas travellers in 2025 fiscal year.”

ICC Sydney boosts economy

Sydney, 18th December: International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) reported a better year, compared with the previous financial year, with a rise in visitor numbers, spend in the local economy and benefits to the local community.

During the financial year 2023-2024, ICC Sydney secured a total of 507 events, attracting some 1.2 million visitors, generating visitor expenditure of A$718 million (US$479 million). The figure in the previous year was one million visitors and an economic contribution of A$600 million (US$400 million).

Chief Executive of Placemaking NSW, Anita Mitchell, was quoted, “ICC Sydney is arguably the nation’s most prestigious international convention, exhibition and entertainment integrated venue and one of the NSW Government’s best performing assets. Last year, ICC Sydney contributed A$718 million to the local economy through delegate spend. Coupled with its global reputation for sustainability, social impact and innovation, ICC Sydney successfully shines an international spotlight on local talent while attracting new ideas and culture experiences through events and conferences.”

VNU Asia Pacific launches Travel & Tech Asia 2025

Bangkok, 15th December: VNU Asia Pacific have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), to drive advancements in travel technology across the Asia-Pacific region.

Under the strategic collaboration, the two parties will launch the inaugural Travel & Tech Asia 2025, running from 2nd to 3rd July 2025, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. The new event will be a platform for innovation, sustainable growth, and strategic collaboration in the travel and tourism industry.

Chaisong Churitt, General Manager of VNU Asia Pacific, stated, “VNU Asia Pacific is honoured to partner with PATA, an organization that has been instrumental in promoting sustainable growth in travel and tourism across the Asia-Pacific region. Through this partnership, we aim to create a meaningful impact by providing a platform where industry professionals can explore emerging trends, build strategic alliances, and embrace the innovations shaping the future of travel and tourism.”

Quick takes

Messe Muenchen Shanghai appoints new CEO

Messe Muenchen Shanghai announced Xu Jia, CEO and General Manager of Messe Muenchen Shanghai, will leave the company, and Evan Sha, President of Messe Muenchen Shanghai China, will become the new CEO with immediate effect. Evan will take over the responsibilities of Xu Jia with Jan Rohde, CFO and Deputy General Manager.

89,000+ visitors attend Pet Fair South China

Organised by Globus Events (formerly known as VNU Exhibitions Asia), Pet Fair South China featured more than 350 exhibitors, presenting over 2,00 brands and occupying about 50,000 m2 of gross exhibiting space. A record of 89,278 trade visitors and consumers attended the show in Shenzhen, running from 6th to 8th December 2024. The next edition will return to Shenzhen from 5th to 7th December 2025.

2.8m+ visitor arrivals to Macau in November 2024

Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released visitor arrivals for November 2024, increased by 9.6% year-on-year, welcoming 2,832,041 visitor arrivals, which recovered to 97.3% of November 2019, pre-pandemic level. Same-day visitors during November 2024 grew 14.1%, while overnight visitors were up by 4.6%. The average length of stay of visitors was 1.2 days, the same with the same month of 2023.

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium opens in 1H2025

Located at Hong Kong’s Kai Take Sports Park, Kai Tak Stadium is scheduled to open in the first half of 2025. This new facility for sports and entertainment will have an interior of 50,000 seats. Kai Tak Sports Park will include Kai Tak Arena, with multipurpose indoor sports centre of 10,000 seats; Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, a sports ground with capacity of 5,000 seats; and Kai Tak Mall, with over 65,000 m2 of retail and F&B facilities.

Share price movement in B2B media companies involved in Asia

Figure 1: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement over past 12 months)

Figure 2: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement since January 2024)

UFI releases latest World Map of Exhibition Venues

Paris, 10th December: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, in collaboration with jwc GmbH, have released the latest edition of the World Map of Exhibition Venues, providing the latest insights into venue capacity worldwide.

This report covered 22 global markets with over 300,000 m2 of gross indoor exhibition space. Asia-Pacific region now accounts for 38.5% of global venue capacity, surpassing Europe, which accounts for 36.7%, for the first time. While North America was the third, with 17.1%. The markets covered in this report including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, and the USA.

Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO, said, “Exhibition venues are key drivers of the development of our industry globally. The 2024 World Map of Exhibition Venues offers unparalleled insight into the scale and distribution of this vital resource. This is helping industry professionals make informed decisions in an ever-changing global landscape. As a forward-looking indicator, venue developments are investments into future exhibition business. With this in mind, one key development is that Asia-Pacific now offers more total venue space than Europe – for the first time since UFI began tracking venue sizes.”

HKCEC welcomes 2 million attendance during September to November

Hong Kong, 12th December: During September to November 2024, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) hosted a total of 205 events, welcoming an attendance of nearly 2 million.

Among the 205 events, 31 were exhibitions, 29 were conferences, and the others were banquets, corporate events and entertainment events. According to the HKCEC, the 31 exhibitions held during September to November attracted an attendance of almost 1.6 million from about 150 countries and regions.

Ms Monica Lee-Müller, Managing Director of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML), the professional and private management company of the HKCEC, was quoted, “September to November have always been one of our peak event seasons at the HKCEC. We are excited to have welcomed international and local trade buyers, delegates and visitors who packed our halls and concourses to make face-to-face connections and closed business deals at the HKCEC in the last three months. The success of all these events reaffirmed Hong Kong’s status as Asia’s Events Capital and its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world. These events do not only boost Hong Kong’s economy, but also attract elites of industries from around the world to personally experience Hong Kong’s vibrancy.”

Messe Frankfurt’s sales at €780m

Frankfurt, 9th December: In the financial year 2024, Messe Frankfurt expected sales will be €780 million (US$819 million), up 28% over the previous year.

The company will have held more than 330 events by the end of the financial year, with over 98,000 exhibiting companies and about 4.4 million visitors. The Frankfurt exhibition grounds hosted more than 200 trade fairs, conferences, congresses and other guest events.

In Asia, Messe Frankfurt operated about 60 trade fairs in 11 sector clusters during the year. New events were also launched in Central Asia and in the ASEAN region.

Mike Josef, Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board and Mayor of Frankfurt, stated, “With its strong portfolio, Messe Frankfurt has once again generated enormous momentum in this financial year – not only globally but also at its Frankfurt base, as an economic driving force and as a creator of jobs. Messe Frankfurt’s future-oriented positioning as a provider of digital infrastructure for event organisers is also progressing very well. It is important for the City of Frankfurt to help strengthen our reputation as a trade fair centre and also to fully support Messe Frankfurt’s commitment to sustainability.”

Messe München to reach €530m turnover in 2024

Munich, 4th December: International exhibition organiser, Messe München, projected its sales volume preliminarily at €530 million (US$557 million). At the headquarters in Munich, it is expected the company to generate a turnover of €330 million (US$357 million). In 2025, the company predicted a turnover of over €500 million (US$525 million).

According to Messe München, in 2024, the company organised 16 events in Munich, 93 guest events and 47 events abroad. The events in Munich featured 32,000 exhibitors and 1.3 million visitors, while the events abroad attracted 22,500 exhibitors and 1.2 million visitors. Outside Germany, China and India are Messe München’s two most important markets, with China hosting 26 events at six locations, and India hosted 19 events at five locations.

The company two CEOs, Reinhard Pfeiffer and Stefan Rummel, commented, “The strength of our portfolio of twelve leading international trade fairs and a robust core business is evident in this difficult economic environment in Germany. Our events continue to be as popular as ever – something that people are least willing to miss. It is the decision-makers who attend, which is important for initiating business at a trade fair.”

Quick takes

bauma CHINA 2024’s exhibitors up 24%

bauma CHINA 2024 featured 3,542 exhibitors from 32 countries, an increase of 24% from the 2020 edition. The trade fair was held from 26th to 29th November, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), covering over 330,000 m2 of exhibition space. A total of 281,488 trade visitors from 188 countries and regions attended the trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, and construction vehicles.

HKTDC opens DesignInspire

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) opened its DesignInspire at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), running from 5th to 7th December. Under the theme of “Design for a Better Tomorrow”, the event showcased cutting-edge concepts from more than 200 exhibitors.

U.S. exhibition industry recovering

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) released its latest U.S. B2B exhibition industry results. In the third quarter of 2024, CEIR Total Index was at 88.8% of post-pandemic level. Of the four criteria, Net Square Feet (NSF) was 2.7% below the 2019 level, Exhibitors was 7% below, Attendees was the lowest, at 17.8% below, and Real Revenues was 16.3% below the post-pandemic level.

Share price movement in B2B media companies involved in Asia

Figure 1: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement over past 12 months)

Figure 2: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement since January 2024)

UFI’s 5 trends to watch in 2025

Paris, 3rd December: In 2024, the global exhibition industry recovered from the pandemic. After seeking views from its members and industry leaders worldwide, UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has released its “5 trends to watch in 2025”, presenting view on trends that will shape the next 12 to 18 months.

The five trends are as follows:

1.     Better – but good enough?

Customer focus has been driven by additional data insights into exhibitors’ and visitors’ needs and wants, therefore the industry will have to improve following the needs.

2.     The changing climate’s impact on operations

Business operations will be impacted by severe weather events, which will also impact running costs, attendee travel, and infrastructure availability.

3.     Accelerating AI

GenAI has become widely used in the last year, and it continues to advance fast. It strengthens the role of authentic face-to-face events, but it also changes sourcing processes.

4.     The Battle for Identity and Awareness

Governments understand the industry’s strategic value will change the industry’s perception and positioning, especially in fast-growing countries.

5.     Stay ready for disruption

Organisations and stakeholders in the industry will need to review and expand their capabilities to monitor and quickly respond to fast-changing situations.

Diversified Communications rebrand as Diversified

Portland, U.S., 3rd December: Founded in 1949, Diversified Communications has announced to unveil its brand to Diversified.

According to the company, the new brand reflects the same value, and adding a contemporary look that represents the evolution as a global organisation. The company’s divisions in the U.K., Australia and Canada will continue to support business communities across the world. In 2024, the company have already organised more than 120 events in nine countries.

Liz Plizga, President, Diversified USA, said, “This brand refresh is a signal to our customers, partners, and employees that we’re evolving along with the many different business communities we serve. The new Diversified brand honors our legacy while positioning us for the future.”

MCET delivers impact in Melbourne, Geelong and beyond

Melbourne, 29th November: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust (MCET), operators of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and the Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, released its latest Annual Report and Impact Report, highlighting the important role in driving economic, social and environmental impact.

In the financial year 2023-2024, MCET generated A$777 million (US$506 million) in economic impact for the State of Victoria, and it also achieved important climate change, water, procurement, equality and recognition targets.

During the year, MCEC hosted a total of 720 events, attracting 3.2 million people visited the venue, an increase of 23% from last year. In Geelong, Nyaal Banyul project partners have established a gold standard for social procurement during the construction of the venue, providing training for trainees or apprentices who will have experienced barriers to employment. In addition, MCET also collaborated with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners to develop the award-winning brand identity for the future venue.

Chief Executive Natalie O’Brien AM was quoted, “As leaders in the events industry, we play an important role in contributing to a better future through our commitments to people, planet and economic prosperity. We’re proud of the innovative sustainability programs we’ve implemented at MCEC over the year, as well as the progress we’ve made in Geelong, in collaboration with our project partners and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners. We look forward to continuing to make a positive impact in the communities we serve.”

Pico Thailand’s revenues up 26% in FY2023-2024

Bangkok, 4th December: Earlier this week, Pico Thailand, the Thai-listed subsidiary of Pico Far East Holdings, announced its full-year financial results for the year ended 31st October 2024. Revenues in the financial year were US$39 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 26%.

The company’s net profit grew 34% over the previous year, reaching US$906,000. Earnings per share of the financial year were Baht 0.14 (US$0.0040).

The company attributed the increase revenues to the increase in income from various business segments: Revenues from the Events markets and Exhibition business increased was due to Sci – Power event with Ministry of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation (MHESI FAIR); the increase in revenues from the Learning center & Museum business was due to significant progress made on the government project.

Quick takes

Registration open for 2025 UFI Asia-Pacific Conference

UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will organise its 2025 UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in Melbourne, Australia, running from 13th to 14th February 2025. The event will be hosted by the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC), gathering for the region’s leaders and stakeholders. The registration has been opened at www.ufiasia.org

Informa Tech’s Digital Businesses combines with TechTarget

Informa plc announced the completion of its agreement to combine Informa Tech’s Digital Businesses with U.S.-listed TechTarget. After the combination, Informa TechTarget will combines more than 220 specialist technology media brands, authoritative industry insights, a permissioned first party audience of over 50 million and a portfolio of buyer intent and lead generation solutions for B2B technology companies.

Clarion Events North America appoints new CEO

Clarion Events North America announced the promotion of Liz Irving to CEO. She will continue to report to Greg Topalian, Chairman of Clarion North America, overseeing all divisions, except for the newly formed Clarion Connect division.

Messe Düsseldorf establishes Global Corporate Development and Strategy

Messe Düsseldorf established a new corporation division, “Global Corporate Development and Strategy”, and will be led by Claire Steinbrück. Steinbrück will be responsible for expanding Messe Düsseldorf’s global network, ensuring that structures and organisation effectively support the company’s ongoing global business development.

Share price movement in B2B media companies involved in Asia

Figure 1: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement over past 12 months)

Figure 2: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement since January 2024)

Baidu’s profit up 14% in Q3

Beijing, 21st November: Last week, Baidu, the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, released its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2024. Revenues in the quarter were US$4.8 billion, a decrease of 3% year-on-year. However, the company’s net profit posted an increase of 14% in the third quarter, reaching US$1.1 billion.

Revenues from Baidu’s core business were US$3.8 billion in the quarter, flat with the figure recorded in the previous year. The majority of those revenues (US$2.7 billion) were generated from its online marketing business, which also dropped by 4% year-on-year. However, Baidu’s non-online marketing businesses grew 12% in the same period, amounting at US$1.1 billion. According to the company, the growth was mainly driven by AI Cloud business.

Robin Li, Co-founder and CEO of Baidu, said, “Baidu Core’s flattish third quarter top line reflected the ongoing weakness in our online marketing business, offset by the growth of our AI Cloud business. Our strong AI capabilities are gaining broader market recognition, as evidenced by increasing adoption of ERNIE. In intelligent driving, Apollo Go continues to lead the global autonomous ride-hailing market, hitting another milestone with our sixth-generation autonomous vehicle now operating on public roads across multiple cities in China. Despite the near-term pressures, we remain steadfast in our AI-focused strategy and are confident in our long-term trajectory. As we further scale AI, we are emboldened to find how it can drive innovations and create value for consumers, enterprises and society at large.”

ABEA announces new leadership

Australia, 20th November: The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) has its latest board appointments: Matt Pearce (CEO and co-founder of Talk2Media), Gareth Martin (CEO of Business Events Perth), Dan Londero (CEO and Founder of Turnkey Event Solutions) and Rocky Bruzzano (Managing Director of Exponet).

Matt Pearce will serve as Deputy Chair and represent organisers. Gareth Martin will be the bureau sector representative and representative for Western Australia. Dan Londero will represent small business interests and will represent suppliers. Rocky Bruzzano will lead the Finance Subcommittee.

In addition, ABEA also appointed Amy Saleh (Operations Director at Hannover Fairs Australia and current Chair of the Emerging Leaders Council) as ABEA’s first Emerging Leader Board Observer, providing new perspectives while cultivating future board leaders. She will also help establish selection criteria for this position in the future.

Peter King, Chair, ABEA, was quoted, “We had an exceptional amount of candidates who all put their hands up to be part of the ABEA Board. The members came out in force to vote, and their voices have been heard. We wish to thank everyone who took part. The members have chosen highly skilled and dedicated professionals to help lead the organisation into its next phase.”

91st UFI Global Congress welcomes 600 delegates

Paris/Cologne, 26th November: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, held its 91st Global Congress in Cologne, Germany, running from 20th to 23rd November. It was hosted by Koelnmesse, about 600 delegates from over 55 countries and regions attended the congress.

The theme of this year’s congress was “Changes to Chances”, with programme defined and described the global changes underway and forthcoming, as well as tackled the question of which opportunities they will provide for the sector.

During the congress, the first “UFI Medals of Honour” awarded to three recipients: Sandy Angus (UFI President 2001-2003), Mary Larkin (UFI President 2020-2021) and Kai Hattendorf (UFI CEO since 2015). It also welcomed the 2024-25 UFI President: Hugh Jones, CEO of RX.

Kai Hattendorf, CEO of UFI, stated, “This year’s Congress in Cologne will find a place among the biggest and best ones that this organisation has ever produced. Participants’ numbers match Shanghai 2016, which had been the best attended Congress to date. Beyond the numbers, and in great collaboration, we have been able to deliver value to each and every participant, empowering them to turn changes into chances in reflection of this year’s theme.”