Quick takes

A longish take on Why Trade Shows Still Matter

A thoughtful and reasonably optimistic take on the future of face-to-face business events.

A short take on Hong Kong at the CIIE

A happily optimistic take on Hong Kong’s reception at Xi Jinping’s pet project, the China International Import Expo.

Three (non-Asian) acquisitions announced

Tarsus acquired U.K.-based Smarter Shows, an organiser of exhibitions and conference focused on aerospace, automotive and manufacturing. Questex acquired several events and digital brands from Informa which appears to be doing a bit of house cleaning. And finally, EasyFairs bought 100% of a German organiser which focuses on industrial automation.

A busy week for Alibaba’s Joe Tsai

This week, Alibaba’s long-time #2 stepped down from the board of an electric vehicle firm and with some loose change, he bought a US$10 million stake in an e-sports team valuing the team at US$100 million