Hong Kong exhibitions recovering

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Hong Kong, 5th June: The Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) has released its latest annual exhibition survey, showing a rebound in the exhibition activities in Hong Kong since its post-pandemic reopening in early 2023.

In 2023, a total of 125 large-scale exhibitions, occupying over 2,000 m2 of floor space, were hosted in Hong Kong, which represented a 30% increase compared with the number in 2022. Of the 125 exhibitions, 73 were categorised “Trade” and “Trade and Consumer” – up from 40 in 2022.

When compared to 2019 (pre-COVID), the number of “Trade” and “Trade and Consumer” exhibitions dropped 9%.

EasyFairs taps into capital markets

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Brussels, 31st May: Last week, EasyFairs announced that it has inked a deal with two private equity firms, Cobepa and Inflexion. Founder, Eric Everard sold his majority stake and re-invested some of the proceeds. Each of the three will own an equal share of the business. The deal reportedly values EasyFairs at in excess of €600 million (US$649 million).

EasyFairs was founded 20 years ago by Eric Everard and it has grown into one of the world’s largest independent exhibition organisers. The group is going to use the capital to expand more quickly into new geographies and sectors through geo-cloning and acquisitions.

MACEOS and MyCEB outline vision for growth

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Malaysia, 3rd June: M. Gandhi, the newly-appointed president of the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS), and Azman Haji Tambi Chik, CEO of the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), held a meeting last week, to discuss the future of Malaysia’s business events industry.

Gandhi highlighted the need for market expansion to generate more opportunities for MACEOS members and the broader industry. He called for more collaboration with government agencies and other stakeholders. Gandhi also noted that talent development will be essential in order to building a competitive and resilient workforce in Malaysia.

Quick takes

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GED 2024 features a sustainable theme

The annual Global Exhibitions Day (GED) was held this week on 5th June 2024. Now in its 9th edition, this initiative has gained a lot of traction as a global effort to promote the positive impact of exhibitions. UFI will, no doubt, soon release the results in terms of social media posts and overall impact.

Singapore touts strong performance of business events

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is pleased with the recovery and growth of the Lion City’s business event. Recently, two events outperformed pre-pandemic numbers. The Singapore FinTech Festival 2023 attracted 66,000 attendees, and the Milipol Asia Pacific x TechX Summit 2024 recorded a record 11,000+ visitors.

New event space in North Brisbane

A new event space has opened in Brisbane, Australia. “Superordinary” is a multi-arts space, repurposing urban spaces for events, arts projects, and artist development. The venue has indoor space of 1,700 m2 and 2,200 m2 of outdoor stages. It can accommodate up to 1,800 people indoor or 2,000 outside.