COVID-19 virus hits events in Hong Kong and beyond

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Hong Kong, 14th February: This has been a difficult week in Hong Kong and around the region. A long list of events big and small have been cancelled or postponed. Some notable developments include the following:

Art Basel Hong Kong – one of the city’s flagship cultural events has been cancelled.

The Sónar HK music festival has been postponed.

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens and Singapore Sevens have been postponed until October.

The HKTDC has postponed its March jewellery shows - which use both of Hong Kong’s large venues. The new dates are in May.

Canton Fair Complex (venue), like all venues in China, has suspended all exhibitions until further notice.

TAITRA, after originally sticking with its March dates for the Taipei Cycle Show, has opted for a postponement with a special edition in May.

Quick takes

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Billionaires donate money to fight the coronavirus

Billionaires from Jack Ma to Bill Gates have agreed to donate money to support the fight against the Wuhan coronavirus.

Macau’s gaming revenues drop 11.3% in January – worse on the way

And the casinos are bracing for a much larger hit as the operators have “agreed” to close the all of the gaming floors for at least two weeks in February.

Even the horses are staying home

Longines and AsiaWorld-Expo have announced that the Longines Masters of Hong Kong, an equestrian event, has been cancelled. To date, Hong Kong has recorded just 21 cases of the Wuhan coronavirus and only one death of a man with a pre-existing condition.

China’s tech giants look to India

It is unclear if these Chinese tech firms see a slowing Chinese economy and are therefore looking abroad or if this is just a part of their plan for global expansion. Either way, this is an interesting short summary of who is up to what in India.

Wuhan coronavirus infections jump to over 600

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Beijing, 24th January: The number of infections is now up over 600. The number of deaths attributed to the virus is 17 – reportedly all older males with pre-existing conditions. Beijing has ordered Wuhan and six other cities locked down with significant travel restrictions in place as China heads into the lunar new year holiday when hundreds of millions of people are on the move across the country.

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Hong Kong government support for events – but only for HKTDC

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Hong Kong, 19th January: Hong Kong’s government is loosening the purse strings. The intense protests combined with the Wuhan coronavirus have pushed Hong Kong’s economy into a recession and as a result, the administration of Carrie Lam has decided to operate in a deficit again in 2020-21. This is an unusual financial position for Hong Kong.

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Australia’s EEAA appoints new Chief Executive

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Sydney, 21st January: The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) has appointed a new Chief Executive to replace Joyce DiMascio who resigned in the final quarter of 2019 in order to pursue new opportunities. Claudia Sagripanti, an events and digital marketing veteran, will take on the role of EEAA’s new Chief Executive beginning on 17th February 2020.

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Quick takes

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Blackstone buys huge chunks of Las Vegas real estate

Private equity giant, Blackstone, already owns Global Sources, Clarion Events, Pennwell, the NEC Birmingham just to name a few. Now the group owns a few major landmark properties in Las Vegas.

SACEOS celebrates 40 years and Singapore’s MICE industry looks ahead

Singapore’s event industry association celebrated its 40 years of history last week. These articles look at some of that history as well as look forward to the future of the MICE industry in the Lion City.

Macau’s visitors hit 40m in 2019, but 2020 looks soft

Visitors to Macau were up 10% in 2019 to an incredible 40 million, but the Macau Tourism Office is forecasting a 3% drop in 2020.

Asia Financial Forum held in Hong Kong

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Hong Kong, 13th January: Hong Kong suffered through a uniquely difficult second half of 2019 with regular political protests and occasional violent clashes between the police and protesters. Although exhibition sector performed well under the circumstances, it would difficult to overstated the negative impact this had on all other categories of events – conferences, corporate meetings, live entertainment, etc. The most recent example is the cancelation of the very popular Chinese New Year fireworks.

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Montgomery Asia announces new show and partnership

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Singapore, 9th January: Montgomery Asia continues its push into Asia since it was officially established in 2016. Last week, the company announced the launch of new show, Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia (SCTA) which will be held alongside the fourth edition of Speciality & Fine Food Asia (SFFA), a B2B show targeting Southeast Asia’s gourmet & fine food and drink segment. The shows will also be co-located with another show, Restaurant, Pub & Bar Asia. All three events will be held on 29th September to 1st October 2020 at Suntec Singapore.

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