Quick takes

Thailand to open to a long list of countries

On 1st November, Thailand will open its borders to fully vaccinated visitors from more than 40 countries. Perhaps just as importantly, the government also announced today that alcohol service will resume in pubs in Bangkok and Phuket.

Budgets in 2022: No easy task

BSG’s own, Paul Woodward continues his excellent series of interviews and opinion pieces in his role as guest editor at Exhibition World. This week he looks at the uncomfortable subject of event organisers’ budgets in the year ahead.

Tarsus keeps closing deals

This is not an Asian story, but it is worth noting that Doug Emslie and his team at Tarsus have kept quite busy during the pandemic. This week the group announced a strategic partnership with Times Aerospace.

Philippines to offer cash support to event organisers

Officially, COVID cases in the Philippines have come down from about 20,000 per day in September to approximately 4,000 per day. And with that sense of progress, the Philippines’ Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) unveils new support packages of up to US$20,000.

UFI releases latest Global Recovery Insights

Paris/London, 19th October: Earlier this week, UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released the third part of its Global Recovery Insights 2021 report. The report was conducted by live events research specialists Explori, in partnership with UFI and supported by SISO, the Society for Independent Show Organizers.

The survey found that demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels for both exhibitors and visitors. Furthermore, it showed that exhibitors valued visitor quality over visitor numbers when considering investing into a show, with 86% of exhibitors stating visitor quality was a large influence upon their investment decision, compared to 67% who cited visitor numbers.

This edition surveyed a new group consisting of senior marketing decision makers based in the U.S. or U.K. who had not used trade shows as a marketing channel prior to the pandemic. The respondents expected digital events to remain part of their marketing mix, and intended to become exhibitors at live editions of future shows.

New halls open at Pragati Maidan

New Delhi, 13th October: Four new halls at the Pragati Maidan exhibition complex in New Delhi were inaugurated on 13th October. The new exhibition halls feature a capacity of 72,000 m2. The cost of the complex, including supporting infrastructure, was Rs. 8 billion (US$106 million).

The new exhibition halls will focus on events and exhibitions promoting trade and enhancement of income levels for the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. In addition, artisans and craftspeople will be able to showcase their products for domestic consumption and exports.

NürnbergMesse to launch coating shows in Indonesia and UAE

Indonesia, 28th September: The NürnbergMesse Group, in partnership with Vincentz Network, will launch two new events for the coatings industry in Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

The first Asia Pacific Coatings Show in Indonesia will be held from 21st to 23rd September 2022, and the Gulf Coatings Show in the U.A.E. will run from 16th to 18th October 2022. According to NürnbergMesse, the two new events will take place on a two-year cycle.

HKTDC opens seven autumn trade fairs featuring a hybrid format

Hong Kong, 19th October: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will bring its seven autumn trade fairs into a single “physical + online” platform this year.

The physical fairs will run from 27th to 30th October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), while the online fairs will be held from 27th October to 6th November. Close to 1,700 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions will join the hybrid fairs, presenting a comprehensive range of cutting-edge tech products, solutions, services and innovations.

Quick takes

Malaysia’s MITEC resumes operations

Following the reopening of Malaysia’s business events sector, the Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC) has reopened its doors. All staff have been fully vaccinated and must adhere to strict government-mandated operating procedures. In previous years, MITEC has hosted prominent events including the SEA Games 2017 and Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference 2018.

Dubai to hold a special edition of APLF in 2022

Hong Kong’s extensive quarantine restrictions have led to the APLF-Leather and Materials+ trade fair being relocated to Dubai. The event will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 30th March to 1st April 2022. In contrast to Hong Kong, Dubai has achieved a 98.1% vaccination rate and has been reopened to international visitors since July 2020.

VNU Group appoints new COO

Heiko M. Stutzinger has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer of international venue and event organiser Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs|VNU Group, effective 1st December. Mr. Stutzinger succeeds the group’s previous COO, Peter van der Deer.

Melbourne eases lockdown, but international reopening remains uncertain

Following an announcement on 17th October, Melbourne will begin easing lockdowns and allowing restricted operations for certain businesses. On a national level, the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) has urged the federal government to determine a date and reopening framework for the tourism sector. According to ATEC, the A$45 billion (US$33.7 billion) sector “cannot afford to stay closed” after months of being crippled by the pandemic.

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 2021)

HK government to provide more support for events

Hong Kong, 8th October: Last week, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, announced in her latest Policy Address that the government will extend its Convention and Exhibition Industry Subsidy Scheme for an additional six months to 31st December 2022.

In addition, a one-off immediate relief measure for private organisers of exhibitions will be part of the extended scheme. Organisers of exhibitions held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) or AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) from 2015 to 2021 may apply for the immediate relief. The amount will be equivalent to 20% of the average annual rental of the relevant exhibition – up to a maximum of HK$1 million (US$128,500) per event. The original Convention and Exhibition Industry Subsidy Scheme was launched on 3rd October 2020 with a value of HK$1.07 billion (US$137.5 million).

Messe München & AES partner

Munich, 20th September: Messe München, through its Southeast Asian regional operation MMI Asia Pte Ltd, will organise ASEAN Ceramics along with Asian Exhibition Services (AES) beginning in 2022.

ASEAN Ceramics, a ceramic manufacturing exhibition and conference, will continue to be held as both ASEAN Ceramics Thailand and ASEAN Ceramics Vietnam. The first ASEAN Ceramics Thailand, organised by Messe München, will run from 30th November to 2nd December 2022 at IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok. The show will be managed through Messe München’s subsidiary office in Singapore.

NürnbergMesse launches “embedded world” in China

Shanghai, 28th September: Exhibition organiser, NürnbergMesse, will take one of its leading brands, embedded world, to China. The new event will be launched with its partner WEKA FACHMEDIEN GmbH and Informa Markets Creativity.

The inaugural event will be held from 15th to 17th June 2022 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center (SWEECC) occupying an exhibition area of approximately 16,000 m2. The organiser expects that more than 300 companies covering components, modules, application systems, embedded image processing systems and communications will participate in the event along with more than 10,000 trade visitors. The event will focus on intelligent and secure design solutions for the automobile and IoT industry.

Messe Düsseldorf to launch REHACARE SHANGHAI

Shanghai, 9th October: International exhibition organiser, Messe Düsseldorf, will launch a new trade fair, REHACARE SHANGHAI, through Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and its subsidiary Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Ltd, to address the rehabilitation industry in China and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.

The new event will take place from 1st to 3rd September 2022 in Shanghai and will be supported by Messe Düsseldorf’s industry knowledge through its flagship event REHACARE INTERNATIONAL. Messe Düsseldorf expects more than 100 leading suppliers to showcase their rehabilitation equipment and solutions at the end event. It also expects to attract approximately 8,000 trade visitors.

Quick Takes

Singapore moves to open to visitors

Despite rising COVID infection numbers, Singapore’s government is holding firm and has made moves to open its borders to vaccinated travellers from selected countries. If only the Hong Kong government would take a page from this playbook.

Comexposium exits “safeguard procedure”

French exhibition organiser, Comexposium, is emerging from the French version of bankruptcy protection. This is a welcome development, but with limited impact on the Asian operations which were largely excluded from the structuring exercise.

MGM Resorts selected to build IR in Osaka

In somewhat of a surprise move, the government in Osaka took a concrete step towards finally committing to building an integrated resort (IR) which will include MICE facilities. Japan has been making noises about building an IR in several cities for years, so there is plenty of opportunity for this project to be derailed once again at some point in the future.

HKCEC hosts 25 physical exhibitions during the summer

Hong Kong, 5th October: The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) hosted a total of 25 physical exhibitions during the summer (from 14th July to 31st August), welcoming over 1.29 million attendees.

Of the 25 exhibitions held during the summer, 17 were local public exhibitions, seven were public and trade fairs, and one was trade fair. Themes of the exhibitions included books, sports and leisure, comics and animation, food, education, household appliances, baby products, wedding products, wine and jewellery.

Tokyo Big Sight hosts 84 exhibitions in FY2020-2021

Tokyo, 30th September: Tokyo Big Sight released its Annual Report for the financial year 2020-2021, ended 31st March 2021. During the financial year, the venues hosted 84 exhibitions, although many exhibitions were cancelled or postponed caused by the spread of COVID-19. The exhibition hall occupancy rate was 22.7% during the year, compared with 69.5% during the 2019-2020 financial year.

Operating revenues during the year were 14.7 billion Yen (US$133 million), a year-on-year decrease of 30%. The venue posted a loss of 255 million Yen (US$2.3 million) this year, compared with a profit of 1.84 billion Yen (US$17 million) in the previous year.

EEAA elects Nicole Walker as new President

Australia, 30th September: The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) elected the new board of directors during their annual general meeting on 28th September, electing Nicole Walker (Arinex) as President.

Other key office bearers include: Vice President, Helen Mantellato (International Convention Centre Sydney); Treasurer, Paul Elliot (Harry the hirer), and Secretary, Elissa Duke (Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre).

SILMO to launch in Singapore

Singapore, 25th September: Recently, SILMO International, MP Singapore, and the Singapore Tourism Board signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to host SILMO Singapore from 2023 to 2025.

Licenced by the SILMO Association in Paris, SILMO Singapore will be positioned as the Asian flagship edition of SILMO Paris, an international B2B eyewear and lifestyle tradeshow for new designs, collections, and technologies in the eyewear industry.

The first edition of SILMO Singapore will be held at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, running from 12th to 14th April 2023.

Quick takes

Phuket opens doors to all vaccinated tourists

Starting from 1st October, fully vaccinated travellers from any country are welcome to book holidays in Phuket and other provinces taking part in the quarantine-free Sandbox scheme. After visiting one of the designated Sandbox locations for a week, travellers will be free to visit the mainland sans quarantine.

Australia to end 18-month travel ban in November

Vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to travel abroad from November, as the government eases tight travel restrictions that have been in place since March 2020. Upon returning to Australia, vaccinated residents will be allowed to isolate at home for seven days, while non-vaccinated residents must quarantine for 14 days in a hotel.

Japan shortens quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers

From 1st October, fully vaccinated travellers from non-high-risk destinations entering Japan will have their mandatory quarantine shortened from 14 to 10 days. Travellers must provide proof of full Covid-19 vaccination, and will be able to observe the shortened quarantine period at home or an accommodation of their choosing.