BOL’s profit grows 24% in Q3

Bangkok, 12th November: Business Online (BOL), a leading online information service provider in Thailand, reported its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2021. Revenues in the quarter were US$5.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. In addition, the company’s net profit posted of US$2.3 million, representing a 24% increase compared with the same period last year.

The Bangkok-listed company attributed the increase in revenues to a boom its corporate data sales division. In addition, a drop in operating costs help BOL to boost its bottom line.

Baidu’s revenues up 13% in Q3, but posts huge loss

Beijing, 17th November: Earlier this week, Baidu, the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, released its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2021. Revenues in the quarter were US$4.95 billion, an increase of 13% year-on-year.

However, the company posted a huge net loss of US$2.57 billion in the quarter, compared with a net profit of just over US$2 billion in the same quarter of 2020. The loss included a US$2.93 billion non-cash, mark-to-market loss in a long-term investment.

Informa releases positive trading update

London, 17th November: Informa PLC, which owns the world’s largest commercial exhibition organiser, Informa Markets, released a trading update this week. The company expects group revenues to be approximately £1.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) in 2021 and adjusted operating profit will be £375 million (US$503 million).

According to the group, more than 250 face-to-face and smart events were held and key participation metrics and rebooking rates have improved throughout the year. Informa Markets, its events business, together with other business sectors posted over 20% underlying revenue growth (from April to year-end). The full year growth rate is expected to be 7%. In terms of cash flow, the group expects more than £325 million (US$436 million) of free cash flow in 2021 – excluding any divestment proceeds.

Messe München to launch new event in Singapore

Singapore, 16th November: In 2023, Messe München, an international exhibition organiser, will launch a new Southeast Asian edition of its oddly named, “transport logistic and air cargo” in Singapore in 2023.

Co-organised by MMI Asia, the regional subsidiary of Messe München, and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the first Southeast Asian edition of transport logistic and air cargo will be held from 13th to 15th September 2023 at the Marina Bay Sands venue.

Alibaba Singles’ Day grows, but more slowly

China, 12th November: The Alibaba Group, the largest e-commerce group in China, announced that the company generated US$84.5 billion (RMB 540 billion) of gross merchandise volume (GMV) during its 13th annual 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. That figure represents an increase of 8.5% compared with the 2020 campaign.

This year, the festival ran from 1st to 11th November and the total GMV was calculated within the 11 days. The growth rate of 8.5% is considerably lower than the 26% recorded in 2020.

Quick takes

Messe München appoints Reinhard Pfeiffer and Stefan Rummel as co-heads

The Board of Management at Messe München is being reshaped and shareholders have unanimously voted for Reinhard Pfeiffer and Stefan Rummel as the company’s next co-heads. Replacing Chairman Klaus Dittrich, the two executives will serve as equal Managing Directors starting from 1st July 2022.

Indonesia further relaxes international entry requirements

International travellers and visitors to Indonesia can expect eased entry restrictions with an improved quarantine experience. Fully vaccinated travellers with negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results will only have to serve a shortened quarantine period of three days followed by a mandatory PCR test on the final day. Travellers with only one shot will have to undergo five days of isolation and take the mandatory PCR test on their fourth day.

Singapore eases border measures and greenlights more VTL schemes

Instead of the usual PCR tests, travellers to Singapore from the 23 countries previously deemed to be at the highest risk of COVID-19 infections, including Laos and India, may now present a negative antigen rapid test (ART) result taken two days prior to departure – followed by a 10 day stay-home notice (SHN) at home or a hotel of their choice. Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) have also been established for Malaysia, Finland and Sweden, allowing a conditional daily quota of 6,000 travellers from 29th November onwards.

VNU Asia Pacific held 2 online events

Thailand, 4th November: VNU Asia Pacific held Thailand LAB INTERNATIONAL 2021 and FutureCHEM INTERNATIONAL 2021 from 27th to 29th October 2021 through a fully online platform, attracting a total of 7,737 participants from 34 countries.

In collaboration with Science and Technology Trade Association (STTA) and the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), the events were held online for the first time due to the pandemic. Of the 7,737 participants, 5,613 of them attended 33 conferences and seminars by 130 keynotes and experts from various agencies, and another 2,124 visited the virtual exhibition and booths.

Deutsche Messe restarts industrials shows in China

Shanghai, 10th November: International exhibition organiser, Deutsche Messe and its subsidiary, Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd. hosted the first major industrial fair since the COVID-19 pandemic-induced break last year. The three concurrent events featured some 3,000 companies, presenting their latest products and solutions from the fields of drive and fluid technology, intralogistics, and compressed air and vacuum technology.

The three events: PTC ASIA, CeMAT ASIA and ComVac ASIA, ran from 26th to 29th October 2021 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), covering an exhibition area of 220,000 m2.

Sino Splendid’s revenues up 59% in Q3

Hong Kong, 9th November: Earlier this week, Hong Kong-listed Sino Splendid (formerly China.com) announced its financial results for the nine months ended 30th September 2021. Revenues in the period were US$5.5 million, a 59% increase over the same period in 2020. However, the company posted a net loss of US$2.2 million in the nine-month period, compared with a loss of US$1.5 million in the first nine months of 2020.

The company attributed the increase in revenues to the financial magazine business, and the increase in loss to rising expenses. According to the company, the travel media business (TTG) was still seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to continuing international travel and immigration restrictions.

C-star transforms to China in-store

Shanghai, November: Organised by Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., C-star, a member of the international EuroShop family, will transform to China in-store in 2022. Due to the current developments in the market, physical shops are no longer just a sales channel in China, but also ideal places to communicate brand values, increase customer loyalty and attract new target groups.

Although C-star covers five retail investment areas, after the transformation, China in-store will focus only on the two most important areas: in-store design and in-store solutions. The organiser is targeting exhibitors from design companies and suppliers of high-quality in-store solutions including shopfitting, visual merchandising, lighting, retail marketing and retail technology.

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)

Made-in-China.com’s revenues rise 19% in Q3

Nanjing, 30th October: Last week, Shenzhen-listed Focus Technology, which is the owner and operator of Made-in-China.com, reported its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2021. Revenues in the quarter were US$54 million, a year-on-year increase of 19%. However, net income dropped 28% down to US$10 million in the quarter.

The Nanjing-based company also released its results for the nine months ended 30th September. In that period, the company generated revenues of US$165 million, representing growth of 30% compared with the same period of last year. Focus Technology’s net income rose 40% in the nine-month period reaching US$30 million.

Netsun generates revenues of US$24m in Q3

Hangzhou, 30th October: Zhejiang Netsun, a Chinese B2B online platform, recently announced its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2021 as well as the previous nine months. In the quarter, the company generated revenues of US$24 million, an increase of 74% compared with the same quarter in 2020. However, Netsun recorded a 15% decrease in net income during the same quarter, down to US$790,000.

For the nine months ended 30th September, Shenzhen-listed company reported revenues of US$68 million, an 85% increase compared to the same period in 2020. However, net income in the nine-month period fell 15% to US$2.6 million. Netsun’s earnings per share for the first nine months of 2021 were RMB 0.07 (US$0.011).

HKTDC’s 7 trade fairs attract 16,000+ onsite buyers

Hong Kong, 27th October: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) opened its seven autumn trade fairs in a “physical + online” platform on 27th October. The physical fairs, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), concluded on 30th October, attracting more than 16,000 buyers.

The seven trade fairs are: Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition), International ICT Expo, Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair, Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition), Hong Kong International Outdoor & Tech Light Expo; the HKTDC and MMI Asia Pte Ltd co-organised electronicAsia, and the HKTDC and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd joint-organised Eco Expo Asia.

Thailand reopens to (most of) the world

Thailand, 1st November: As of 1st November 2021, international visitors who are fully vaccinated and can show a negative COVID test pre-departure are permitted to fly into Thailand without mandatory quarantine. The list includes 63 low-risk countries and regions.

A total of 17 Thai provinces and cities have currently been designated as pilot tourism destinations, including Bangkok and some towns in Chiang Mai, Phetchaburi, Chonburi (including Pattaya) and Prachuap Khiri Khan (including Hua Hin). The Thai government expect this move to generate US$45 billion in revenue.

Quick takes

UFI’s Global Congress is back

For the first time since November 2019 when the event was held in Bangkok, UFI’s Global Congress is live in-person. Close to 300 delegates are now gathered in Rotterdam to look at what lies ahead for the industry in 2022 and beyond. Follow updates on UFI’s LinkedIn feed and by following #UFICongress. It will include exciting announcements such as plans to hold the 90th UFI Global Congress in Las Vegas on 1st to 4th November 2023.

Exhibitions stopped in Shenzhen

In sign that things are moving in the wrong direction in China, just days before the massive CPSE (China Public Security Expo) the authorities in Shenzhen revoked permission for the event. If the organiser of a public security expo cannot get the green light that does not bode well for events in China in the near-term.

Tencent makes another investment in Japan

Tencent Holdings has announced plans to acquire a roughly 7% stake in Kadokawa, a Japanese publishing company. The investment is valued at US$264 million and will make Tencent Kadokawa’s third-largest shareholder. This follows Tencent’s investment in March in Rakuten, a large Japanese e-commerce company.

EEAA to help events in Australia to recover

The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) plans to launch a series of initiatives designed to help the exhibition industry in Australia to recover from the long COVID lockdowns that have occurred there over the past 18 months. EEAA will offer an assistance with education, skills development, branding, networking and effective governance to name a few.

RELX posts revenue growth – not from exhibitions

London, 21st October: Last week, RELX Group, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools, released its trading update for the first nine months of 2021, reporting underlying revenue growth of 6%.

Exhibitions accounted for just 4% of group revenues in period, but management remains optimistic. The company expects a gradual reopening across geographies in the remaining months of 2021 and into the early months of 2022.  Next year, the company anticipates shows that generated 90% of revenue in 2019 will run in 2022 in their usual venues and usual time slots. There was not much detail in terms of expected revenues as many of these events will be smaller in 2022 than they were in pre-pandemic 2022.

DLG posts 75% drop in revenues in first nine months

Shanghai, 27th October: DLG Exhibitions & Events (formerly known as Shanghai Lansheng) has released its results for the nine months ended 30th September 2021. The company generated revenues of US$92 million, a year-on-year decrease of 75%. However, net profit in the period grew 35%, reaching US$12 million. Diluted earnings per share in the first nine months of the year were RMB 0.15 (US$0.023). DLG is a Shanghai-listed exhibition organiser and conglomerate.

The company also announced its results for the quarter ended 30th September. Revenues in the quarter were US$39 million, a decrease of 73% compared with the same quarter in 2020.

Meorient manages to increase revenues

Hangzhou, 26th October: Meorient, a Chinese exhibition organiser listed in Shenzhen, has announced its financial results for the first nine months of 2021. Revenues in the period were US$15 million, an increase of 52% year-on-year.

Meorient’s management highlighted the fact that the company launched a series of digital exhibitions beginning in April 2020, which served to support its revenue base.

The company posted a net loss of US$6.3 million in the first nine months of the year. That is not far off the loss of US$7.5 million recorded in the same period last year.