Food Expo’s Trade Hall renamed as Food Expo PRO

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Hong Kong, 8th August: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will open its Food Expo, with the Trade Hall being renamed as Food Expo PRO.

Food Expo, Beauty & Wellness Expo, and Home Delights Expo will run from 17th to 21st August at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). While Food Expo PRO will be held with the returning Hong Kong International Tea Fair, running from 17th to 19th August. More than 1,700 exhibitors at the five events will provide a one-stop sourcing and shopping platform for trade buyers and the public to enjoy global cuisines and lifestyle products.

Quick takes

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Cvent sees positive outlook for MICE industry

The latest edition of the bi-annual Cvent Planner Sourcing Report for the Asia, Australia and the Middle East & Africa regions is pointing to strong momentum across the business events industry. Correspondingly, 90% of planners in Asia, 88% in Australia, and 79% in the Middle East & Africa are expecting an increase in their event budgets in 2023.

Singapore MICE industry creating rich local experiences

Large-scale venues in Singapore are working together with the community to spread economic benefits. Looking beyond selling space, venues are seeking to create richer experiences for delegates and visitors that offer a broader impression of Singapore – partnering not only with nearby hotels, but also including attractions in the area such as Gardens by the Bay and the National Gallery.

Live Group goes live in Singapore

London-based global event managers Live Group have newly opened an office in Singapore and appointed Dwirt J. Ang as commercial director and Qinxin Khoo as client strategy director. The two new directors will spearhead Live Group’s expansion in the Asia Pacific region.

Easyfairs wins the 2023 UFI HR Award

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has named Easyfairs as the winner of the 2023 UFI HR Award. Easyfairs was chosen for their innovative retention and recruitment strategies that highlighted some of the many initiatives undertaken to conquer the labour market, enhance employee experience and thrive in the war for talent.

UFI Asia-Pacific Conference to be held in Macau in 2024

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Paris/Macau, 27th July: UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, announced it will hold its 17th UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in Macau, running from 7th to 8th March 2024.

The conference, hosted by the Macau Fair & Trade Association (MFTA), will be open to all exhibition industry professionals. The two-day conference will feature expert panels and keynote sessions from exhibition industry leaders, tackling hot topics and identifying opportunities in the APAC region.

Pre-registration is open for the 2024 UFI Asia-Pacific Conference at https://www.ufiasia.org/.

Informa Markets’ profit jumps 139% in first half of 2023

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London, 27th July: Last week, London-listed Informa PLC released its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2023. Revenues in the first half were £1.5 billion (US$1.9 billion), representing an underlying increase of 32%. Adjusted operating profit was £414 million (US$522 million), representing growth of 57%.

Informa’s event business, Informa Markets, generated revenues of £759 million (US$957 million) during the period, an increase of 64%. Informa Markets posted an adjusted operating profit of £241 million (US$304 million), up 139% year-on-year. Informa Markets hosted about 150 major live events, attracting over 120,000 exhibitors and more than 5 million attendees, with revenues tracking ahead of 2019.

RELX’s exhibitions business up 194% in profit

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London, 27th July: Last week, RELX Group plc, parent company of RX Global (formerly Reed Exhibitions), reported its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2023. Group revenues were £4.5 billion (US$5.7 billion) in the first half of the year, representing growth of 8%. Its adjusted operating profit increased by 16%, reaching £1.5 billion (US$1.9 billion).

RELX’s exhibition business generated revenues of £545 million (US$687 million), representing a year-on-year growth of 27%. Its adjusted operating profit was £173 million (US$218 million), representing an impressive 194% increase over the previous year.

HKCEC wins the 2023 UFI Operations & Services Award

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Paris, 1st August: UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, recently announced the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML) won the 2023 UFI Operations & Services Award.

The theme for this year’s award was “Successful examples of operational measures to reduce the carbon footprint of trade fairs and events”, and the 2023 UFI Awards winners will share their projects at the 90th UFI Global Congress in Las Vegas, running from 1st to 4th November 2023.

Quick takes

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MCEC launches new website with virtual tours

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) has launched a new website that offers a seamless and engaging experience, improved accessibility and a first-hand look at the venue’s spaces. One of the unique features of the new website is the introduction of 360° virtual tours showcasing MCEC’s state-of-the-art facilities.

Trends shaping India’s meetings and events industry in 2023

FCM India’s Meetings and Events team has identified seven trends shaping the industry this year: strong demand, willingness to travel, sustainability, wellbeing, rising costs and meeting spend, virtual fatigue and technology’s role in driving experiences. Adaptability is still paramount as the industry navigates the continuing resurgence of business events, new ways of working, and ongoing supply challenges.

RingCentral acquires Events and Session product lines from Hopin

RingCentral, a leading provider of AI-powered global enterprise cloud communications, video meetings, collaboration and contact centre solutions, has acquired the flagship Events platform and Session product from Hopin, a leading provider of online engagement technology. Events is an all-in-one event management platform and Session is a highly personalised engagement solution.

Fiera Milano announces half-year results for 2023

Fiera Milano, Italy’s leader in the exhibition and congress industry, announced a solid performance for the first half of 2023, with revenue of €132 million (up €16 million compared to 1H2022), EBITDA of €42 million (up €2.1 million compared to 1H2022) and net profit of €26 million (up €5.3 million compared to 1H2022).

UFI: exhibition industry reaches pre-pandemic level in 2023

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Paris, 19th July: Last week, UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released its latest Global Exhibition Barometer research, highlighting the exhibition industry’s recovery in most places around the world during 2023.

The industry is expected to reach 90% of previous levels for most of the second half of 2023, and some players expect their 2023 revenues to surpass 2019 figures. 2022 revenues were about 78% of 2019 levels, and 2023 figures are expected to reach 97% of 2019 levels.

The survey also studied the impact of generative AI on the exhibition industry. The areas expected to be most affected are: “Sales, Marketing and Customer Relations”, “Research & Development” and “Event Production”.

Geelong’s new convention centre scheduled for completion in 2026

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Australia, 24th July: One of the biggest developments in regional Victoria, the Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre precinct development, has selected Plenary Convention as its preferred bidder to deliver the much-anticipated project.

Preliminary works on the site are underway, and completion of the convention centre and hotel is expected in early 2026. The Plenary Conventions consortium will redevelop the 1.6-hectare waterfront car parking site into a precinct, including the construction of the purpose-built convention and exhibition space. The facilities will incorporate a 1000 seat venue, two large exhibition spaces, meeting rooms, conference facilities and flexible event spaces.

Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India partners to organise “Smart Mobility Expo”

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India, 18th July: Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India announced it is joining forces with Virtual Infosystems to organise the “Smart Mobility Expo”, an expo covering smart mobility, traffic, transport parking and road infrastructure.

The next edition of “Smart Mobility Expo” is scheduled to run from 10th to 12th October 2023, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The expo will cover TrafficInfraTech Expo, Parking InfraTech Expo and RoadInfraTech Expo, with the complete mobility and transport infrastructure industry. It will present best-in-class solutions for roads, highway safety, security seamless travel, crash/noise prevention, pollution, Intelligent transport, parking management and sustainable infrastructure & public transport systems.

GL events’ profit up 143% in H1 2023

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Lyon, 20th July: Last week, GL events released its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2023. It reported revenues of €690 million (US$754 million), representing year-on-year growth of 32%. Net profit in the six-month period jumped 143%, amounting at €41 million (US$45 million).

In terms of business sectors, GL events Live generated revenues of €367 million (US$401 million), up 22% year-on-year. GL events Exhibitions’ revenues increased by 97% year-on-year, reaching €144 million (US$157 million). GL events Venues, with revenues of €179 million (US$195 million), recorded year-on-year growth of 19%.

Quick takes

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IMPACT sets aside THB200 million to develop facilities as bookings increase 41%

Thailand’s IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center has experienced a 41% year-on-year increase in bookings in 2023 with over 1,100 events – driving revenues of THB3.47 billion for the 2022/2023 period. THB200 million has been set aside to develop more facilities to accommodate increasing numbers of domestic and international customers.

Northern Thailand to develop as destination for Tea and Coffee MICE events

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is supporting the development of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand to become a hub for international MICE events focused on tea and coffee. Initiatives include support for the World Tea and Coffee Expo in Chiang Mai, as well as the 4th Tea and Coffee International Symposium – which is scheduled to be held in Chiang Rai in August 2023.

Macao visitor arrivals in June 2023 up 480.5% year-on-year

According to Macao’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), visitor arrivals totalled 2.2 million in June 2023, representing a surge of 480.5% growth year-on-year. Overnight (1.16 million) and same-day (1.05 million) visitors soared by 543.7% and 423.3%, respectively, year-on-year. Visitors’ average length of stay increased to 1.3 days.

Hong Kong Book Fair draws nearly one million visitors

The 33rd Hong Kong Book Fair, 6th Sports and Leisure Expo and 3rd World of Snacks, all organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), drew nearly one million visitors to the concurrent seven-day events – of which 10% were tourists. Visitors to the Book Fair spent an average of HK$872 (US$112) per person. Close to 780 exhibitors from 36 countries and regions participated in the three events.

Australian Business Events Association appoints inaugural CEO

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Australia, 17th July: The newly launched Australia Business Events Association (ABEA) has appointed Melissa Brown as its first CEO. She will assume the role on 4th September 2023.

Melissa brings to ABEA a diverse professional background ranging from start-ups and non-profit organisations to medium-sized enterprises and multi-nationals. She has worked with renowned organisations worldwide, and recently returned to Australia to contribute her expertise to a cyber security start-up. She also played a pivotal role in managing the Australian Chamber of Commerce in London, building her associate membership and advocacy program through skilful stakeholder engagement.

First ILDEX Philippines draws 7,100 visitors

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Manila, 13th July: The inaugural ILDEX Philippines and Philippine Poultry Show has concluded with positive feedback. Over 7,100 industry professionals from more than 40 countries attended the show, with over 180 global brands from more than 20 countries showcasing the latest advancements, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative products in the industry.

VNU Asia Pacific, organiser of ILDEX Philippines, and Deltaman, organiser of Philippine Poultry Show, confirmed the dates of the next edition of the shows, which will run from 28th to 30th August 2024 at SMX Convention Center in Manila. The 2024 edition will expand the business profiles from farm to food, covering animal health, pharmaceutical products, ingredients, farm equipment, feed additives, breeding & hatching, packaging and labelling. A Meat Pro Pavilion will be added to present food processing and other agri-technology highlights, covering the full supply chain from feed to food for the Asia region.

ISPO Shanghai 2023 visitor numbers up 100%

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Shanghai, 17th July: ISPO Shanghai 2023 returned to Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) from 30th June to 2nd July 2023, featuring 511 Chinese and international brands from 395 exhibitors. A total of 40,174 industry visitors and sports fans attended the exhibition.

According to the organiser, the number brands increased by 50% over the previous editions, while the number of visitors grew 100%. A total of 140 international brands were showcased at ISPO Shanghai, accounting for 27% of the exhibiting brands and representing an increase of 1.7 times over the previous edition. In addition to the trade show, ISPO Shanghai held forums and lectures on hot topics, and also introduced a new “ISPO Sports Park” section.

WATERTECH CHINA partners with Informa Markets

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Shanghai, 17th July: A leading international water technology exhibition, Watertech China, concluded last month at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai, achieving a new record in scale in its first year of China’s full economy recovery.

The organiser, Herui Group, has established a strategic partnership with leading exhibition group, Informa Markets, to improve the value proposition of Watertech China and broaden its development scope to continuously create value for the industry and participants.

Quick takes

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MITEC hosts over 91,000 fans at Tokyo Auto Salon

Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) hosted the inaugural edition of Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur from 9th to 11th June, treating over 91,000 car enthusiasts to an impressive display of specially-imported, awe-inspiring cars from Japan – as well as a wide range of exhibitors featuring automotive players of all sizes from Malaysia and ASEAN.

gamescom asia introduces new physical B2C Entertainment Zone

The 2023 edition of gamescom asia will be held in Singapore from 19th to 22nd October. This year’s event will feature a physical B2C Entertainment Zone exhibition for the first time, and Capcom is the first major publisher confirming their participation. The Entertainment Zone will showcase trending games, interactive entertainment and featured areas for esports, cosplay, board games, group play zones and more.

RX appoints new UK president

International exhibition organiser RX has named Rachel Travers as its new president for the RX UK Hub business unit (UK, Middle East, Turkey, South Africa and India), effective 1st September 2023. She will report to Hugh Jones, Global CEO.

Mega Show Bangkok 2023 hits BITEC this week

Jointly organised by Comasia and Worldex, Mega Show Bangkok 2023 was held from 19th to 21st July at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC). The event features more than 500 booths showcasing the latest products and designs from Asia, and is expected to draw manufacturers and suppliers from throughout the region, as well as the US and UK.