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Informa HK Jewellery back with big numbers

The 40th edition of Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong resulted in strong numbers this week. It ended on 24th September with over 3,400 exhibitors from 44 countries and regions. There were nearly 54,000 buyers – similar to 2018 figures according to the organiser. Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines all recorded significant increases in visitor numbers.

TCEB and Bangkok get ready for ICCA

This week International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) kicked off the media launch for its 62nd annual Congress. ICCA’s president, Marta Gomes; its CEO, Senthil Gopinath and the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya were all in attendance. The three-day conference will be held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) running from 12th to 15th November.

Philippines’ DoT receives increase in budget

The Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DoT), which oversees the MICE industry, has received a much-needed increase in allocated budget. The specifics have not been released but the tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco noted that tourism generates nearly US$33 billion for the national economy.

India (finally) gets a new venue

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New Delhi, 16th September: Phase 1 of India’s newest exhibition venue, the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC), officially opened on 17th September. Located at Dwarka, a New Delhi suburb, the venue is also known as “Yashobhoomi.”

With total built-up area of more 180,000 m2, the new venue cost approximately US$650 million. It consists of a convention centre, multiple exhibition halls and other facilities. The convention centre covers 73,000 m2 across 15 convention halls with a total capacity of 11,000 delegates. The exhibition halls cover over 107,000 m2.

PATA appoints new CEO

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Bangkok, 20th September: The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has appointed Noor Ahmad Hamid as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st October 2023.

In the three-year term, Noor will lead PATA, “one of the world’s most influential travel industry associations” dedicated to promoting responsible travel and tourism within the Pacific Asia region.

Thai government new plans to boost visitor revenue

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Thailand, 20th September: The Thai government has recently unveiled a new set of initiatives to designed attract more business events travellers to drive the Kingdom’s tourism revenue. The initiatives will target the China market in particular.

The government plans to collaborate with businesses across all sectors to host trade fairs and festivals such as Loy Krathong and Songkran. They also aim to host more exhibitions throughout the year. The government will also introduce a new and improved Fast Track Visa programme for business events visitors.

Quick takes

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HKTDC’s Watch & Clock Fair attract 15,000

Close to 15,000 visitors from 95 countries (and regions) attended the 42nd edition of the HKTDC Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair.  That figure is down from the 18,000 recorded in 2019. The change in exhibitor numbers is not known at this time.

Singapore F1 posts impressive results

The Singapore F1 recorded nearly 265,000 attendees over the three-day race surpassing government expectations of 250,000 spectators, but the 2023 results are surprisingly lower than 2022’s record high of 302,000 attendees.

KLCC goes green

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) has begun participating the Malaysian government’s Green Electricity Tariff (GET) programme. The programme is managed by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the nation’s largest electricity utility company. The programme enables KLCC to only renewable electricity making it the first venue in Malaysia to be powered by green energy.

HKTDC’s watch fairs attracts 15,000 buyers

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Hong Kong, 10th September: Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Hong Kong Watch Manufacturers Association Ltd and The Federation of Hong Kong Watch Trades & Industries Ltd, the 42nd Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and 11th Salon de TE concluded last week. Despite interruptions caused by extreme weather conditions on 8th September, the four-day physical fairs attracted nearly 15,000 buyers from 95 countries and regions. Online exhibitions, under the Exhibition+ hybrid model, will continue until 16th September.

Separately, CENTRESTAGE, Asia’s premier fashion event organised by the HKTDC, also concluded last week, with more than 7,700 buyers from 78 countries and regions visiting the three-day event.

Pico Thailand’s revenues down 33%

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Bangkok, 8th September: Last week, Pico Thailand, the Thai-listed subsidiary of Pico Far East Holdings, released its financial results for the quarter ended 31st July 2023. Revenues in the quarter were US$5.1 million, which dropped 33% from the same quarter in 2022. The company posted a loss of US$225,000 in the quarter, compared with a loss of US$64,000 during the same period in 2022.

The company attributed the decrease in revenue to uncertainty regarding the establishment of the new government, which has led to the postponement of several projects.

Informa Markets launches The Battery Show India

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India, 11th September: Following the success of The Battery Show in the USA and Europe, Informa Markets India will launch a new event serving the battery manufacturing industry in India, The Battery Show India (TBSI).

The new event will be co-located with the Renewable Energy India Expo, running from 4th to 6th October 2023, at the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida. It is expected to attract over 200 brands and 8,000 trade visitors.

MEET TAIWAN Festival unveils plans for business events industry

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Taiwan, 7th September: MEET TAIWAN, organised by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs and executed by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), hosted the MEET TAIWAN Festival Global Launch Event last week.

Almost a hundred prominent figures from Taiwan’s business event industry attended the launch event, marking the start of a series of domestic and overseas business events to be held throughout September, promoting Taiwan’s thriving business events sector.

Quick takes

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Alibaba Group welcomes new Chairman and CEO

Alibaba Group announced the completion of its leadership transition, with Joseph Tsai assuming the role of Chairman and Eddie Yongming Wu assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company. Wu will also succeed Daniel Yong Zhang as active Chairman and CEO of the Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group. Zhang previously served as Alibaba Group’s CEO since 2015 and as its Chairman since 2019, and also led Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group since 2022.

Messe Frankfurt expands portfolio with new event in Istanbul

Expanding its international portfolio of events, Messe Frankfurt announced the debut of Light + Intelligent Building Istanbul from 27th to 29th November 2024. Organised in cooperation with the Turkish Lighting Equipment Manufacturers Association, the event provides a platform for decorative, architectural and technical lighting, electric lamps, components and accessories, electrical engineering, smart homes and building automation.

New governor takes helm at Tourism Authority of Thailand

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced that Thapanee Kiatphaiboon has taken on the role of governor. She previously held various positions with the organisation, which she joined in 1999, including deputy governor for tourism products and business, and most recently deputy governor for domestic marketing.

ICC Sydney hosts 500 events in FY2022/23

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Sydney, 4th September: International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) recently released its Annual Performance Review for the 2022/23 financial year, announcing that it hosted 500 events during the period.

Managed by ASM Global, ICC Sydney reported that it welcomed more than 1 million visitors during the financial year, delivering A$600 million (US$397 million) in visitor expenditure across some 500 events. In the previous year, there were 470,000 visitors contributing A$190 million (US$131 million).

SEEC Media narrows loss in first half

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Hong Kong 31st August: Last week, SEEC Media Group, a Hong Kong-listed media company, announced its financial results for the first half of 2023. Revenues in the six-month period were US$2.8 million, a decrease of 32% year-on-year. However, the company narrowed a loss of US$3.8 million in the first half of 2022, down to US$1.1 million in the first half of this year.

About 42% of SEEC’s total revenues were generated through its provision of advertising services, amounting at US$1.2 million. This segment fell 28% year-on-year. The company attributed the decrease in revenue from advertising services to the negative impact on global economy caused by the trade war between the U.S. and China, and the rapid development of the Internet economy in China over the past few years. The operational scale of the company’s print media advertising business in China was reduced due to the adverse impact of the pandemic and the expiry of all its exclusive advertising contracts with various magazine owners and/or operators.

Made-in-China.com profits rise 33%

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Nanjing, 31st August: Last week, Shenzhen-listed Focus Technology, which owns and operates the B2B trading platform Made-in-China.com, announced its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2023. Revenues were US$102 million, a moderate growth of 1.8% over last year.

Profit in the first half of 2023 increased by 33% year-on-year, amounting to US$26 million. Diluted earnings per share in the first six months of 2023 were RMB 0.609 (US$0.084).

Netsun’s results flat in first half of 2023

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Hangzhou, 31st August: Shenzhen-listed Zhejiang Netsun, a B2B e-commerce platform, recently released its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2023. The company’s revenues were US$31 million during the period, representing a year-on-year decrease of 9.6% compared to the first half of 2022.

However, profits during the six-month period rose slightly by 1.0% to reach US$1.6 million. Diluted earnings per share in the first half of 2023 were RMB 0.05 (US$0.0069).

Quick takes

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Asia Photonics Expo 2024 caters to emerging markets

Introduced as Asia’s premier photonics event, the Asia Photonics Expo (APE) 2024 was announced on 6th September at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Centre in conjunction with the China International Optoelectronics Exposition. APE will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore from 6th to 8th March 2024, and the event is being organised by Informa Markets.

Inaugural REHACARE CHINA 2023 successfully held in Suzhou

The 2023 International Trade Fair for Rehabilitation and Care (REHACARE CHINA), organised by Messe Dusseldorf (Shanghai), concluded successfully at the Suzhou International Expo Center on 25th August. The first edition of this exhibition attracted nearly 100 foreign and domestic rehabilitation equipment manufacturers, displaying the latest travel and daily assistance devices, communication and information assistance technologies, sports rehabilitation innovations and intelligent assistance systems.

ANUTEC and ANUFOOD India to be held at Bombay Exhibition Centre

The food and beverage industry is gearing up for ANUTEC – International FoodTec India and ANUFOOD India, scheduled to be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from 7th to 9th September. With India’s processed food market and retail food market projected to reach US$535 billion and US$852 billion, respectively, by 2025, the event will serve as a catalyst for industry growth and innovation.

Singapore to host Seafood Expo Asia

The 11th edition of Seafood Expo Asia will be held from 11th to 13th September at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, marking the largest edition in the event’s history with more than 350 new and returning exhibitors from 40 countries. The three-day event will cover the most prominent topics in the industry, including a series of workshops and expert discussion roundtables.

Questex partners to launch new hospitality events

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New York/Sydney, 22nd August: Questex announced it will launch the International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) Asia in Hong Kong in 2024. The company also announced it will partner with The Intermedia Group, a leading Asia-Pacific publishing, event management and technology business based in Australia, to launch AHICE South-East Asia in Singapore in 2024.

By launching IHIF Asia, Questex will expand its Hospitality portfolio in Asia. This move follows the acquisition of the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference and the resounding success of The Hospitality Show, a new event launched with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA).