China eases restrictions for foreign visitors

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China, 11th January: Last week, China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) implemented five new measures aiming to simplify the process for foreign nationals planning to visit China. Under the new measures, business activities, education, and tours in China will become more accessible for foreign nationals.

The five new measures are:

1.     Relaxing conditions for foreign nationals applying for port visas;

2.     Allow foreign nationals eligible for visa-free transit at nine international airports in China;

3.     Allowing foreign nationals already in China to apply for visa extension, renewal, and reissuance;

4.     Allowing foreign nationals already in China to apply for a multiple-stay visas;

5.     Simplifying visa applications for foreign nationals in China.

Management changes at Koelnmesse in China and Hong Kong

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Cologne/China, 11th January: After six successful years leading Koelnmesse’s business in Hong Kong and China, Managing Director, Keith Tsui has decided to move on. Prior to his role at Koelnmesse, Keith held leadership roles at ITE Group and UBM Canon (now Informa Markets).

Keith’s role will be divided between two managers. Michiel Kruse will be assuming responsibility for Koelnmesse’s business in Mainland China, while Mathias Küpper, current Vice President Asia-Pacific, will assume management responsibility for the subsidiary in Hong Kong.

ILEA chapter looks to Africa

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Shenzhen, 18th January: Leaders of the Hong Kong and China chapter of International Live Events Association (ILEA) gathered in Shenzhen this week. An interesting key take-away is the acknowledgement that Africa is becoming a growth market.

Cecilia Lavin, vice-president of ILEA’s Europe Middle East and Asia region, said in a recorded address to the Asia chapter meeting at Shenzhen World, that ILEA was considering merging the chapters in Asia and Africa.

Quick takes

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Delegates registered for UFI Asia Conference

The list of delegates already registered for the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in Macau is now online. UFI is expecting approximately 300 delegates from across Asia to attend the two-day event on 7th & 8th March at The Parisian in Macau. Register here.

Visitors to Hong Kong reach 34m in 2023

Over 34 million visitors came to Hong Kong last year. That is still well down from the record high of 65 million in 2018. Of course, Mainland China remains the most important source market for Hong Kong. “The number of MICE travellers recovered to about 70% of pre-pandemic.”

Trends for marketers in Asia

Marketing-Interactive also has an interesting survey of marketers in Asia with key trends such as: A desire for the spectacle (which event organisers can relate to); keeping track of upcoming tech regulations; exploring use of Generative AI; balancing data collection and privacy and “getting out of your comfort zone.”

Informa’s revenues up 30% in 2023

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London, 10th January: This week, London-listed Informa PLC released its full year trading update for 2023. Revenue is expected to be over £3.17 billion (US$4.03 billion), representing an underlying growth of 30%. Adjusted operating profit will be about £845 million (US$1.08 billion).

Informa Markets, Informa Connect and Informa Tech all performed well in 2023, with 40% aggregate underlying revenue growth and management is targeting high single digit growth in 2024. Specifically, in 2024, the company expects revenue of between £3.43 billion (US$4.36 billion) and £3.48 billion (US$4.42 billion). Adjusted operating profit is expected to be between £945 million (US$1.20 billion) and £965 million (US$1.23 billion).

SACEOS appoints new Executive Director

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Singapore, 11th January: SACEOS – Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers, has appointed Alaxys Liu as its new Executive Director with effect from 2nd January 2024.

Alaxys is a veteran association professional with experience at both local and international associations. She also has experience working with government agencies, trade bodies, and a wide range of businesses.

Strong international buyers at HKTDC fairs

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Hong Kong, 4th January: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) concluded its first three fairs in 2024, attracting some 83,000 buyers from 135 countries and regions. According to the HKTDC, buyer numbers from Mainland China, India and ASEAN countries all recorded significant growth.

The three fairs were: the 50th HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, 15th HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair and 22nd Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair, running from 8th to 11th January 2024, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Over 2,600 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions were showcased at the fairs. The Toys & Games Fair and Baby Products Fair was organised by the HKTDC, while the Stationery & School Supplies Fair was jointly organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the HKTDC.

MyCEB releases annual report for 2022

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Malaysia, 9th January: Recently, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) released its annual report for 2022.

In 2022, MyCEB reported a total 155 business events were held in Malaysia, featuring almost 430,000 delegates, of which 64,000 were international participants. The events generated an estimated economic impact of RM 1.17 billion (US$266 million).

Quick takes

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IATA reports air travel is close to fully recovered

Air travel demand has topped 99 per cent of 2019 levels, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Asia reported the strongest year-over-year results. Growth was especially strong in China.

Huge incentive groups from China are back too

New Zealand welcomed an incentive group of 10,000 from Amway China on a five-day itinerary. The group generated 20,000 hotel nights and pumped US$25 million into the economy.

Singapore experimenting with carbon-neutral events

The inaugural Commodity Trading Week Asia Pacific was used as means to push for carbon-neutral events. The organisers collaborated with MICEcarbon, a Singapore-based carbon-offset platform for the MICE industry.

IEG Asia acquires F&B events from Montgomery Asia

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Singapore, 26th December: International exhibition organiser, the Italian Exhibition Group Asia (IEG Asia) has announced the acquisition of several food and beverage (F&B) events from Montgomery Asia. Financial details were not released.

The acquired F&B events are the Speciality Food & Drinks Asia, Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia and Food2Go. The three events will be held from 26th to 28th June 2024 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore, and will be co-located with the inaugural edition of SIGEP Asia – the International Trade Show of Artisan Gelato, Pastry, Bakery, Coffee & Tea, and also with the 5th Restaurant Asia – the International Restaurant Kitchen and Culinary Equipment & Supplies Exhibition.

KLCC hosts 1,724 events in 2023

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Kuala Lumpur, 19th December: The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) concluded 2023 announcing that the venue hosted a total of 1,724 events during the year, which is its highest figure since 2014.

During the year, a total of over 1,340,000 delegates visited KLCC, including both international and Malaysian visitors. This activity reportedly generated an estimated US$142 million in economic impact for Malaysia, which is more than double of the figure in 2022. In terms of KLCC’s revenues, conventions contributed 26% of the total figure in 2023, exhibitions were 28% and corporate events (including banquets and functions; meetings and events) accounted for 46%.

SIGGRAPH Asia 2023 concludes in Sydney

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Sydney, 20th December: Organised by Koelnmesse Pte Ltd and ACM SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia 2023 attracted 5,690 attendees from more than 40 countries and featured 30 exhibiting brands.

The conference and exhibition was held at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Syndey), with the conference running from 12th to 15th December 2023, and the exhibition from 13th to 15th December 2023, presenting the latest developments in the computer graphics (CG) industry.

DMO Osaka Umeda aims to attract more events

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Osaka, 2nd January: Businesses in Osaka agreed to establish DMO Osaka Umeda with the aim of attracting more business events to Osaka’s Umeda area.

A total of 34 different businesses, including hotels, commercial facilities, and event halls joined together to form DMO, promoting itself as an attractive destination for incentives tours to the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe region. DMO is targeting markets in East Asia and Southeast Asia. In the medium- to long term, DMO plans to attract large-scale business events of about 100,000 attendees.

Quick takes

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Jack Ma officially relinquishes control of ANT

ANT Financial has restructured is shareholding which has reduced Jack Ma’s stake from 54% to 6%. This is seen as a necessary step to clear the way for ANT’s IPO which was cancelled after Jack criticised Chinese regulators in a 2020 speech.

Trip.com’s key trends for 2024

Interestingly, the trends include: China’s border reopening sparks global travel surge, AI takes centrestage in predictive planning for 2024, Music festivals and theme parks lead the way, and the rise of sustainable travel and event tourism in 2024.

Asian governments continue to remove visa hurdles

In order to smooth the way for more business and leisure visitors, many governments in Asia are dropping visa requirements. This week announcements from Malaysia, China and Indonesia.

Messe München exceeds expectations in 2023

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München, 15th December: International exhibition organiser Messe München expects revenues in 2023 to reach US$384 million – up US$49 million compared to 2022. EBITDA grew by US$50 million to hit US$69 million.

In China, the company organised 22 events in seven different locations in 2023. In India, 18 trade fairs were held in five cities. The company also organised its inaugural even in Singapore – a multimodal logistics trade fair.

Hyve expects 35% growth in 2023

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London, 18th December: London-based Hyve Group also released its expected results for 2023. The company anticipates like-for-like organic growth of 35% in terms of its revenues. During 2023, the company organised 34 events and 18 meetings programmes, attracting more than 300,000 attendees. In 2024, Hyve’s management maintains that it will pursue “more innovation and purpose-driven experiences, supported by a steadfast commitment to people, sustainability and community.”

Mark Shashoua, CEO of Hyve, stated, “Our success in 2023 is a testament to the determination, creativity, and skill of the entire Hyve team across the world. At the start of the year, we set out our long-term ambition to redefine our events for today’s world and I’m delighted to say we made great progress. In addition to delivering seven new meetings programmes across our portfolio.”