VNU Asia Pacific appoints new CEO

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Bangkok, 6th January: VNU Asia Pacific (VNU AP) announced to appoint Mr. Justin Pau as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective January 2025.

Mr. Pau has over 20 years of leadership experience in the exhibition industry across Asia and China.

According to VNU AP, the appointment will strengthen the company’s align leadership with evolving strategies and goals. The company also targets to commit growth and expansion, to be a driving force in exhibition industry.

Mr. Jeroen Van Hooff, CEO of Royal Jaarbeurs and Board of Director of VNU AP, said, “Mr. Pau has the expertise and vision to guide our colleagues in VNU AP through this transition and beyond, ensuring our continued success. The change in this position underscore VNU AP’s proactive approach to ensuring that leadership aligns with our strategic goals. While these transitions are reflective of VNU AP’s new direction to diversify the portfolios especially technology, innovation and to embrace green initiatives in the exhibitions industry. VNU AP remains steadfast in delivering exceptional service and value to our stakeholders.”

Quick takes

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Indonesia’s exhibition industry expands

According to industry leaders, the Indonesia’s exhibition industry will grow demand and the ability to stay agile and evolve. In 2024, some 170 exhibitions were held in the country, up 21% from the figure of 2023. It is expected the industry to generate US$1.7 billion in revenue by 2025, up 8% over 2024’s figure. The Indonesia’s exhibition industry will continue to increase presence construction, manufacturing, and finance sectors. In addition, consumer shows are also expected to grow with rising consumer spending.

Clarion Connect names new CEO

Clarion Events announced to promote Kelly Comboni to CEO of Clarion Connect, Clarion’s division launched in November 2024, dedicating to advancing the power of connections through innovative one-to-one event formats, digital platforms, and community-building experiences. Comboni joined Clarion Events in 2017, when Clarion acquired LeftField Media. Under the new role, she will oversee key brands within Clarion Connect, and share will report directly to Greg Topalian, Chairman of Clarion Events North America, and Lisa Hannant, Global CEO of Clarion Events.

PICC welcomes new General Manager

The Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) has appointed Atty. Nicolette Ann P. Cruz as its new General Manager, replacing Renato Padilla who retired. She is a lawyer and will bring her expertise in government contracts, public procurement, infrastructure projects, public-private partnerships, project management, and organisational development and leadership to managing the venue.

Koelnmesse expands DMEXCO to Asia

International exhibition organiser, Koelnmesse’s DMEXCO, established 15 years ago in Cologne, will launch DMEXCO ASIA and partner with eCommerce Expo at Tech Week Singapore. The co-branded eCommerce Expo x DMEXCO ASIA will be held in Singapore, running from 8th to 9th October 2025. The new show aims to bring together industry leaders, decision-makers, and innovators, creating opportunities for collaboration and growth in the Southeast Asian market.

BESydney secures 76 events until 2030

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Sydney, 20th December: Business Events Sydney (BESydney) secured over 30 events in the second half of 2024, with an estimated direct expenditure of A$100 million (US$63.5 million) for Sydney.

According to BESyndey, a total of 76 events have been secured until 2030, expecting to attract 111,000 delegates, and generating A$451 million (US$286 million) in direct expenditure. Of the 76 secured events, 31 events will be held in 2025.

BESydney CEO, Lyn Lewis-Smith, said, “Sydney is a city on the threshold of major change as the government plans come to fruition. The Western Sydney International (WSI) Airport, Bradfield City and the surrounding Aerotropolis are a hub of city-changing development and the new infrastructure and investment accompanying them will have significant influence on our industry sectors… And the transformation continues around the city’s famous Harbour, with the new Sydney Fish Markets a masterpiece in design, and the re-development around Darling Harbour and the International Convention Centre Sydney will be a game-changer for delegates to Sydney. We are seeing vibrant neighbourhoods come to life throughout the city through the work of the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner. We cannot wait to showcase Sydney shining ever more brightly on the global stage.”

KLCC hosts 1,600 events in 2024

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Kuala Lumpur, 17th December: The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) hosted over 1,600 events in 2024, welcoming 1.1 million delegates, and generated an estimated RM 1 billion (US$224 million) in economic impact for Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia.

In 2024, KLCC highlights for the year include: Event diversity; Refurbished spaces and facilities; and Sustainability achievements and community engagements.

John Burke, the Centre’s General Manager, commented, “2024 has been a positive year for us, marked by a busy event calendar and remarkable achievements. This is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our incredible team and the steadfast support of our partners, clients and stakeholders. These milestones reflect the resilience, dynamism and boundless potential of Malaysia’s business events industry.”

2025 will be KLCC’s 20th anniversary, the venue will have various events to celebrate. In the coming year, the venue will prioritise: Environmental stewardship; Corporate social responsibility (CSR); and Gearing up existing ESG efforts and standards.

Alibaba Group announces two transactions

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Hangzhou, 17th December: Recently, Alibaba Group announced two transactions: The company and another minority shareholder agreed to sell 100% of the equity interest in Intime; and the company announced the disposal of the Alibaba Sale Shares in Sun Art.

Intime is one of the leading department store operators in PRC. Alibaba currently holds about 99% of the equity interest in Intime. It is expected Alibaba will get RMB 7.4 billion (US$1.0 billion), and the company will loss RMB 9.3 billion (US$1.3 billion).

Separately, Alibaba Group held Sun Art Shares through wholly-owned subsidiaries, A-RT Retail and Taobao China. According to press release, the Purchaser and Sun Art in relation to: (1) the entering of the SPA; (2) the possible mandatory unconditional cash offers to be made by the Purchaser for the entire issues share capital of Sun Art; and (3) the possible compulsory acquisition and withdrawal of listing of Sun Art.

UFI and SISO extend partnership to 2027

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Paris, 18th December: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has extended partnership with SISO, The Society of Independent Show Organizers, from 2024 to 2027.

The two organisations have partnered since 2009. In the past 15 years, they worked jointly on industry issues under numerous leaderships.

One of the elements focus on the renewed partnership will be a collaboration on content development for the UFI European Events Week 2025 and the SISO Leadership Conference 2025. The associations’ face-to-face meetings provide a platform for their communities meet to discover and discuss topics relevant to the exhibitions industry. It will also bring North American colleagues and industry insights to Europe and, vice versa, international insights to the U.S.

Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO, was quoted, “UFI’s European Events Week will serve as the central ‘one-stop shop’ in Europe for senior exhibition industry professionals in 2025 to connect and network. The new, much wider content framework makes the event much more accessible to leading subject matter experts through one-of-a-kind content offers like the one SISO will bring.”

Quick takes

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Ayana Resort Bali new facilities for meetings and events

Ayana Resort Bali has opened several new facilities for corporate gatherings: the Saka Museum, After Rock, and Tevanna Garden. Saka Museum offers two indoor function areas. A bridge connects the museum to After Rock, a night lounge. Tevanna Garden, a Japanese-inspired garden for teambuilding activities, is adjacent to Saka Museum.

GCCEC appoints new General Manager

Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) appointed Nick Jeffery as its new General Manager. He has been with GCCEC for seven years, and as Acting General Manager for five months. In the past five months, he has been instrumental in ensuring continued smooth operations of the business, exceptional service delivery and ongoing client satisfaction.

Thailand surpasses 2024 arrivals targets

Thailand has already surpassed its arrivals targets for 2024, with 35 million visitors. International tourist arrivals generated 1.8 trillion Baht (US$53 billion). For 2025, the tourism authorities have set targets of between 36 and 39 million in international arrivals, generating 1.98 to 2.23 trillion Baht (US$58-66 billion) in tourism revenue.

Thailand’s conventions post strong performance

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Thailand, 12th December: According to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), convention delegates posted an increase of almost 200% in 2024, compared with the figure in 2023.

Overseas MICE travellers increased by 42% for the fiscal year of October 2023 to September 2024. Business event arrivals for the fiscal year was 1.14 million, compared with 810,000 in 2023. Top 10 market sources for the year were China, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, the U.S. and Japan.

It is expected a better performance in 2025 as several international events will be held in the coming year: Money 20/20 Asia 2025, a fintech event; International Diabetes Federation (IDF) World Diabetes Congress 2025; and Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress (APLIC 2025).

Bureau president Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, said, “With the record performance in 2024, TCEB would like to thank overseas MICE travellers for their trust and confidence in Thailand. TCEB and Thai MICE entrepreneurs will always strive to deliver high value to clients because we are well aware that the economic challenges are driving the need for more return on investment and return on experience. In this connection, we aim to achieve higher at 1.4 million overseas travellers in 2025 fiscal year.”

ICC Sydney boosts economy

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Sydney, 18th December: International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) reported a better year, compared with the previous financial year, with a rise in visitor numbers, spend in the local economy and benefits to the local community.

During the financial year 2023-2024, ICC Sydney secured a total of 507 events, attracting some 1.2 million visitors, generating visitor expenditure of A$718 million (US$479 million). The figure in the previous year was one million visitors and an economic contribution of A$600 million (US$400 million).

Chief Executive of Placemaking NSW, Anita Mitchell, was quoted, “ICC Sydney is arguably the nation’s most prestigious international convention, exhibition and entertainment integrated venue and one of the NSW Government’s best performing assets. Last year, ICC Sydney contributed A$718 million to the local economy through delegate spend. Coupled with its global reputation for sustainability, social impact and innovation, ICC Sydney successfully shines an international spotlight on local talent while attracting new ideas and culture experiences through events and conferences.”

VNU Asia Pacific launches Travel & Tech Asia 2025

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Bangkok, 15th December: VNU Asia Pacific have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), to drive advancements in travel technology across the Asia-Pacific region.

Under the strategic collaboration, the two parties will launch the inaugural Travel & Tech Asia 2025, running from 2nd to 3rd July 2025, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand. The new event will be a platform for innovation, sustainable growth, and strategic collaboration in the travel and tourism industry.

Chaisong Churitt, General Manager of VNU Asia Pacific, stated, “VNU Asia Pacific is honoured to partner with PATA, an organization that has been instrumental in promoting sustainable growth in travel and tourism across the Asia-Pacific region. Through this partnership, we aim to create a meaningful impact by providing a platform where industry professionals can explore emerging trends, build strategic alliances, and embrace the innovations shaping the future of travel and tourism.”

Quick takes

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Messe Muenchen Shanghai appoints new CEO

Messe Muenchen Shanghai announced Xu Jia, CEO and General Manager of Messe Muenchen Shanghai, will leave the company, and Evan Sha, President of Messe Muenchen Shanghai China, will become the new CEO with immediate effect. Evan will take over the responsibilities of Xu Jia with Jan Rohde, CFO and Deputy General Manager.

89,000+ visitors attend Pet Fair South China

Organised by Globus Events (formerly known as VNU Exhibitions Asia), Pet Fair South China featured more than 350 exhibitors, presenting over 2,00 brands and occupying about 50,000 m2 of gross exhibiting space. A record of 89,278 trade visitors and consumers attended the show in Shenzhen, running from 6th to 8th December 2024. The next edition will return to Shenzhen from 5th to 7th December 2025.

2.8m+ visitor arrivals to Macau in November 2024

Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released visitor arrivals for November 2024, increased by 9.6% year-on-year, welcoming 2,832,041 visitor arrivals, which recovered to 97.3% of November 2019, pre-pandemic level. Same-day visitors during November 2024 grew 14.1%, while overnight visitors were up by 4.6%. The average length of stay of visitors was 1.2 days, the same with the same month of 2023.

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Stadium opens in 1H2025

Located at Hong Kong’s Kai Take Sports Park, Kai Tak Stadium is scheduled to open in the first half of 2025. This new facility for sports and entertainment will have an interior of 50,000 seats. Kai Tak Sports Park will include Kai Tak Arena, with multipurpose indoor sports centre of 10,000 seats; Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, a sports ground with capacity of 5,000 seats; and Kai Tak Mall, with over 65,000 m2 of retail and F&B facilities.

UFI releases latest World Map of Exhibition Venues

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Paris, 10th December: UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, in collaboration with jwc GmbH, have released the latest edition of the World Map of Exhibition Venues, providing the latest insights into venue capacity worldwide.

This report covered 22 global markets with over 300,000 m2 of gross indoor exhibition space. Asia-Pacific region now accounts for 38.5% of global venue capacity, surpassing Europe, which accounts for 36.7%, for the first time. While North America was the third, with 17.1%. The markets covered in this report including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, and the USA.

Kai Hattendorf, UFI CEO, said, “Exhibition venues are key drivers of the development of our industry globally. The 2024 World Map of Exhibition Venues offers unparalleled insight into the scale and distribution of this vital resource. This is helping industry professionals make informed decisions in an ever-changing global landscape. As a forward-looking indicator, venue developments are investments into future exhibition business. With this in mind, one key development is that Asia-Pacific now offers more total venue space than Europe – for the first time since UFI began tracking venue sizes.”

HKCEC welcomes 2 million attendance during September to November

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Hong Kong, 12th December: During September to November 2024, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) hosted a total of 205 events, welcoming an attendance of nearly 2 million.

Among the 205 events, 31 were exhibitions, 29 were conferences, and the others were banquets, corporate events and entertainment events. According to the HKCEC, the 31 exhibitions held during September to November attracted an attendance of almost 1.6 million from about 150 countries and regions.

Ms Monica Lee-Müller, Managing Director of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML), the professional and private management company of the HKCEC, was quoted, “September to November have always been one of our peak event seasons at the HKCEC. We are excited to have welcomed international and local trade buyers, delegates and visitors who packed our halls and concourses to make face-to-face connections and closed business deals at the HKCEC in the last three months. The success of all these events reaffirmed Hong Kong’s status as Asia’s Events Capital and its roles as a “super connector” and a “super value-adder” between the Mainland and the rest of the world. These events do not only boost Hong Kong’s economy, but also attract elites of industries from around the world to personally experience Hong Kong’s vibrancy.”

Messe Frankfurt’s sales at €780m

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Frankfurt, 9th December: In the financial year 2024, Messe Frankfurt expected sales will be €780 million (US$819 million), up 28% over the previous year.

The company will have held more than 330 events by the end of the financial year, with over 98,000 exhibiting companies and about 4.4 million visitors. The Frankfurt exhibition grounds hosted more than 200 trade fairs, conferences, congresses and other guest events.

In Asia, Messe Frankfurt operated about 60 trade fairs in 11 sector clusters during the year. New events were also launched in Central Asia and in the ASEAN region.

Mike Josef, Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board and Mayor of Frankfurt, stated, “With its strong portfolio, Messe Frankfurt has once again generated enormous momentum in this financial year – not only globally but also at its Frankfurt base, as an economic driving force and as a creator of jobs. Messe Frankfurt’s future-oriented positioning as a provider of digital infrastructure for event organisers is also progressing very well. It is important for the City of Frankfurt to help strengthen our reputation as a trade fair centre and also to fully support Messe Frankfurt’s commitment to sustainability.”

Messe München to reach €530m turnover in 2024

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Munich, 4th December: International exhibition organiser, Messe München, projected its sales volume preliminarily at €530 million (US$557 million). At the headquarters in Munich, it is expected the company to generate a turnover of €330 million (US$357 million). In 2025, the company predicted a turnover of over €500 million (US$525 million).

According to Messe München, in 2024, the company organised 16 events in Munich, 93 guest events and 47 events abroad. The events in Munich featured 32,000 exhibitors and 1.3 million visitors, while the events abroad attracted 22,500 exhibitors and 1.2 million visitors. Outside Germany, China and India are Messe München’s two most important markets, with China hosting 26 events at six locations, and India hosted 19 events at five locations.

The company two CEOs, Reinhard Pfeiffer and Stefan Rummel, commented, “The strength of our portfolio of twelve leading international trade fairs and a robust core business is evident in this difficult economic environment in Germany. Our events continue to be as popular as ever – something that people are least willing to miss. It is the decision-makers who attend, which is important for initiating business at a trade fair.”

Quick takes

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bauma CHINA 2024’s exhibitors up 24%

bauma CHINA 2024 featured 3,542 exhibitors from 32 countries, an increase of 24% from the 2020 edition. The trade fair was held from 26th to 29th November, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), covering over 330,000 m2 of exhibition space. A total of 281,488 trade visitors from 188 countries and regions attended the trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, and construction vehicles.

HKTDC opens DesignInspire

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) opened its DesignInspire at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), running from 5th to 7th December. Under the theme of “Design for a Better Tomorrow”, the event showcased cutting-edge concepts from more than 200 exhibitors.

U.S. exhibition industry recovering

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) released its latest U.S. B2B exhibition industry results. In the third quarter of 2024, CEIR Total Index was at 88.8% of post-pandemic level. Of the four criteria, Net Square Feet (NSF) was 2.7% below the 2019 level, Exhibitors was 7% below, Attendees was the lowest, at 17.8% below, and Real Revenues was 16.3% below the post-pandemic level.