• 2009-6-30 Trade fair market in Asia grows by 8.7% in 2008 according to UFI report
• 2008-6-12 Trade fair market in Asia grows by 18% in 2007 according to UFI market report
• 2008-4-02 BSG announces link with Cue Ball
• 2008-3-13 Global Sources moves to consolidate position with large retail buyers
• 2008-1-14 BSG releases ranking of publicly-listed Asian B2B media companies
• 2008-1-11 Comprehensive report on Trade Associations in China released by B2B media specialists
• 2007-11-5 Comprehensive report on Alibaba.com comments on market value and competition
• 2007-7-10 Strong growth reported in Asia/Pacific exhibitions in new UFI market report
• 2007-4-12 industry professionals meet in Seoul for the 2nd UFI Open Seminar in Asia
• 2007-1-18 UFI to organise second Asia Seminar in Seoul in March 2007
• 2006-10-23 BSG launches comprehensive market intelligence service
• 2006-5-1 BPA Worldwide Partners with BSG to Market BPA Event Audits in Asia
• 2005-10-06 UFI Announces 2006 Open Asia/Pacific Seminar
• 2005-6-20 UFI produces report on Asia/Pacific exhibitions market
• 2005-3-31 TCEB appoints BSG for East Asia promotions
• 2005-1-07 BSG India launched
• 2004-12-29 BSG forms wide-ranging alliance with EPS
• 2004-12-10 UFI Renews Commitment to the Asia/Pacific Region
• 2004-01-19 UFI Opens Asia/Pacific Office - Moving ahead
• 2002-10-15 Big boost in China trade fairs as print media hit by advertising slow down says new report
• 2001-08-27 China largest market, Hong Kong main corporate centre for business media says new report
  

Trade fair market in Asia grows by 8.7% in 2008 according to UFI report
Issued: Thursday, 30th June, 2009


June 30, 2009 – Paris/Hong Kong: The trade fair industry in Asia expanded by 8.7% in 2008 despite the weakening global economic environment according to the fifth edition of UFI’s annual report on the trade fair market in Asia. Net area sold by organisers in Asia reached a total of 14.3 million m2 The research was once again undertaken for UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, by Business Strategies Group (BSG) in Hong Kong.

China’s growth continues to outpace the rest of the region. It is the largest market in the region in terms of space sold and industry revenues. Year-on-year, net square metres sold in China grew by 14% outperforming the regional average of 8.7%. Over 7.6 million m2 were sold in China in 2008 – accounting for 53% of 14.3 million m2 sold across Asia. The second largest market, Japan, continues to lose ground to China. The Japanese market shrank by more than 6% last year with 2.0 million m2 sold.

A number of much smaller markets grew faster than China last year. Space sold in Macau expanded by 69% on the back of the opening of the new venue at the Venetian. Taiwan grew by 26% and Vietnam by 24% in terms of square metres sold which was also primarily driven by additional, new capacity in both markets.

Revenues from trade fairs in Asia increased from US$3.25 billion in 2007 to US$3.45 billion last year – an rise of just over 6%, down markedly from the 26% revenue growth recorded in 2007. China outperformed all of the top five largest markets (measured by revenues) by a wide margin posting a 20% increase in revenues for a total of US$1.33 billion.

This report provides detailed information on the development of trade fairs and supporting facilities in 15 markets: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The report also includes analysis on actual market performance in 2008 as well as forecasts and commentary on key trends in each market.

Vincent Gérard, UFI Managing Director, commented, “2008 was another noteworthy year for the exhibition industry in Asia. Despite a challenging economic environment, space sales in the region as a whole grew by close to 9%. Seven different markets posted double digit growth – and of those four grew by more than 20%. Even this difficult year should be no exception with major markets forecast to continue expanding and several exciting new venues coming online by the end of 2009.”

As an added-value service, each UFI member will be entitled to receive a four page executive summary of the research and to purchase the full report at a substantial discount.

The report has again been edited by UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager and BSG Principal, Paul Woodward. He commented, “Asia continues to be one of the most vital and exciting exhibition markets in the world. Despite the global economic recession, in 2009 BSG is still forecasting growth in several of the region’s key exhibition markets including China and India. The pace of change here has been nothing short of remarkable. In 2003, there were 101 venues in the region and space sales were just 5.7 million m2. By the end of this year, Asia will be home to 162 venues generating space sales of 14.6 million m2.”


For more information on this study, please contact UFI in Asia at:
UFI Asia/Pacific Office 1101, Wilson House 19, Wyndham Street Central, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 2525 6129
Fax: +852 2525 6171
email: asia@ufi.org

Trade fair market in Asia grows by 18% in 2007 according to UFI market report
Issued: Thursday, 12th June, 2008


June 16, 2008 – Paris/Hong Kong: The trade fair industry in Asia expanded strongly again in 2007. Net area sold by organisers in Asia grew by nearly 18% reaching a total of 13.2 m2 according to the fourth edition of UFI’s annual report on the trade fair market in Asia. The research and analysis was once again undertaken for UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, by Business Strategies Group (BSG) in Hong Kong.

The report shows that China remains the largest trade fair market by a substantial margin. Year-on-year, net square metres sold in China grew by 21% outperforming the regional average of 14%. India was, however, Asia’s fastest –growing market in 2007, up 50% followed by South Korea which grew by 32%. Over 6.7 m2 were sold in China in 2007 – accounting for 51% of the total across Asia. The second largest market, Japan, grew by just 1% last year with sales of 2.2 million m2.

Revenues from trade fairs in Asia increased from US$2.57 billion in 2006 to US$3.25 billion in 2007 – an increase of 26.5%. China continued to extend its lead over other markets in 2007. Last year, trade fair revenues in China were nearly US$1.12 billion. That is a massive increase of 47% over the US$760 million recorded in 2006.

This report provides detailed information on the development of trade fairs and supporting facilities in 15 markets: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The report also includes analysis on actual market performance in 2007 as well as forecasts and commentary on key trends in each market.

Vincent Gérard, UFI Managing Director, commented, “The publication of the fourth edition of this report is an important contribution to UFI’s global research efforts. It shows that Asia remains one of the most dynamic areas for growth in our industry. It is exciting to see the predicted take-off in India becoming a reality along with the many other exciting markets in the region”.

As an added-value service, each UFI member will be entitled to receive a six page executive summary of the research and to purchase the full report at a substantial discount.

The report has again been edited by UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager and BSG Principal, Paul Woodward. He commented, “In the last five years, we have seen the trade fair industry undergo a remarkable transformation. In 2003, the region recorded space sales of 5.7 million m2 at 101 venues. Last year, the number of venues had surged by more than 50% to 156 venues and sales had more than doubled to 13.2 million m2.”


For more information on this study, please contact UFI in Asia at:
UFI Asia/Pacific Office 1101, Wilson House 19, Wyndham Street Central, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 2525 6129
Fax: +852 2525 6171
email: asia@ufi.org

BSG announces link with Cue Ball
Issued: Tuesday, 2nd April, 2008


Hong Kong, 2nd April: Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG), Asia’s only consultancy focusing on the business media, information and events industries, is please to announce a new alliance with Cue Ball LLC, advisors and brokers to global media. BSG will assist Cue Ball in the licensing of its client's B2B properties throughout Asia.

For Cue Ball, BSG will represent the B2B properties, brands and services of Nielsen Business Media (www.nielsenbusinessmedia.com), Vance Publishing Corporation (www.vancepublishing.com) and BowTie Inc. (www.bowtieinc.com). Other trade media groups could be added to BSG's licensing brokerage services in the future.

Cue Ball’s CEO John Cabell commented “ the growing markets of Asia obviously represent very exciting opportunities to many international publishers. We are very pleased to be able to work with Paul Woodward and his team at BSG to bring together our portfolio of leading international publishers and their network of contacts across Asia”.

On behalf of BSG, Paul Woodward noted “as Asia’s publishers continue to build their B2B activities, there are many interesting new ways in which they can work together with the well-established publishers in North America and elsewhere in the world who are represented by Cue Ball. We look forward to developing this exciting new part of our business”.

B2B publishers in Asia who are interested in these opportunities should contact BSG CEO Paul Woodward or Director Kim Cheng for more information.

For information, please contact:
Paul Woodward, Principal, Business Strategies Group Ltd.
Tel: +852 2525 6163
e-mail: paul@bsgasia.com

Global Sources moves to consolidate position with large retail buyers
Issued: Monday, 13th March, 2008


Hong Kong, 13th March: Business Strategies Group (BSG), the only consultancy in Asia specialising in B2B media and events, has released a new report profiling Global Sources. 2007 was a good year for Global Sources. Revenues grew by 16% reaching US$182 million. GAAP net income was US$24 million – down 15% from the 2006 figure primarily due to the write down of an
acquisition and increasing non-cash compensation expenses.

The report also notes some key developments in Global Sources' strategy in 2007.

• The company continues to refine its strategic focus on large buyers by holding over 80 private sourcing events and strengthening the supplier verification services that they provide. BSG concludes that the successful execution of this strategy will be a key component of creating differentiation between Global Sources and the more SME focused Alibaba.com.
  
• In November, Global Sources entered China's online domestic sourcing market with the launch of www.globalsources.com.cn. BSG comments that this will put the company in head-to-head competition with Alibaba.com's Chinese language sourcing site. Alibaba.com has a formidable head start and it will be interesting to see how much traction Global Sources can gain in 2008.
  
• The report notes that Global Sources is committed to growing its presence in India in 2008. It has said that it will add sales staff, launch new exhibitions there and host private sourcing events which target large retail buyers.
  
  BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented “we are expecting another eventful year for Global Sources – one of the most important companies we cover - as they focus resources on building up their presence in India as well as their domestic B2B sourcing service in mainland China. It will also be important to keep a close watch on their efforts to offer deeper supplier verification services which is a key component in their strategy to serve the larger buyer segment and differentiate their company from Alibaba.com.” This BSG report was distributed on 12th March to BSG subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. The report features over 20 pages of information and analysis covering Global Sources key products, competitors, financial data and a review of the company's overall corporate strategy. It is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.
  

For information, please contact:
Paul Woodward, Principal, Business Strategies Group Ltd.
Tel: +852 2525 6163
e-mail: paul@bsgasia.com

BSG releases ranking of publicly-listed Asian B2B media companies
Issued: Monday, 14th January, 2008

Hong Kong, 14th January: Business Strategies Group (BSG), the only consultancy in Asia specialising in B2B media and events, has released a new report covering all publicly-traded Asian B2B media companies. The report ranks 25 companies by revenue, gross profit and market capitalisation. It also provides profiles of all 25 companies featuring key financial metrics, the share price performance over the past 12 months and other data such as key shareholders and core business description.

In terms of revenues, Pico Far East, which provides marketing, logistical and advertising services to exhibition organizers, is the largest with revenues of US$231 million. Alibaba.com is a new-comer to BSG’s ranking. The company debuts in the number two position with revenues of US$176 million in 2006. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) with revenues of nearly US$173 million for its publishing and exhibitions activities ranks third. Xinhua Finance (US$167 million) and Global Sources (US$156 million) round out the top five.

As of 8 January, the market capitalization of the top 25 companies ranges from Alibaba.com’s US$16.8 billion down to Hong Kong-listed CCID Consulting which has a market capitalization of just US$7.7 million. Three companies have a market cap of over US$1 billion – Alibaba.com, Baidu (US$11.4 billion) and Global Sources (US$1.1 billion). Surprisingly, Shenzhen- listed Zhejiang Netsun with revenues of just US$8 million ranks fourth with a market cap of US$604 million. NASDAQ-listed Xinhua Finance Media completes the top five with a market capitalization of US$383 million.

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented “we expect the top five companies to continue to expand rapidly. Both Alibaba.com and Xinhua Financial recently completed IPOs and BSG anticipates that both companies will pursue acquisitions as a means of growth. Meanwhile, Global Sources is also aggressively expanding its successful series of sourcing trade shows in new locations such as Dubai and India.”

This BSG report was distributed on 10th January to BSG subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. It is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

For information, please contact:
Paul Woodward, Principal, Business Strategies Group Ltd.
Tel: +852 2525 6163
e-mail: paul@bsgasia.com

• A list of the top 80 trade associations in China including events they support, membership figures and number of offices
• A list of the top associations ranked by their involved in the top 50 events in China
• A detailed table outlining the top exhibitions in China and the trade associations that support those events
• A directory of the top trade associations in China including contact details (website, email, telephone number) when available
• A list profiling the top exhibitions in China

Comprehensive report on Alibaba.com comments on market value and competition
Issued: Monday, 5th November, 2007


Hong Kong, 5th November: A report just published in Hong Kong provides unique analysis of Alibaba.com, the divisions of the Alibaba Group to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 6th November. The report has been researched and written by the only consultancy in Asia specializing in B2B media, information and events, Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG).

Alibaba.com is the B2B division of the Alibaba Group. When its stocks start trading on the Hong Kong market, it will be valued at some US$8.8 billion – almost five times BSG’s estimated total size of the China B2B media market in 2007. BSG’s estimates the total B2B media marketplace in mainland China including exhibitions, online and magazines in 2006 was US$1.41 billion. This market is growing rapidly at 25 – 30% a year, but despite the strong growth, Alibaba.com’s IPO still values the company at several times the total market size.

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented “there is justifiably a huge amount of interest in Alibaba. It’s an exciting company and combines some of the most interesting aspects of China and the Internet. However, there hasn’t so far been too much effort to place the parts of the company being listed in the context of the market in which they operate. It’s not the general Internet business being listed here, but the B2B media operations. That’s not the same thing and careful comparisons are required”.

The report includes a detailed comparison with Nasdaq-listed Global Sources, Alibaba.com’s most direct competitor among B2B media companies. It also describes possible strategies that BSG’s consulting team believes Alibaba.com will pursue in order to justify the huge valuation given by the market to the company at the time of its IPO.

The report BSG has produced was distributed on 2nd November to subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. It is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

For information, please contact:
Paul Woodward, Principal, Business Strategies Group Ltd.
Tel: +852 2525 6163
e-mail: paul@bsgasia.com

Strong growth reported in Asia/Pacific exhibitions in new UFI market report
Issued: Tuesday, 10th July, 2007

June 25, 2006 - Paris/Hong Kong: Strong growth across most markets in Asia is reported in a new and fully-updated third edition of UFI's ground-breaking research study of the trade fair market in Asia. The research and analysis was once again undertaken for UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, by Business Strategies Group (BSG) in Hong Kong.

Highlights include 22.7% year-on-year growth in exhibition space sales across the region, with 33% growth in China, the largest market and 48% growth in Hong Kong, now third largest. The fastest growing country, although still currently relatively small, was Vietnam where sales soared 78%.

The report provides detailed information on the development of exhibitions and supporting facilities in 14 markets: Australia has this year been added to Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The report includes data on actual market performance in 2006 as well as forecasts and commentary on key trends in the market place.

Vincent Gérard, UFI Managing Director, commented, “The second edition of the Asia/Pacific trade fairs report was purchased by even more people than the first edition and has clearly established itself as the authoritative document on our industry in Asia. Research is becoming increasingly important to UFI and its members and it is important that benchmarks such as the data in this report can be set”. Once again, as an added-value service, each UFI member will be entitled to receive a 6 page executive summary of the research and to purchase the full report at a substantial discount. The report has again been edited by UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager and BSG Principal, Paul Woodward. He commented, “Last year we described the growth in Asia as “solid”. This year, I would have to describe it as remarkable. New opportunities are emerging across the Asia/Pacific and we are seeing some world-class events emerging in the largest markets. The data in this report will allow UFI members and others to plan their business development with a foundation of solid market information”.

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, promotes, serves and represents the trade fair industry worldwide. Via its member organisations, including the world’s leading show organisers and fairground operators, national and international professional associations and industry partners, UFI is present in 76 countries on 6 continents. UFI members are responsible for the management and operation of over 4,500 exhibitions around the world.

For more information, please contact:

190 industry professionals meet in Seoul for the 2nd UFI Open Seminar in Asia
Issued: Thursday, 12th April, 2007

March 12, 2007 – Paris/Seoul: UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry has organized its second open seminar in Asia in Seoul. It attracted 190 industry professionals from around the world to Seoul from March 8-9 at the COEX exhibition and convention centre. Jointly hosted by the Association of Korea Exhibition Industries (AKEI) and KOTRA (the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency), the event addressed two key themes on "Improving Your Exhibition Competitiveness" and "The Changing Role of Venues in Successful Exhibition Business".

UFI Incoming President Mr. Cliff Wallace welcomed delegates from 18 countries and regions to the event, saying “we are delighted to ontinue the tradition of strong and well-attended seminars in Asia that began last year in Hong Kong. We thank your Korean friends for the great support that they have given this event and UFI”.

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will hold the second UFI Open Seminar in Asia in Seoul, Korea from 8-9 March 2007. Following the successful model of the first Asia seminar held in Hong Kong in 2006, the event will be open to all professionals in the exhibition industry.

The seminar will be jointly hosted by two UFI members - the Korean national trade promotion organization, KOTRA and the Association of orean Exhibition Industries (AKEI), a national association. A group of senior level representatives from around the world is expected in eoul to share their practical experience in the exhibition business through ten interesting topics. The Seminar will focus on two key hemes, “Improving Your Exhibition Competitiveness” and “The Changing Role of Venues in Successful Exhibition Business”.
The UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2007 welcomes UFI members and non-members to participate and registration is now open.

A distinguished panel of presenters has been assembled for the programme including:

• Prof. Dr. Bong-Seok Kim, Professor of Trade Fair & Exhibition Management, Kyung Hee University, Korea.
• Katharina Hamma, Executive Director, Messe München GmbH, Germany.
• Ross Yaeger, Vice President, MindComet Corp., USA.
• Silvana Kürschner, Director – Marketing Management/CRM/Alliances, Leipziger Messe GmbH, Germany.
• Michael Dreyer, Vice-President Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd, Singapore.
• Eric Préat, Vice President Product Development, easyFairs, Belgium.
• Warren Buckley, Managing Director, Suntec Singapore, Singapore.
• Pojai Pookakupt, Director of the Board, Chair Person of Education Committee, Thailand Convention
  and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Thailand.
• Paul Thandi, Chief Executive, The NEC Group, UK.
  

The Seminar runs from 2:00 – 5:30PM on Thursday 8th and 9:00 – 12:00 on Friday 9th in Crystal Ballroom 1 at the Lotte Hotel Seoul. Full programme and registration details are available at www.ufi.org/seoul2007.

BSG launches comprehensive market intelligence service
Issued: Monday, 23rd October, 2006

HONG KONG, October 16, 2006 – Business Strategies Group (BSG) has announced the launch of a new subscription service. The Asian Business Media Tracker will provide subscribers with privileged access to unique market data.

The BSG Tracker service is designed to assist senior executives at exhibition organisers, B2B publishers, business information providers, exhibition venue operators, venture capital and private equity groups, trade promotion bodies and other governmental organizations.

The service offers nine different and comprehensive reports. They are:

1. Weekly newsletter
2. Industry reports
3. Profiles of major B2B media companies in Asia
4. Tracking of listed B2B media companies in Asia
5. Key exhibition venues in Asia
6. Directory of the top 25 exhibition organisers in Asia
7. List of the top 100 trade fairs in Asia
8. B2B online media report
9. B2B publishing report

BSG founder, Paul Woodward, commented: “The Asian Business Media Tracker is an entirely unique service in Asia. BSG is leveraging its position as the only research and consultancy in Asia wholly focused on business media issues. This new service enables us to provide our clients with a powerful tool that will help them formulate strategy and gain a competitive edge in their markets.”

The Asian Business Media Tracker begins service on November 1st, 2006 and fees are set at US$3,500 for an annual subscription. Special packages are available to companies purchasing multiple subscriptions.

About Business Strategies Group
Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG) is a specialist consultancy firm serving the business media, events and information industries. Founded in Hong Kong in 2000 its services include business intelligence, business development and strategy planning, and commercial due diligence for the business media and events industries. The team managing the company is experienced in start-up management, mergers and acquisitions, e-business conceptualisation and strategy development, planning development and implementation, corporate management and multi-national business operations.

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry appointed BSG to run its Asia/Pacific office in January 2004. The Asia/Pacific office is charged with developing market analysis and strategic plans for the development of UFI in the region, promoting UFI membership opportunities and assisting the UFI Asia/Pacific Chapter in its programme of activities. BSG has also been appointed by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) to assist it with its promotional activities in Asia and by BPA World-wide to assist with the development of events industry audits across Asia.

For further information on BSG, please visit: www.bsgasia.com

Hong Kong China 1 May, 2006 - Under a recently signed agreement, Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG) will work to enhance and support BPA Worldwide's Events Audit offering in Asia.

Hong Kong-based BSG will assist in marketing new BPA Event memberships and supporting existing members in Asian countries through non-auditing customer services activities. BSG is Asia's only consultancy supporting business media and events.

"BPA offers world-respected standards in events attendance auditing, as well as circulation auditing of publications and other media, and it has proven its commitment to China and greater Asia,"said Paul Woodward, Principal of BSG. "We are proud to be working with BPA to help Asian event producers provide their exhibitors and sponsors with solid assurance of attendance and audience demographics data."

"In an increasingly crowded market, the better-quality exhibition organisers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors," Woodward added. "Providing properly audited data to their customers is an excellent way to do that. At the same time, the major international exhibitors in Asia expect organisers to adhere to the same quality benchmarks they are demanding elsewhere in the world."

"We have been doing newspaper and magazine audits in Asia for over a decade now and, with expositions and events of all kinds on a major growth curve, we feel that the time is rightto make the benefits of the BPA Event Audit known in this region," said BPA President and CEO Glenn Hansen.

"Exhibitors throughout the world want third-party verification of what they are getting in return for their events investments, and BPA is leading the way in supplying these important metrics."

About BPA Worldwide A not-for-profit organization since 1931, BPA Worldwide is governed by a tripartite board comprising media owners, advertising agencies and advertisers. Headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, USA, with its Asian regional office in Beijing, PRC,BPA has the largest membership of any media-auditing organization in the world, spanning more than 25 countries. Media members/applicants include more than 2,000 B-to-B publications, 500 consumer magazines, plus newspapers, events and trade shows, Web sites, email newsletters, databases, wireless and other advertiser-supported media. BPA members also include more than 2,600 advertiser and agency members. Visit www.bpaww.com for the latest audit reports, membership information and industry news.

About BSG: Business Strategies Ltd., headquartered in Hong Kong, is the leading consultant to the Asian business media and exhibitions industries. BSG supports local and international business media with a variety of consultancy services, including business intelligence; competitive and market research; new product launches; identifying potential merger and acquisition partners; assisting with planning and negotiating M&A's; and opening new geographic markets. In the exhibitions industry, BSG runs the Asia/Pacific office of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and consults for the Thailand Convention & Exhibitions Bureau (TCEB and many of the world's leading exhibition organisers. Visit www.bsgasia.com for more information.

For more information, please contact:

October 6, 2005, Paris: UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will hold a 2006 UFI Open Asia/Pacific Seminar in Hong Kong from 21-22 February 2006. This UFI event will be open to everyone in the exhibition industry.

Hosted by the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the seminar will be looking at topics certain to provide valuable information to all exhibition professionals. A team of 10 top level presenters from around the world will place their emphasis on practical content and make use of case studies from fairs they are running. The focus of the presentations will be on two key themes, “The Key Role of Visitors” and “Innovative IT Solutions for Your Exhibition Business.”

Presentations will range from new techniques for developing exciting visitor promotion campaigns, to value-added loyalty programmes, and the potential benefits of data mining. A session certain to capture the attention of everyone will be devoted to “the 365-day trade fair: how can technology keep your exhibition alive throughout the year?”

The UFI 2006 UFI Asia/Pacific Seminar will be open to UFI members and non-members. Additional seminar information will be available shortly on the UFI website at www.ufi.org

UFI has experienced a strong surge in membership from the Asia/Pacific region in recent years which led the association to open its regional office in Hong Kong in 2004. Building on this momentum, UFI will be holding its 73rd UFI Congress in Beijing, China, from November 11-13, 2006.

The 67 page report provides detailed information on the development of exhibitions and supporting facilities in 13 markets: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It includes an estimate of the size of the market at the end of 2005 and forecasts for growth in 2005.

Ruud van Ingen, UFI President, commented, "UFI recognised the growing importance of the Asian region to our members last year when we opened our Hong Kong office. An important part of the service we offer is to help the industry understand better these fastgrowing markets. There has been very little solid research available until now". As an added-value service, each UFI member will be entitled to receive a 6 page executive summary of the research and to purchase the full report at a substantial discount.

The report has been edited by UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager and BSG Principal, Paul Woodward. He commented, "we have been building our database of exhibition industry activity over the past five years. This report is the culmination of that effort and we look forward to it becoming an annual publication which will allow the industry leaders who are UFI members to track the growth of our industry in Asia."

Announcing the appointment of BSG, TCEB Director-General, Peerapong Oeusoonthornwattana said, “Thailand already has a tremendous reputation as a leisure travel destination across East Asia. Our goal is to establish just as strong a reputation in people’s minds for Thailand’s appeal as a business events destination. BSG has a team with great knowledge and understanding of how business events work in China and the rest of East Asia and we look forward to working with them to develop our promotional activities together”.

BSG Principal Paul Woodward commented, “We are very pleased to be working with the TCEB on this exciting project. Thailand is an attractive destination for all types of business travel and we look forward to working with the corporate travel, conventions and exhibitions teams as they develop their promotional activities. We are delighted to have been selected for this work which is a tribute to the good work that the BSG team has been doing in the last few years”. A new project manager, Ms. Carol Tsang, has joined BSG to focus on this work, Woodward added.

*** INFORMATION FOR EDITORS ***

TCEB – AN INTEGRATED ONE-STOP SERVICE FOR MICE Promoting and Facilitating the Organisation of Meetings, Incentive Events, Conventions and Exhibitions in Thailand The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has been entrusted with the promotion of association and corporate meetings, incentive events, conventions and exhibitions held in Thailand.

In its role as a single, coordinating gateway, TCEB acts as a coordination and facilitation centre for MICE business operators, offering an integrated one-stop service for Thailand’s MICE industry and extending support to organisations involved in the hosting of events in Thailand. TCEB assistance includes assisting partners in the bidding process for major events to be held in Thailand.

BSG is a Hong Kong-based consultancy which specialises in business media. The firm focuses a good deal of its work on the conventions, meetings and exhibitions industry and also runs the Asia/Pacific regional office of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

BSG’s Principal and founder, Paul Woodward, has been based in Asia since 1985 and involved in all aspects of business media in that period. Prior to founding BSG in 2000, Paul was a Director of Miller Freeman Asia, now CMP Asia, the region’s largest commercial exhibitions organiser. There he was responsible for regional strategy development, corporate communications and businesses around the Asia-Pacific region.

BSG’s work involves market entry studies, competitive intelligence, product launch planning, mergers and acquisitions advisory work as well as feasibility studies for new events venues.

10 December, 2005, Paris: The Board of Directors of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry has decided to extend the appointment of Business Strategies Group to run its Asia/Pacific office for an additional two years. BSG's Paul Woodward was appointed as Regional Manager of UFI's first ever office outside Europe in January 2004 and will continue in that role until at least the end of 2006. The office will continue to be based in Hong Kong.

UFI has experienced a strong surge in membership from Asia in recent years and this led to the decision to open an office. Since opening the Asia/Pacific office in January, 22 new members from the region have joined, an increase of almost exactly 50%.

Speaking after the Board's decision made at UFI's 71st Congress in Bangkok, Managing Director Vincent Gerard said, "Asia is the fastest-growing part of the world for the exhibitions industry. It is very important that UFI, as the industry's leading international association, is well represented here. We have been very pleased to work with Paul Woodward and his team in the past year. It allows us to be much closer to our members in the Asia/Pacific region and to make sure that UFI is really representing their needs as well as we can".

Paul Woodward commented, "We have found that UFI already enjoys a tremendous reputation in Asia. There are many companies interested in joining and working more closely with UFI and we have been pleased to be able to help to boost membership in the region. We are very pleased to have been reappointed for another two years to run the office and are looking forward to working with the new UFI Asia/Pacific Chapter Chairman, Mme. Chen Ruo-wei, to develop new activities to serve our members.

The office is charged with developing market analysis and strategic plans for the development of UFI in the region, promoting UFI membership opportunities and assisting the UFI Asia/Pacific Chapter in its programme of activities. Michael Duck, UFI Asia/Pacific Chapter Chairman, stated, "this is a historic event for UFI as the global association promoting, serving and representing the exhibition industry. UFI must have a regional office ready to meet the specific needs of our dynamic industry growth in the area."

Ruud van Ingen, UFI President, highlighted the future of UFI in the region by stating, "UFI is vital to the development of the trade fairs and exhibition industry in the region. The facilitation of information exchange provided by our association is necessary for the development of the international professional quality standards which our clients expect."

BSG was founded in 2000 and has since become the respected source for business intelligence and strategy consulting in the Asia Pacific region with a specific focus on business media and trade fairs. Paul Woodward, BSG's founder, brings almost 20 years of Asian trade fair experience to the new UFI office. Woodward declared, "trade fair organisers, exhibition centre operators and exhibition industry service providers all respect the quality of UFI as the global exhibition association. I look forward to this opportunity to support UFI as it moves forward with new programmes and initiatives in the Asia/Pacific region."

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, promotes, serves and represents the trade fair and exhibition industry worldwide. Via its 289 member organisations, including the world's leading show organisers and fairground owners, 43 professional associations and 13 industry partners, UFI is present in 71 countries in 159 cities on 5 continents. Members are responsible for the management and operation of over 4,000 exhibitions around the world.

The UFI Asia/Pacific office is fully operational at:

Business Strategies Group
1101, Wilson House
19, Wyndham Street
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2525 6129
Fax: +852 2525 6171
email: asia@ufi.org

UFI Opens Asia/Pacific Office - Moving ahead
Issued: Monday, 19th January, 2004

Paris/Hong Kong: Requests for support from trade fair representatives in the Asia/Pacific region are so intense that UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, has opened an office in Hong Kong to meet industry demand.

Business Strategies Group (BSG) of Hong Kong has been selected for a one year period to represent UFI in the region. Paul Woodward takes on the task of Manager for the UFI Asia/Pacific office effective immediately.

The office is charged with developing market analysis and strategic plans for the development of UFI in the region, promoting UFI membership opportunities and assisting the UFI Asia/Pacific Chapter in its programme of activities. Michael Duck, UFI Asia/Pacific Chapter Chairman, stated, "this is a historic event for UFI as the global association promoting, serving and representing the exhibition industry. UFI must have a regional office ready to meet the specific needs of our dynamic industry growth in the area."

Ruud van Ingen, UFI President, highlighted the future of UFI in the region by stating, "UFI is vital to the development of the trade fairs and exhibition industry in the region. The facilitation of information exchange provided by our association is necessary for the development of the international professional quality standards which our clients expect."

BSG was founded in 2000 and has since become the respected source for business intelligence and strategy consulting in the Asia Pacific region with a specific focus on business media and trade fairs. Paul Woodward, BSG's founder, brings almost 20 years of Asian trade fair experience to the new UFI office. Woodward declared, "trade fair organisers, exhibition centre operators and exhibition industry service providers all respect the quality of UFI as the global exhibition association. I look forward to this opportunity to support UFI as it moves forward with new programmes and initiatives in the Asia/Pacific region."

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, promotes, serves and represents the trade fair and exhibition industry worldwide. Via its 248 member organisations, including the world's leading show organisers and fairground owners, 37 professional associations and 11 industry partners, UFI is present in 74 countries in 154 cities on 5 continents. Members are responsible for the management and operation of over 4,000 exhibitions around the world.

The UFI Asia/Pacific office is fully operational at:

Business Strategies Group
1101, Wilson House
19, Wyndham Street
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2525 6129
Fax: +852 2525 6171
email: asia@ufi.orgg

Big boost in China trade fairs as print media hit by advertising slow down says new report
Issued: Tuesday, 15th October, 2002

HONG KONG - A new research study has shows that the trade fairs business, particularly in mainland China, has expanded through the current period of recession. At the same time, print media has been hit by the slowdown in advertising spending, particularly for the important IT and telecoms sector.

The report, produced by Hong Kong media consultancy, Business Strategies Group Ltd. is the first update of the its ground-breaking review of B2B media in southeast Asia and Greater China published first in 2001. That was the first ever systematic study of the size and structure of business media in the region. The unique database which underpins the new report has been completely re-researched to reflect full year data for 2001 and trends emerging in 2002.

BSG Principal Paul Woodward says "this new report shows that there is great resilience in the trade fairs industry even in times of economic downturn. Volumes have been growing particularly in China as a lot of new space is added into the market. Prices are another matter and there is clearly some pressure of profitability in the industry. At the same time, we're seeing advertising down pretty much across the board".

"In this edition, we have refined our methodology and added a number of new features that our clients have been requesting. We've also been able to provide year-on-year comparisons for the first time", Woodward comments.

Two Hong Kong-based trade fair companies have been listed since the 2001 report was completed so BSG has added an analysis of the performance of listed B2B media companies active in the region. Hong Kong's Kenfair trade fair company emerges as the best performing of the 14 listed companies active in the region. As well as companies listed in Hong Kong and Singapore, this includes international companies headquartered and listed in the US and UK.

The report is primarily designed to provide a 'roadmap' to the industry in Asia: revenues by geography, market and business type, who is who, key players, trends, geographical spread and industry trends.

The number one company in the Asian B2B Top 20 rankings remains US IT publishing giant IDG which has established a very powerful position in China with long-term investments since the mid-1980s. The highest local media organisation in second place is the Hong Kong Trade Development Council with Nasdaq-listed Global Sources in 3rd.

The report is designed for executives working within the media, investment advisors, private equity firms and analysts who may wish to cover the industry. It will also be helpful to government planners who are developing trade fair and convention centre infrastructure and to those planning B2B on-line media infrastructure developments.

Business Strategies Group

Paul Woodward
Tel: +852-2525 6120
e-mail: paul@bsgasia.com

China largest market, Hong Kong main corporate centre for business media says new report
Issued: Monday, 27th August, 2001

HONG KONG - A new research study has shows that mainland China is already the largest market for business-to-business media in the Greater China/south-east Asia region. Within the Asian B2B Top 20 rankings in the report Hong Kong has the highest concentration of headquarters of business media companies in the region surveyed.

The report, produced by Hong Kong media consultancy, Business Strategies Group Ltd. is the first ever systematic study of the size and structure of business media in the region. It has required six months of original research to compile.

Paul Woodward of BSG says "this is the less glamorous end of the media business and yet for the region we have surveyed it is already a US$1 billion + industry. It provides the under-pinning for much of the region's international trade and it is emerging in China as the one of the key foundations for new systems of domestic business and distribution".

The report is primarily designed to provide a 'roadmap' to the industry in Asia: revenues by geography, market and business type, who is who, key players, trends, geographical spread and industry trends.

The number one company in the Asian B2B Top 20 rankings is US IT publishing giant IDG which has established a very powerful position in China with long-term investments since the mid-1980s. The highest local media organisation in second place is Nasdaq-listed Global Sources in 2nd with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in 3rd place.

The report is designed for executives working within the media, investment advisors, private equity firms and analysts who may wish to cover the industry. It will also be helpful to government planners who are developing trade fair and convention centre infrastructure and to those planning B2B on-line media infrastructure developments.

For more information on the report, please contact,

Business Strategies Group

Paul Woodward
Tel: +852-2525 6120
e-mail: paul@bsgasia.com