MEET Thai Plus 2026 Shenzhen concludes

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Shenzhen, 11th September: The inaugural MEET Thai Plus 2026 Shenzhen has concluded at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center (Futian), welcoming a total of 3,976 participants.

During the event, a wide range of engaging sessions were covered, from exploring opportunities in trade and investment and connecting the MICE industry, to showcasing Thailand as a leading destination for MICE visitors. More than 1,000 appointments were held through the Business Matching programme. Of the 3,976 participants, 1,798 were B2B participants and 2,178 were B2C participants.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) aims the event to provide new opportunities, business collaborations, and to further strengthen the collaboration between Thailand and China.

Hong Kong releases latest Policy Address

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Hong Kong, 16th September: Earlier this week, Chief Executive of the HKSAR, John Lee, delivered the latest Policy Address 2026 and the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the HKSAR (2026-2030).

The two plans provided a clear blueprint for Hong Kong to reinforce its role as an international financial, trade, maritime and aviation centre. They also focused on Hong Kong’s strengthens in innovation and technology as well as cultural and talent development.

In terms of promoting the development of convention and exhibition industry, the government will take forward the Wan Chai North Redevelopment project, expanding the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and related facilities. In addition, the government has earmarked HK$100 million (US$12.7 million) to attract high-quality, large-scale international exhibitions with new elements to Hong Kong.

Chairman of the HKTDC, Professor Frederick Ma said, “With Hong Kong’s unique advantage of enjoying the mainland’s strong support while being connected to the world, our position as an international trade fair capital has been enhanced in the past few decades. However, as the scale and diversity of fairs and conferences continue to grow in Hong Kong, there is a need to expand our facilities if we are to remain competitive. That is why I fully support the Government’s proactive measure of setting up a task force led by the Deputy Financial Secretary to steer the Wan Chai North Redevelopment project.  We are pleased to have the opportunity to leverage our 60 years of expertise in this area to submit a proposal on the development approach of the project to the Government.”

Pico Thailand posts loss

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Bangkok, 10th September: Last week, Pico Thailand, the Thai-listed subsidiary of Pico Far East Holdings, released its financial results for the quarter ended 31st July 2026. Revenues in the quarter were US$5.26 million, which dropped 41% year-on-year.

The company attributed the decrease to the special government projects implemented during the same period last year, and the increased budget constraints among private-sector customers for marketing activities in the current year. During the quarter, the company posted a net loss of US$153,000, comparing with a profit of US$404,000 recorded in the same quarter last year.

Pico Thailand also announced its results for the nine months ended 31st July. Revenues in the nine-month period were US$17.7 million, down 29% year-on-year. The company posted a net loss of US$792,000, compared with a loss of US$258,000 in the same period last year.

MMI and IDA form strategic partnership

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India, 11th September: Messe Muenchen India, the Indian subsidiary of the international exhibition organiser, Messe München, has entered a strategic partnership with Indian Dairy Association (IDA) (West Zone), with IDA (West Zone) being a Strategic Association Partner of drinktec India 2026.

drinktec India 2026 will run from 28th to 30th October 2026, at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. The event is positioned as an international trade platform for the beverage, dairy and liquid food industries, expecting to bring together businesses and technology companies showcasing solutions spanning processing, packaging, filing, automation and other critical areas of production.

The partnership will create greater opportunities for industry professionals, technology providers, manufacturers and policymakers to connect, exchange knowledge and explore emerging solutions across the dairy, beverage and liquid food ecosystem.

Quick takes

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UFI releases winners of two awards

Earlier this week, UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has released its winners of the 2026 UFI Digital Innovation Award and the 2026 UFI People & Culture Award.

itemdrop, the winner of the 2026 UFI Digital Innovation Award, showcased how technology can significantly impact trade show performance and how these innovations can benefit the entire industry, under the theme of “Creating Better Event Experiences through Digital Innovation”.

The winner of the 2026 UFI People & Culture Award is Informa Markets ASEAN. With the theme “Strengthening Internal Relationships and Collaboration”, it aimed practical approaches to support performance, employee experience, and organisational resilience.

Thailand LAB INTERNATIONAL 2026 opens at BITEC

VNU Asia Pacific opened its Thailand LAB INTERNATIONAL 2026 at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok. Co-located with Bio+ HealthTech INTERNATIONAL 2026 and FutureCHEM INTERNATIONAL 2026, the events took place from 2nd to 4th September 2026, featuring more than 300 exhibitors from 15 countries, with over 500 brands and technologies, occupying an exhibition space of more than 15,000 m2. During the three days, the co-located events attracted over 13,000 visitors.

300 exhibitors at Fire Safe Build India 2026

Fire Safe Build India (FSBI) 2026 was held at Yashobhoomi (IICC), Dwarka, New Delhi. Running from 8th to 10th September 2026, the organiser, NürnbergMesse India Pvt. Ltd., focused the event on passive five protection systems and their growing importance in modern buildings and infrastructure. Some 300 exhibitors were expected to showcase at the event, with more than 20,000 visitors attending the event.