Seven Asia partners with HJT International Exhibition

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Asia, 16th February: Comexposium Group’s Seven Asia has announced to form a strategic partnership with HJT International Exhibition, a professional exhibition company from China, specialising in international technology and manufacturing exhibitions.

Under the partnership, Seven Asia will acquire a 51% stake, taking on the role of the majority shareholder. The two parties will create a joint venture as a collaborative platform for managing large-scale industrial exhibitions internationally.

The two parties will introduce more innovative exhibition standards and tackle future industry challenges. The collaboration will facilitate international exhibitions, which include China International Brush Industry Exhibition (CIBRUSH) 2027, Interfoam China 2026, and SurfacePME 2026.

Elaine Chia, CEO Asia-Pacific of Comexposium, said, “The Asia-Pacific region, and particularly the Chinese market, plays an important role in Comexposium’s global plan due to the region’s rapidly growing economy and increasing demand for exhibitions and trade shows. This partnership effectively leverages the strengths of all parties and represents a significant path to rapidly implement the group’s localization strategy, while also providing the new joint venture with access to the group’s technology, resources, and global network.”

TCEB unveils strategic direction for MICE industry

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Thailand, 13th February: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has unveiled its roadmap to drive Thailand’s MICE industry in 2026, by launching the TCEB Strategic Direction 2026, “From Change that Matters to Impact that Lasts”.

The new strategic harnesses insights from global Brand research to transform Thailand’s core industry strengths into compelling national and regional value proposition. Key highlights will include advancing internationally recognised sustainability standards, strengthening data, intelligence and innovation as key marketing drivers, and enhancing regulatory flexibility through closer collaboration with related government agencies.

TCEB also unveiled its “TCEB Go” strategic into three implementation concepts:

·       Shift for Impact for international markets

·       Change for Growth for domestic markets and destination development, and

·       Meaningful Trust, which focuses on building confidence through recognised standards, services and tangible support system.

TCEB also targets a growth of 10% for Thailand’s MICE industry in 2026, targeting 29.4 million MICE travellers in total, with 28.2 million domestic travellers and 1.2 million international travellers. Total MICE revenues will be Baht 163 billion (US$5.16 billion), which includes Baht 92 billion (US$2.91 billion) from domestic travellers and Baht 71 billion (US$2.25 billion) from international travellers.

Baidu’s revenues down 3% in FY 2025

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Beijing, 26th February: Last week, Baidu, the leading search engine in China, announced its financial results for the year ended 31st December 2025. The company reported revenues of US$18 billion, down 3% year-on-year. The company claimed the decrease to the Legacy Business, partially offset by an increase in Baidu Core AI-powered Business.

Net income for the year was US$799 million, compared with the figure of US$3.3 billion last year. Diluted earnings per share for 2025 were RMB 11.78 (US$1.68).

Robin Li, Co-founder and CEO of Baidu, was quoted, “2025 marked a pivotal year as AI became the new core of Baidu. AI Cloud Infra gained strong momentum, with our differentiated full-stack end-to-end AI capabilities earning growing enterprise recognition. Our portfolio of AI applications continued to scale, addressing diverse needs across enterprises and individuals. Apollo Go further reinforced its global leadership, operating at industry-leading scales while accelerating international expansion into new markets. Meanwhile, AI-native Marketing Services continued to grow, unlocking new possibilities for the long term. As our AI-first strategy takes clear shape, we’re confident in our ability to create lasting value in the AI era.”

For the quarter ended 31st December, Baidu reported revenues of US$4.7 billion, up 5% year-on-year. However, net income for the quarter dropped 66%, down to US$255 million.

BOL records increase in revenues and profits

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Bangkok, 10th February: Business Online (BOL), a leading online information service provider in Thailand, has recently reported its financial results for the year ended 31st December 2025. Revenue for the year was US$26 million, representing year-on-year increase of 11%. BOL’s net profit for the year grew 5.5%, reaching US$9.2 million. Diluted earnings per share for the year were Baht 0.35 (US$0.011).

More than 93% of BOL’s revenue was generated from its service business, amounting to US$24 million, an increase of 6.4% year-on-year. The remaining revenue was generated from the dividend income (US$1.6 million) and “other income” (US$11,000).

BOL attributed the increase in revenues to the increase income in information services and data & risk management services. The increase in personnel expenses and foreign exchange losses resulted in the increase in net profit.

1,800+ MICE events held in Macau in 2025

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Macau, 13th February: Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) has released its MICE statistics for the year 2025, reporting a total of 1,861 MICE events were held in Macau in the year, up 22% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the total number of participants and attendees increased by 11%, reaching 1,473,000.

Of the 1,861 MICE events held during the year, 1,737 were meetings and conferences, which grew by 22% year-on-year. The total number of participants at meetings and conferences rose 19%, amounting at 218,000.

A total of 65 exhibitions were held in Macau in 2025, which is 4 exhibitions more than in 2024. The number of attendees was up by 10%, to 1,247,000 attendees. Meanwhile, the total gross area occupied by these exhibitions grew 12% year-on-year, covering a total area of 519,900 m2.

At the same time, DSEC also reported its MICE statistics for the fourth quarter of 2025. A total of 564 MICE events were held in Macau during the quarter, up 21% year-on-year. The total number of participants and attendees jumped 50% from the fourth quarter of 2024, to 487,000. The increase in participants and attendees was primarily due to new large-scale exhibitions were launched in Macau in the quarter.

Quick takes

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Messe Frankfurt new partnerships in India

International exhibition organiser, Messe Frankfurt, announced new strategic partnerships to strengthening its portfolio in India. Partnership between Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India and BusinessLive Trade Fairs will be able to develop Media Expo. Through the acquisition of five Sign India Expo, Media will be staged at five major exhibition hubs in India.

Comexposium appoints new head in India

Comexposium, France-based international event organiser, has appointed Sajid Desai as its President & Country Head – India, reflecting the company’s strategic expansion in one of the fastest-growing trade and consumption markets. He has more than 30 years of experience in international leadership across events, exhibition, media, and digital platforms. He has held senior leadership positions in various leading exhibition organisers in the world.

New Executive Director of Messe Stuttgart China

Messe Stuttgart announced the appointment of Lisa Moi as its new Executive Director of Nanjing Stuttgart Joint Exhibition Ltd, a Messe Stuttgart subsidiary, effective 1st January 2026. She succeeded Hans Stoter, who has been in the position for seven years. She has over 20 years of experience in the Chinese trade fair business, including holding leadership positions at various international organisers.

HKTDC welcomes the 2026-27 Budget

Last week, the Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Paul Chan, released the latest 2026-27 Budget, reflecting the government’s determination and proactive approach to growing the economy, driving development and improving people’s livelihoods. The government will allocate HK$100 million (US$13 million) to attract international, large-scale exhibitions with new elements.