Messe Frankfurt acquires expo in Beijing

Shanghai/Beijing, 13th November: International exhibition organiser, Messe Frankfurt GmbH’s Greater China headquarters, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Beijing Traders-Link Plus International Exhibition Company, the organiser of the Automotive Maintenance & Repair Expo (AMR) in Beijing. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Under the terms of the deal, the two companies will form a new joint venture, Messe Frankfurt Traders-Link (Beijing) Company, in which Messe Frankfurt will hold the majority interest. AMR, held every spring in Beijing, covers a wide range of auto maintenance and repair sectors, including garage equipment, testing & diagnostic equipment and tools, coating, collision repair, car care and car wash, chain stores, training and software.

190,000+ buyers at HKTDC autumn fairs

Hong Kong, 15th November: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) organised seven trade fairs during October and November. More than 9,500 exhibitors showcased their products and services at the autumn fairs and over 190,000 buyers from 176 countries and regions visited the trade fairs. Both figures are in line with last year’s figures.

Of the seven trade fairs, five of them took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), including Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition), electronicAsia, Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition), Hong Kong Optical Fair, and Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair; while the Hong Kong International Outdoor and Tech Light Expo, and Eco Expo Asia were held at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE).

Alibaba generates US$25 billion of GMV during ‘Singles Day’

Hangzhou, 11th November: China’s largest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group, announced that it processed a record gross merchandise volume (GMV) through Alipay on Alibaba’s China and international retail marketplaces during its “Global Shopping Festival” on 11th November. The promotion is also known as “Singles Day.” The GMV amounted to RMB 168.2 billion (US$25.3 billion), an impressive year-on-year increase of 39%.

According to Alibaba, mobile GMV accounted for 90% of total GMV, compared to 82% in the previous year. During the Global Shopping Festival, Alipay processed 1.48 billion payment transactions, up 41% over last year and the Cainiao Network processed 812 million delivery orders from Alibaba’s marketplaces.

Reed Korea partners with Exporum to organise café expo

Seoul, 9th November: Last week, Exporum and Reed Exhibitions, an international exhibition organiser, announced plans to form a strategic alliance to organise the Seoul International Café Show.

Launched in 2002, Seoul International Café Show claims to be Asia’s largest B2B2C café exhibition covering the coffee, tea, bakery items and dessert segments. Every year, the show features 580 exhibitors and more than 150,000 visitors, covering 37,000 m2 of exhibition area with 2,000 booths.

Hannover Milano Fairs to co-organise 2018 Fastener Show

Shanghai, 13th November: International exhibition organiser, Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd., has announced plan to cooperate with the China General Machine Components Industry Association (CMCA) and the China Fastener Industry Association of China General Machine Components Industry Association to organise International Fastener Show China (Fastener Show) in 2018.

Hannover Milano Fairs aims to develop the show into the largest highest-level exhibition serving the fastener industry in China by expanding and upgrading the show. The 2018 Fastener Show will run from 21st to 23rd October at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. It is expected to cover an exhibition area of 34,000 m2 showcasing over 700 exhibitors of products including molds, fastener technologies and services, stampings, lathe parts and fastener other materials.

Horti Asia signs an MoU

Bangkok, 15th November: Earlier this week, VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Limited, announced that the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on behalf of its Horti Asia event and the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) which will focus on collaborative education opportunities and act as a knowledge platform for the horticultural industry in Asia.

Under the terms of the MoU, an international forum will be held at Horti Asia 2018, running from 22nd to 24th August at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangkok, Thailand. ISIH has over 7,000 members worldwide and it aims to provide up-to-date information on global horticultural research.

BOL records modest growth in Q3

Bangkok, 10th November: Business Online (BOL), a leading online information service provider in Thailand, released its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2017. Revenues in the third quarter were US$3.2 million, an increase of 3.2% year-on-year. Net profit in the quarter grew 6.0% to US$467,000.

At the same time, BOL also reported its results for the nine-month period ended 30th September. Revenues in the period were US$9.7 million, up 4.9% over the same period last year. The company’s net profit in the nine-month period increased 10% year-on-year, reaching US$1.9 million. Diluted earnings per share in the first nine months of 2017 were Baht 0.08 (US$0.0024).

Share price movement in B2B media companies involved in Asia

Figure 1: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement over past 12 months)

Figure 2: BSG B2B Media Index vs. All Tracked B2B Stocks (price movement since January 2017)

Comexposium acquires China stationery fair

Shanghai, 9th November: France-based international exhibition organiser, Comexposium has acquired the China Stationery Fair in Shanghai. A joint venture company, Comexposium-CSF (Shanghai) Limited, was formed as a result of the deal. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Positioned as the largest trade exhibition of its kind in Asia, the annual China Stationery Fair features some 1,000 exhibitors covering a wide range of stationery categories including writing instruments, office and school supplies and electronic-greeting cards amongst many others. The event is supported by the China Commerce Association of General Merchandise (CCAGM).

Alibaba Group’s profit jumps 146% in Q2

Hangzhou, 2nd November: Last week, the Alibaba Group released its results for the quarter ended 30th September 2017. The company posted total revenues of US$8.3 billion, up 61% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the group’s net income in the quarter jumped 146% reaching US$2.6 billion.

Revenues from Alibaba’s B2B business in China, primarily generated through 1688.com, grew by 19% to US$258 million. Its international B2B business, primarily operating on Alibaba.com, generated revenues of US$248 million, a 10% year-on-year increase. In total, B2B revenues in the quarter accounted for 6.1% of overall revenues. Revenues from its cloud computing services were US$447 million, which represents a 99% increase over the same quarter in 2016. The cloud computing business now accounts for about 5.4% of the group’s total revenues.

Sino Splendid records large loss

Hong Kong, 6th November: Earlier this week, Hong Kong-listed Sino Splendid (formerly China.com) announced its financial results for the nine-month period ended 30th September 2017. Revenues in the period were US$8.1 million, a year-on-year decrease of 9.5%. The company posted a loss of US$24 million in the first nine months of 2017 compared to a profit of US$13 million in the same period in 2016.

The drop in revenue was largely due to a weak performance in its travel media business. Sino Splendid’s travel media business generated revenues of US$6.0 million in the first nine months of 2017, a decrease of 30% year-on-year and accounted for 73% of total revenues. The remaining revenues were generated from its finance magazine and its money lending business, amounting to revenues of US$2.2 million and just US$3,700, respectively.

HKTDC opens optical fair and wine fair

Hong Kong, 8th November: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) opened two trade fairs this week, the 25th Hong Kong Optical Fair and the 10th Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair, both held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

The Optical Fair took place from 8th to 10th November, welcoming a record 800 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions. First time exhibitors were from Denmark, India and Sweden.

The Wine & Spirits Fair opened on 9th November and will run until 11th November. It is expected to feature about 1,070 exhibitors from 38 countries and regions.

180 exhibitors at UBM’s Taiwan Jewellery Fair

Taipei, 2nd November: Hosted by UBM Asia’s Taiwan Branch and the Taiwan Jewelry Industry Association, the 5th Taiwan Jewellery & Gem Fair 2017 was held from 3rd to 6th November at Taipei World Trade Center in Hall One.

Positioned as Taiwan’s premier international B2B jewellery trade show, the fair featured 180 exhibitors from 11 countries, occupying over 300 booths covering categories including loose diamonds, pearls, coloured gemstones to jewellery tools and equipment.