Quick takes

Good news: An event launch

It is hard to find any good news these days. Koelnmesse has announced plans to launch an ASEAN version of Kind + Jugend, a baby and toddler product exhibition. The new event will be held in April 2022 at BITEC in Bangkok.

Setback in Singapore

Singapore is experiencing a minor surge in community-transmitted cases of COVID-19. The government has responded by implementing new restrictions. Capacity at public facilities and social gatherings in Singapore will be reduced between May 8 and 30 along with closures of high-risk facilities such as indoor fitness facilities.

Macau gathers steam

Gaming reviews were up over 1,000% in April 2021 compared with April 2020 (US$1 billion vs. US$94 million), but last month’s gaming revenue is still down 64% compared to April 2019. Meanwhile, Mix Meetings thinks the outlook for business events in Macau is decidedly upbeat.

Messe Frankfurt to launch e-commerce fair in Shenzhen

Shenzhen, 28th April: Messe Frankfurt plans to push ahead with a new event launch in the second half of this year. The China (Shenzhen) Cross Border E-commerce Fair (CBEC) will cover the entire e-commerce supply chain from product selection to platform providers to a range of other support services.

Co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (Shenzhen), China Merchants Exhibition Management (Shenzhen) Company and Beijing Talent-Expo Company, CBEC will be held at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center running from 16th to 18th September 2021 and is expected to occupy an exhibition space of over 100,000 m2, attracting some 3,000 exhibitors.

Made-in-China.com posts Q1 profit

Nanjing, 30th April: Also last week, Focus Technology, operator of the B2B sourcing platform Made-in-China.com, reported revenues of US$49 million in the quarter ended 31st March 2021, representing year-on-year growth of 42% compared with the same quarter last year.

The company recorded net profits of US$2.97 million in the quarter, compared with a loss of US$2.86 million in the first quarter of 2020. Diluted earnings per share in the three-month period were RMB 0.06 (RMB 0.0091). The increase in revenues and net profits were attributed to organic growth on the Made-in-China.com platform.

Netsun’s revenues up 5.6% in FY2020

Hangzhou, 29th April: Last week, Shenzhen-listed Zhejiang Netsun announced its results for the year ended 31st December 2020. In the financial year 2020, the company generated revenues of US$58 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.6%.

Net profits in the year grew 5.7%, hitting US$5.7 million. Diluted earnings per share in 2020 were RMB 0.15 (US$0.023). The company attributed the growth to increased income from its chemical trading business and its B2B trading platform.

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 2021)

Quick takes

All digital UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in May

We missed getting together in 2020. In 2021, it will have to be a purely digital affair… but don’t miss out! There are already 70+ delegates registered along with a strong line-up of compelling speakers. Register at: www.ufiasia.org

Virtual Canton Fair concludes

According to The China Daily, the 129th edition of The Canton Fair ended this week – attracting 26,000 participating companies with 880,000 views of livestreamed programmes and over 35 million visits to the website during the 10-day event. This is the third virtual edition. The previous two did not receive particularly positive reviews from participants. It remains to be seen if this edition was an improvement.

Indonesian Motor Show goes ahead

The 2021 Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) was a hybrid event this year, but the physical exhibition appears to have been quite successful. The first physical IIMS since 2019, the event was organised by Dyandra Promosindo and held at JIExpo. The event ran from 15th to 25th April. Visitors were limited to 5,000 per day.

India exhibition venues care for ill

Messe Frankfurt, along with all other organisers, have had to indefinitely postpone events in May as key venues including the Bombay Exhibition Centre (BEC) have been converted into COVID-19 care centres and vaccination centres.

Quick takes

Provocative take on the future of (watch) fairs

Very interesting article on an industry re-assessing the value of trade fairs. “We have to reinvent the watch fair. It could be Art Basel meets fashion week meets an Apple launch,” says CEO of Audemars Piguet. “In a digital world, you don’t need a fair,” according to CEO of Breitling.

Canton Fair losing its lustre?

What is the future of the Canton Fair? There are quite a few factors working against one of Asia’s oldest and largest trade fairs: the COVID-19 pandemic, geo-political tensions, and of course the inexorable rise of e-commerce.

Business travel is essential and coming back

Let’s close the week on a brighter note… business travel is essential and coming back, at least it is according to this survey. “More than 80% of business travellers indicated that the lack of travel has negatively impacted their jobs, with 28% unable to do their job effectively.”

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 2021)