HC Group reduces loss in first half

Hong Kong, 27th August: Last week, Hong Kong-listed HC Group released its interim results for the six months ended 30th June 2021. The company’s revenue grew 40% in the first half of the year, reaching US$1.09 billion. The company also reduced its loss from US$28 million in the first half of 2020, down to US$17 million in 2021.

The management attributed the increase in revenue to economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many restrictions on factory production and business operations have been removed or reduced, leading to growth in the company’s orders and revenue.

Macau holds 147 MICE events in Q2

Macau, 26th August: Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) has released its MICE statistics for the quarter ended 30th June 2021. Macau held a total of 147 MICE events in the quarter, which is 106 events more than the same quarter in 2020. The total number of participants and attendees jumped more than 13 times, reaching 318,000 participants and attendees.

In terms of event types, 128 meetings and conferences were held in Macau during the quarter, which is 89 more than the same period last year. The total number of participants grew almost 7 times, at 16,000 participants.

In the same period, 15 exhibitions were held – 13 more than the previous year. The number of attendees jumped more than 14 times to 301,000 attendees. The total gross area occupied by these exhibitions was 33,000 m2.

TCEB unveils MICE strategies

Bangkok, 26th August: Last week, the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) held a virtual seminar, “Thai MICE for the Nation”, unveiling three strategies for MICE revival and development in 2022.

The three strategies are: 1) Strengthen national MICE: TCEB will help upgrade provinces with MICE development potential, create new events and uplift MICE activities to international quality; 2) Tap into global opportunities: Driving Thai MICE into the global arena, while gaining a competitive advantage in ASEAN through dynamic marketing campaigns such as “Meeting in Thailand Year”; 3) Upgrade the industry’s potential: Continuing collaboration between TCEB and MICE associations, as well as public sector strategic alliances to drive personnel development, venue standards and training course development.

Quick takes

SIAL Mumbai debut date announced

Following the success of SIAL DELHI in 2018 and 2019, the Mumbai edition has been confirmed to be held at the NESCO Exhibition Centre from 10th to 12th May 2022. Following its debut in Paris in 1964, SIAL has grown to become a global brand present in 50 countries around the world with events in 7 countries.

Watch & Clock Fair and Salon de TE returns in September

The 40th edition of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair and ninth Salon de Te events are scheduled to return to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The physical fairs will run from 8th to 12th September, with the online versions running until 19th September.

Diversified Communications acquires Natural Medicine Journal

The peer-reviewed digital monthly journal and website Natural Medicine Journal (NMJ) has been successfully added to Diversified Communications’ integrative healthcare portfolio. NMJ will remain a stand-alone product, with their produced content shared and cross promoted between NMJ and Diversified’s respective audiences.

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)

TCEB unveils 3-year roadmap for conventions

Bangkok, 23rd August: The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has unveiled a three-year roadmap for the country’s conventions industry for 2021-2023.

The roadmap outlines an array of action plans to attract more conventions to Thailand and elevate the country’s international profile. It comprises three key strategies: 1) To upgrade Thailand’s convention ecosystem through active lead generation and industry consultation; 2) To upskill the industry with targeted developmental programmes; and 3) To enhance Thailand’s reputation in the world conventions arena through international partnerships and global agenda conventions.

DLG posts profit in first half

Shanghai, 20th August: DLG Exhibitions & Events Corporation Limited (formerly Shanghai Lansheng Corporation) released its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2021. Revenues for the year were US$53 million, which represents a year-on-year decrease of 76%.

However, the company posted a profit of US$11 million over the six-month period, compared to a loss of US$3.1 million during the same period in 2020. Diluted earnings per share in the first half of 2021 were RMB 0.13 (US$0.020).

Meorient’s revenues up 256%

Shanghai, 19th August: Last week, Shenzhen-listed exhibition organiser, Meorient released its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2021. The group’s revenues in the first half of 2021 jumped 256% year-on-year to reach US$10 million. The company reduced its loss of US$7.6 million from the first six months of 2020 to US$3.6 million for the corresponding period in 2021.

The increase in revenues was due to the growth in income of Meorient’s digital events business. The company was able to host physical face-to-face exhibitions with the assistance of digital exhibitions.

CCID’s revenues jumps 97% in first half

Beijing, 23rd August: Earlier this week, CCID Consulting, a research and information service provider in China, announced its financial results for the first half of 2020. Revenues were US$15 million, rising 97% year-on-year. The company posted a profit of US$2.2 million for the six-month period versus a loss of US$1.5 million during the same period in 2020. Diluted earnings per share were RMB 0.0227 (US$0.0035).

Almost half of CCID’s revenues were generated from its management and strategy consultancy services, which amounted to US$7.3 million and represented an increase of 75% year-on-year. The second largest business segment was the company’s information engineering supervision services, which generated revenues of US$4.2 million, accounting for 29% of total revenue and representing growth of 96%. The remaining revenues were contributed by market consultancy services (US$2.7 million) and other services (US$407,000).

Quick takes

Singapore MICE events can now accommodate 1000 attendees

With more than 70% of Singapore’s population having received both vaccine doses, the government has eased restrictions for business events as per its endemic COVID-19 plan. As of 19th August, a maximum of 1000 attendees can be hosted provided they have all been vaccinated (50 if unvaccinated) – the same numbers also apply for live performances.

CENTRESTAGE set to return to HKCEC in September

The sixth edition of Asia’s premier fashion showcase will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 10th to 12th September. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), CENTRESTAGE will feature over 200 brands from 20+ countries and regions with nearly 30 fashion events.

Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble shelved

After a discussion between Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran and Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau, both cities have agreed to halt further discussions on the twice-delayed travel bubble, as keeping local populations safe and preventing the risk of imported cases held greater priority. Air travel between the two cities is expected to return eventually, just not in the immediate future.

New look for upgraded QSNCC in Bangkok

Bangkok, 17th August: TCC Assets (Thailand) Co., Ltd recently unveiled the new look of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, which will open next year.

After completion, the new QSNCC will have a total event capacity of 78,000 m2, including two main exhibition halls of over 45,000 m2, two large conference halls of about 10,000 m2, 50 flexible meeting rooms and additional retail zone. The venue will also be accessible by Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) and will have 2,700 indoor parking spaces.

Baidu’s revenues up 20% in Q2

Beijing, 12th August: Last week, Baidu, the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, released its financial results for the quarter ended 30th June 2021. Revenues in the quarter were US$4.9 billion, an increase of 20% year-on-year. However, the company posted a loss of US$90 million for the quarter, compared with net income of US$507 million in the second quarter of 2020.

More than 66% of its total revenues (US$3.2 billion) were generated from Baidu’s online marketing services, which grew by 18% year-on-year. The remaining revenues were generated from a variety of others services, amounting to US$1.6 billion. This represents an increase of 26% compared with the previous year. The increase was mainly driven by its cloud service.

Made-in-China.com’s revenues grow 37% in first half

Nanjing, 17th August: Last week, Shenzhen-listed Focus Technology, which owns and operates B2B trading platform Made-in-China.com, announced its financial results for the six months ended 30th June 2021. Revenues were US$112 million, a year-on-year increase of 37%.

Net income in the first half jumped 169% over the previous year, reaching US$20 million. Diluted earnings per share in the first six months of 2021 were RMB 0.42 (US$0.065). The company attributed the increase to growth of its online sourcing platform, Made-in-China.com.

Shows to be held online

Bangkok/Singapore, 13th & 18th August: THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA in Thailand and Occupational Safety + Health Exhibition for Asia (OS+H Asia) in Singapore have both postponed physical events to next year, in favour of online editions this year.

Koelnmesse, one of the organisers of THAIFEX – ANUGA ASIA, announced it will host the event virtually this year, running from 29th September to 3rd October 2021. THAIFEX – Virtual Trade Show is scheduled to run Online Business Matching (OBM).

Organised by Messe Düsseldorf Asia, the 12th edition of OS+H Asia (running from 8th to 12th November 2021) will adopt a hybrid model. The physical component will be held at Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability. It will focus on four key pillars: Tech innovation stage, Hosted buyer sessions, Virtual showcases, and Thought leadership conferences and seminars.

Quick takes

ICC Sydney appoints Luke Fleming as Director of Human Resources

The International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) has promoted Luke Fleming, formerly Senior Manager of Human Resources Shared Services, to Director of Human Resources. “I am delighted to take up the baton to lead our award-winning Human Resources department at ICC Sydney, drawing on my experience within the organisation but also from the events sector more broadly,” said Fleming.

Five HKTDC August fairs and ICMCM conclude successfully

The HKTDC Food Expo, HKTDC Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair (Special Edition), HKTDC Hong Kong International Tea Fair, HKTDC Home Delights Expo, HKTDC Beauty & Wellness Expo and the concurrent International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine and Health Products have drawn to a successful close, attracting over 900 exhibitors and 370,000 visitors. It’s good to see Hong Kong’s exhibition industry getting back on its feet!

FAN EXPO HQ acquires six Wizard World events

FAN EXPO HQ, a global comic convention producer under Informa, recently acquired six of Wizard World’s largest events in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Portland, St. Louis and Cleveland – making it the world’s largest producer of fan conventions. The events will be rebranded as FAN EXPO events in 2022.

Quick takes

Singapore introduces four-step transition plan for pandemic exit

The Singapore Government is planning to relax rules for fully-vaccinated residents and travellers in the near future. Provided infection clusters and hospitalisation rates remain under control, flexible stay-home quarantine arrangements will be available for fully-vaccinated travellers from specific countries.

Sydney lockdowns extended for a month

Rising daily cases of the infectious Delta variant have extended Sydney’s lockdowns for another four weeks. The extended lockdown will include stricter curbs on movement, including a 10-kilometre limit on essential shopping.

Manila returns to lockdown following Delta outbreak

Metro Manila has extended their enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to 20th August to prevent further Delta infections. The ECQ will allow only essential industries to operate, with public transportation either limited or completely suspended. Leisure and business travel, essential meetings, social events and public dining will also be prohibited until further notice.

Thailand extends restrictions to more provinces

Thailand, 2nd August: The Thai government has issued tougher measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. From 3rd August, 29 provinces have been designated as maximum control areas with tight restriction, 37 provinces as maximum control areas, and 11 provinces as controlled areas.

In maximum control areas with tight restrictions, gatherings are limited to 5 persons. In maximum control areas the limit is 20 persons, and in controlled areas the limit is 50 persons.

Separately, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will reopen Krabi and Phang Nga to fully vaccinated international tourists within the month.

HKTDC opens Food Expo and five concurrent events

Hong Kong, 4th August: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will host its Food Expo and five concurrent events this week.

The Food Expo, Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair (Special Edition), Hong Kong International Tea Fair, Home Delights Expo, and Beauty & Wellness Expo will run from 12th to 16th August at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). At the same time, the International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine and Health Products (ICMCM), jointly organised by the HKTDC and the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association, will run alongside the other five events at HKCEC on 12th and 13th August.