Quick takes

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Singapore hosts largest expo since COVID began

Understandably, there were quite a few health & safety measures in place, but despite that Constellar organised Singapore’s largest in-person exhibition since the pandemic stopped events in March 2020. The Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific 2021 (ITAP) reportedly attracted 5,000 delegates.

Dubai Airport reports trade visitors up 50%

More good news! Tarsus Group’s massive Dubai Airshow pulled in 104,000 “visitors, delegations, senior industry executives and media.” The organiser reported that trade visitor numbers were up by 50% compared with 2019.

 

China in midst of a sea change

There is a lot going on in China. A crackdown on tech and the education sector. The upcoming Winter Olympics. A possible meltdown in property sector. Closed borders. Slowing economic growth. And add to that The Economist thinks the Omicron variant will hit China particularly hard.

 

Comexposium launches digital marketplace

French global event organiser,Comexposium exited bankruptcy protection in October. Now the group has announced plans to launch CXMP, a new B2B marketplace focused on food, fashion and sport.

Global Sources organises physical event in Hong Kong

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Hong Kong, November: In late October, Global Sources hosted its first physical event since the beginning of the pandemic. The Fall 2021 Show Series ran from 25th to 27th October 2021 at the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) with more than 5,340 buyers attending the 8-in-1 show.

Fall 2021 Show Series featured some 1,000 suppliers, showcasing over 20,000 products and services. The 8-in-1 show included: Global Sources Consumer Electronics, Global Sources Electronic Components, Global Sources Mobile Electronics, Global Sources Smart Home & Appliances, Global Sources Home & Kitchen, Global Sources Tech Gifts, Global Sources Lifestyle and Global Sources Fashion.

Inaugural property expo held in Hong Kong

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Hong Kong, 26th November: Last week, COMASIA Limited, a Hong Kong-based exhibition organiser, launched its first property management services exhibition. According to the organiser, the International Property Management & Procurement Expo (PROPEX) attracted more than 8,000 industry professionals.

The inaugural edition of PROPEX was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) running from 4th to 6th November 2021. A total of 216 exhibitor companies occupied over 350 exhibition booths. Category coverage included property management products and services, refuse and waste recycling management, security control and surveillance systems, cleaning and pest control, car park management and access control systems and club house management.

Macau hosts 71 events in Q3

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Macau, 26th November: Last week, Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reported its MICE statistics for the quarter ended 30th September 2021. Despite the ongoing pandemic, Macau held a total of 71 MICE events in the quarter which is three events more than the same quarter in 2020. The total number of participants and attendees rose an impressive 24% in the quarter, reaching a total of 226,000.

Of the total 71 events, 57 were meetings and conferences – one event less than the same quarter last year. However, the total number of participants at meetings and conferences grew 84% to 7,000 participants.

In addition, 13 exhibitions were held – three exhibitions more than the previous year. The number of attendees declined 23%, down to 219,000 attendees. The total gross area occupied by these exhibitions was 67,000 m2, a year-on-year increase of 69%.

Ungerboeck acquires Priava

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Sydney, 30th November: Ungerboeck, an event management software provider, has acquired Priava, a cloud-based venue and event management system provider. No financial details of the acquisition were disclosed. Priava has a reasonably strong footprint in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. which should complement Ungerboeck’s portfolio of services and its client base.

Through this acquisition, Ungerboeck will expand its international presence. Founded in 1985, Ungerboeck is headquartered in the U.S., with offices in Germany, France, Mexico, England, Australia, New Zealand, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Ungerboeck offers its event and venue management software in over 50 countries. Founded in 1997, Priava, is headquartered in Sydney with additional offices in the U.K., the U.S., New Zealand and India.

Alibaba’s revenues up, but disappoints analysts

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Hangzhou, 18th November: Last week, the Alibaba Group released its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2021. The company recorded total revenues of US$31.1 billion, up 29% year-on-year. However, net income dropped 81% in the same quarter, down to US$833 million.

Revenues from Alibaba’s B2B business in China, primarily generated through 1688.com, were US$648 million, an increase of 15% year-on-year. Revenues from its international B2B business, primarily operating through Alibaba.com, jumped 34%, reaching US$732 million.

Informa Markets’ pharma event opens in India

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Delhi, 24th November: India is getting back on track and events are beginning to gain traction. This week Informa Markets in India opened the 14th edition of its CPhI & P-MEC India, a leading pharma event in South Asia. The event featured 534 exhibitors from 16 countries, and expected to attract over 20,000 visitors.

The three-day show ran from 24th to 26th November 2021 at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi – NCR. Conference tracks addressed the challenges and future opportunities of the pharmaceutical industry in India.

Australia looks optimistically to 2022

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Australia, 24th November: According to the Melbourne Convention Bureau’s (MCB) 2020/21 Annual Report, the bureau has secured more than 40 new business events worth US$108 million in the past year. A total of 118 business events will be held in Melbourne from 2022 to 2028. The events are expected to attract over 133,000 delegates and filling more than 387,000 hotel room nights across the city. The events will generate an estimated US$579 million for the state of Victoria.

Separately, Western Australia’s (WA) official convention bureau, Business Events Perth, has secured 67 new business events which will be held from 2022 to 2024, generating US$39 million of direct expenditure. A total of 108 business events are scheduled to be held in Western Australia until 2024 which will fill more than 200,000 hotel room nights.

ASM Global opens Asian headquarters

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Singapore, 23rd November: ASM Global, a global venue management company, announced plans to open a new headquarters in Singapore in order to better manage and expand its presence in the region.

The Asia-Pacific headquarters will have a joint leadership structure. Paul Sergeant, Executive Vice-President of Operations, and the newly appointed Executive Vice-President of Venue Development, Ed Sanderson together will lead the group in Asia. Ed Sanderson was most recently based in Bangkok where he was on a senior advisor at Populous, an architecture and design firm focused on venues.

Quick takes

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Singapore opens a bit more

The Lion City is pushing ahead with its “living with COVID” strategy. Starting on 29th November there will be a “vaccinated travel lane” (VTL) for Indians visiting Singapore. The only requirement is a negative test taken within two days prior to the flight and a negative on-arrival PCR test.

Heavy impact of COVID on business travel

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) offers some numbers and insight into the devastating impact of COVID on business travel in Asia. The region’s “lagging border re-openings” will not help matters in 2022.

Hyve opens its wallet for specialist organiser

It is good to see some M&A activity in the events market. The Hyve Group has agreed to acquire the 121 Group for between US$55 million and US$67 million. 121 Group is a specialty event organiser focused on the mining sector in Asia as well as other regions and founding partner, Toby Duckworth, is based in Hong Kong.

Manila ponders reopening borders

The Philippine government apparently has approved a plan to allow in fully vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). There is not much detail on this plan, but we live in hope.

Quick takes

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Hong Kong Sevens delayed for 5th time

How bad are things for event organisers in Hong Kong? The Hong Kong Rugby Union announced this week that the iconic Hong Kong Sevens tournament will be delayed for a fifth time until November 2022.

 

Another own-goal for Hong Kong

More disappointing news out of Hong Kong – although not media or event related. Air cargo shipping is one of the few industries that has been booming during the pandemic. Given that, it is especially bad news that Hong Kong’s over-the-top COVID restrictions have managed to force FedEx to leave the city behind as a key Asian hub.

 

Eddie Choi talks content and virtual events

On a more positive note, the always interesting Eddie Choi finds some silver linings in the pandemic and discusses lessons learned.

 

Alibaba leads consortium bid for chipmaker

It is potentially a good investment. It is also potentially a way for Jack Ma to get out of Beijing’s bad books. Whatever the reason, Alibaba’s consortium is the lead bidder for an US$8 billion deal to bailout Tsinghua Unigroup.

 

Partial lockdown in the Netherlands, events still going

Rotterdam hosted UFI’s annual Global Congress earlier this month. Now the Dutch government as announced a partial lockdown in the face of surging infection numbers. On the plus side, RAI Amsterdam says the measures will have minimal impact on its events calendar.

BOL’s profit grows 24% in Q3

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Bangkok, 12th November: Business Online (BOL), a leading online information service provider in Thailand, reported its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2021. Revenues in the quarter were US$5.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%. In addition, the company’s net profit posted of US$2.3 million, representing a 24% increase compared with the same period last year.

The Bangkok-listed company attributed the increase in revenues to a boom its corporate data sales division. In addition, a drop in operating costs help BOL to boost its bottom line.

Baidu’s revenues up 13% in Q3, but posts huge loss

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Beijing, 17th November: Earlier this week, Baidu, the leading Chinese language Internet search provider, released its financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2021. Revenues in the quarter were US$4.95 billion, an increase of 13% year-on-year.

However, the company posted a huge net loss of US$2.57 billion in the quarter, compared with a net profit of just over US$2 billion in the same quarter of 2020. The loss included a US$2.93 billion non-cash, mark-to-market loss in a long-term investment.

Informa releases positive trading update

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London, 17th November: Informa PLC, which owns the world’s largest commercial exhibition organiser, Informa Markets, released a trading update this week. The company expects group revenues to be approximately £1.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) in 2021 and adjusted operating profit will be £375 million (US$503 million).

According to the group, more than 250 face-to-face and smart events were held and key participation metrics and rebooking rates have improved throughout the year. Informa Markets, its events business, together with other business sectors posted over 20% underlying revenue growth (from April to year-end). The full year growth rate is expected to be 7%. In terms of cash flow, the group expects more than £325 million (US$436 million) of free cash flow in 2021 – excluding any divestment proceeds.

Messe München to launch new event in Singapore

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Singapore, 16th November: In 2023, Messe München, an international exhibition organiser, will launch a new Southeast Asian edition of its oddly named, “transport logistic and air cargo” in Singapore in 2023.

Co-organised by MMI Asia, the regional subsidiary of Messe München, and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the first Southeast Asian edition of transport logistic and air cargo will be held from 13th to 15th September 2023 at the Marina Bay Sands venue.

Alibaba Singles’ Day grows, but more slowly

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China, 12th November: The Alibaba Group, the largest e-commerce group in China, announced that the company generated US$84.5 billion (RMB 540 billion) of gross merchandise volume (GMV) during its 13th annual 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. That figure represents an increase of 8.5% compared with the 2020 campaign.

This year, the festival ran from 1st to 11th November and the total GMV was calculated within the 11 days. The growth rate of 8.5% is considerably lower than the 26% recorded in 2020.