Asia Business Media: October 2013

Friday, October 25, 2013

Alibaba puts IPO plans on hold

News this week: China’s largest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group, has put its initial public offering (IPO) plans on hold to allow Hong Kong’s stock exchange and its regulators to rethink over its proposal of a dual-class share structure listing. The listing structure would allow its 28 partners to nominate a majority of board members to retain control over the nomination of a majority of board members.

Jonathan Lu, Alibaba’s chief executive, was quoted, “We decided to put down the issue after the last round of discussions. Hong Kong may need some time to understand the creative management structure for a creative company.”

The company earlier confirmed that its partnership structure has been accepted by both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ Stock Exchange for a potential IPO in the U.S., as well as engaging in discussion with the London Stock Exchange (LSE) about a possible listing in the U.K.

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Growth at UBM’s Asian livestock shows

News this week: UBM Asia, subsidiary of UBM plc, concluded two Asian livestock shows, LIVESTOCK PHILIPPINES in Manila and LIVESTOCK ASIA in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The second edition of LIVESTOCK PHILIPPINES, held from 7^th to 9^th August 2013 at SMX Convention Center, attracted more than 200 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions. It also recorded a 25% increase in number of visitors compared with the 2011 edition. International pavilions this year included those from mainland China, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the U.K. The next edition will return to SMX Convention Center from 24^th to 26^th June 2015.

LIVESTOCK ASIA featured a show record 300-plus exhibitors from 30 countries and regions this edition. Held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from 24^th to 26^th September 2013, one of the highlights this year was a panel discussion on the challenges of feeding the world’s nine billion people by 2020. Next edition of the biennial LIVESTOCK ASIA will run from 21^st to 23^rd September 2015 at the KLCC.

Additionally, UBM Asia will launch new livestock shows in Vietnam and Myanmar next year. VIETSTOCK 2014 Expo and Forum will be launched from 15^th to 17^th October 2014 at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; while LIVESTOCK MYANMAR will be held from 23^rd to 25^th January 2014 at Tatmadaw Exhibition Hall in Yangon, Myanmar.

Intertextile Shanghai draws 3,700+ exhibitors

News this week: Messe Frankfurt announced a record-size edition of the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics opened this week with more than 3,700 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions. The show occupied 170,000 m² of exhibition space spread over 15 exhibition halls at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT (CCPITEX), and the China Textile Information Centre. The show was held from 21^st to 24^th October 2013.

The overall theme of this year’s show was “Recycle”, which saw the organisers launch a newly added All About Sustainability zone. Overseas pavilions featured this year include those from Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey, as well as the Pakistan zone.

Global Sources’ fall series shows themed “Lifestyle”

News this week: NASDAQ-listed, Global Sources, opened its fall 2013 series of consumer goods shows on 19^th October. The four co-located events, China Sourcing Fairs: Baby & Children’s Products, Christmas & Seasonal Products, Gifts & Premiums, and Home Products, were held at the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) until 22^nd October.

Under the theme “Lifestyle”, the focuses of the shows were innovation, eco-friendliness and social-compliance. Products were showcased under the three main areas of: decorating, living and giving. The successful theme of “Modern Dining” in the previous edition held in spring prompted Global Sources to launch the “Lifestyle” products showcase, which featured 240 products from in-demand suppliers.

Tommy Wong, president of Global Sources Exhibitions, said, “Whether the economy is up or down, consumers always strive for a better quality of life and our Fairs are renowned for offering buyers quality and innovative products at competitive price points. This is a huge market with the global housewares and specialties market alone forecast to grow by an 8.4% annual rate till 2017 with total revenues exceeding US$76 billion.”

Comexposium partners to launch SIAL ASEAN

News this week: French trade show organiser, Comexposium, will partner with the Manila Foods and Beverages Expo (MAFBEX) to launch a new food exhibition – SIAL ASEAN.

The three-day show will run from 11^th to 13^th June 2014 at the World Trade Center Metro Manilla (WTCMM). The organisers are expecting to attract 800 exhibitors, half of which are expected to be from overseas, and around 15,000 trade visitors.

Renaud Hamaide, managing director of Comexposium Group, commented, “These developments fit perfectly into the global strategy of the Comexposium group. This is constantly underpinned by both its products and exhibitors in search of opportunities, principally in areas of the world that post significant economic growth.”

UBM’s events revenue up 2.7% in Q3

News this week: Earlier this week, London-based B2B media group, UBM plc, released its interim results for the nine months ended 30^th September 2013. The company posted revenues of £580.5 million (US$940 million) in the period, a slight increased of 0.6% from last year. Adjusted operating profit in the first nine months of 2013 was £117.9 million (US$191 million), a year-on-year 4.3% decrease.

Revenues from its events business in the first nine months of the year were £331.3 million (US$536 million), up 2.7% over 2012. However, adjusted operating profit from events dropped 9.7% to £92.8 million (US$150 million) in the period. According to UBM, five of its top 20 events were held in the quarter, where the company reported strong double digit growth of its Children-Baby-Maternity-Expo. Forward booking for UBM’s 2012 top 20 annual events are up 8.5% compared to last year.

David Levin, CEO of UBM, commented, “Our performance in Q3 continued the positive momentum we have seen develop through the year. Large events, notably our shows in China, have performed well, and we continue to expect good growth in Q4 boosted by strong biennial revenues. We have seen softer conditions in certain markets, mainly in Brazil and India, and have slightly reduced the number of new launch events originally scheduled for Q4.”

Friday, October 18, 2013

3,600+ exhibitors at UBM’s September jewellery show in Hong Kong

News this week: The 31^st edition of the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, organised by UBM Asia, concluded last month with record-breaking numbers - 3,633 exhibitors from 48 countries and regions.

UBM hosted the seven-day show at the two venues in Hong Kong. AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) from 11^th to 15^th September featured the raw materials, equipment and packaging sectors; while the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) displayed the fine jewellery section from 13^th to 17^th September.

Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia, said, “Demand for diamonds and gemstones was robust. The 6.8% growth in visitor numbers from Asia compared to last year’s edition tells us that the region continues to be the engine of growth for the luxury jewellery market. Specifically, the number of buyers from the Chinese mainland was up 11% and India up 11.6%. We also noticed growth in the number of buyers from other Asian markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.”

Impact reports 30% growth in international events

News this week: IMPACT Exhibition Management, the management company of Bangkok’s IMPACT Arena, Exhibition and Convention Center, reported an increase of 30% in international events held at the venue during this year. A total of 35 international events were held this year, with each attracting more than 1,000 participants.

The largest trade show held at IMPACT this year was the food and beverage show THAIFEX, which reportedly attracted 50,000 visitors. Other large-scale exhibitions held in 2013 also include LED Expo Thailand, ASEAN (Bangkok) China Import-Export Commodities Fair, and the co-located POWER-GEN Asia and Renewable Energy World Asia.

Loy Joon How, general manager of IMPACT Exhibition Management, said, “Last year already showed an increase in the number of international events, but in 2013 we have seen unprecedented growth through international MICE events held at IMPACT gaining 100 million baht (US$3.2 million) of the company’s total revenue in this sector.”

Global Sources’ electronics show opens with 4,100 booths

News this week: NASDAQ-listed, B2B media group, Global Sources, reported 4,100 exhibiting booths at the opening of this year’s China Sourcing Fair: Electronics & Components. Marking its 10^th edition, the trade fair occupied all 10 halls at the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), which was co-located with the China Sourcing Fair: Security Products and Korea Sourcing Fair: Electronics & Components.

The three electronics fairs were held from 12^th to 15^th October. Global Sources organised Private Sourcing Events at the shows at which screened exhibitors met large-scale international buyers in private, and introduced a new mobile app for buyers to access show information via mobile devices.

Tommy Wong, president of Global Sources Exhibitions, commented, “Within the past decade, these Fairs have become one of the leading consumer electronics sourcing events in the region… Global sales of consumer electronics goods are expected to exceed US$1.11 trillion in 2013 with sales of smart connected devices forecast to surpass 1.7 billion units in 2014.”

4,000+ exhibitors join HKTDC’s electronics fairs

News this week: This week the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) opened the 33^rd HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) and the 17^th electronicAsia with more than 4,000 exhibitors. The co-located shows took place from 13^th to 16^th October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

Of those 4,000 exhibitors, more than 3,400 exhibitors attended the Hong Kong Electronics Fair with first time exhibitors originating from Denmark, Portugal and Sweden. The HKTDC highlighted its new product zones this year which included the i-World, Smart Home and Hall of Fame areas.

Co-organised by the HKTDC and Messe München International Asia (MMI Asia), electronicAsia featured nearly 600 exhibitors with group pavilions from mainland China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. The Smart Devices zone, the World of Solar and the World of Display Technology were some of the key categories at this year’s event.

Canton Fair records drop in number of exhibitors

News this week: The largest trade fair in China, the 114^th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), opened on 15^th October at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou this year.

The Canton Fair is held twice each year, and according to media reports, this is the first year since the global financial crisis to record a drop in exhibitor numbers at both editions. The drop is attributed to a subdued global economy and weaker currencies in emerging markets versus the yuan. A total of 24,517 exhibitors attended the autumn edition of Canton Fair – down 229 and the largest decrease since the drop of 237 exhibitors was recorded during the global financial crisis in 2009. The Canton Fair organiser also estimates a 10% drop in overseas buyers to 188,145.

Alibaba’s revenue and profit grow in Q2

News this week: China’s largest e-commerce company, the Alibaba Group, recorded a revenue growth of 60% year-on-year, to US$1.73 billion in the second quarter of 2013. Net income in the quarter was US$707 million, more than double last year’s US$273 million.

Additionally, Alibaba and its largest shareholder, Yahoo! Inc., have amended their agreement and have agreed to reduce the number of shares Yahoo will sell when an eventual Alibaba IPO takes place. According to the new agreement, Yahoo will sell 208 million of its 523.6 million shares into the IPO or to Alibaba. The original agreement was for Yahoo to sell 261.5 million shares.

Separately, Alibaba has agreed to invest US$200 million in ShopRunner, a U.S.-based online retailer. ShopRunner, established in 2010, offers free two-day shipping on goods for an annual membership fee of US$79. The online retailer is currently led by Yahoo’s former CEO Scott Thompson, and competes with Amazon’s Prime membership program.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Over 400 exhibitors expected at inaugural FESPA China

News this week: The inaugural edition of screen printing trade show, FESPA China, is expected to attract attendance of more than 400 exhibitors and 28,000 visitors next month.

Jointly organised by FESPA and the China Screen Printing and Graphic Imaging Association (CSGIA), FESPA’s associate member in China, the three-day event will run from 18^th to 20^th November 2013 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.

Nigel Steffens, CEO of FESPA, said “FESPA China will add fresh dimensions to the long-established CSGIA exhibition, which alternates its location between Shanghai and the southern city of Guangzhou. Our aim is to develop FESPA China to become an international wide format printing event, attracting global exhibitors and visitors from across Asia.”

UFI relocates Middle East/Africa regional office

News this week: This week, UFI announced the relocation of its Middle East/Africa (MEA) regional office from Kuwait to its new host venue, Expo Centre Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

UFI‘s recent research indicates continued growth in the Middle East exhibition industry which recorded a 14% increase in the number of trade fairs organised and a 21% increase in available exhibition space since 2006 - despite difficult external economic circumstances.

Ibrahim Alkhaldi, UFI’s MEA regional manager, noted, “We thank our previous hosts in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait for their gracious support which enabled UFI to develop much needed programmes and services for the exhibition industry in the region. The work of this UFI office has been much appreciated and we are delighted that our members will benefit from uninterrupted service in the years ahead.”

HKTDC wins 2013 UFI Marketing Award

News this week: UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has selected the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) as the winner of its 2013 “Best Marketing Activity of the Year” award.

The HKTDC won for its ‘small-order zones’ initiative implemented at a number of its largest exhibitions. The initiative grouped together exhibitors willing to offer smaller minimum-order quantities to buyers. UFI also highlighted HKTDC’s data retrieval initiative which enabled exhibitors and buyers to communicate via a mobile app.

Sophia Chong, director of HKTDC, was quoted, “Over the past few decades, the HKTDC has been working diligently to develop innovative services at our exhibitions to facilitate international trade. Thus, we are delighted to receive the UFI Marketing Award this year, which recognises our efforts to create additional value for buyers and exhibitors through our Small-Order Zone initiative. The zone has helped exhibitors and buyers expand their business and remain competitive amid global economic uncertainties.”

US$67.5 billion of media M&A activity in U.S. in past nine months

News this week: Earlier this week, The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI), released its U.S.-focused media M&A report for the first three quarters of 2013. In the nine-month period, a total of 1,057 media-related transactions were recorded with a value of US$67.5 billion. That compares to 1,047 transactions valued at US$55 billion recorded in the same period last year. JEGI noted the giant merger of ad agencies Publicis/Omnicom accounted for US$21.9 billion of that figure. Excluding that deal, the overall transaction value decreased by 23%.

In the first nine months of 2013, the B2B online media & technology sector recorded 53 transactions with a deal value of US$402 million – a drop of 97% in terms of deal value compared to the US$11.7 billion recorded in 2012. In the same period last year, the US$11.7 billion were spread across 70 transactions – including the US$7.1 billion Alibaba/Yahoo buy back deal.

Meanwhile, in 2013, the B2B media sector’s deal value increased 80% from US$235 million to US$423 million, with transactions increasing from 24 to 29. The exhibitions & conferences sector posted 45 transactions in the first nine months of the year - valued US$2.3 billion. This compares favourably to the 38 transactions valued at US$646 million in the same period last year.

Watches & Wonders debuts in Hong Kong

News this week: The inaugural fine watch event, Watches & Wonders, has concluded after attracting more than 16,000 visitors. The event was organised by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) from 25^th to 28^th September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

During the four-day event, 13 exhibitors showcased their luxury watches and timepieces including A Lange & Sohne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels.

According to the organiser, China has become the fastest growing market for watch industry, adding that Hong Kong is now the second largest watch market and the fifth largest jewellery market in the world.

UBM’s Ecobuild Southeast Asia attracts 5,500 attendees

News this week: UBM’s inaugural edition of Ecobuild Southeast Asia attracted more than 5,500 attendees from 43 countries and regions to Malaysia. Held at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) from 17^th to 19^th September, more than 150 exhibitors from 22 countries showcased the latest design, equipment, material and technology related to sustainable building.

Three sub-events were incorporated into the Ecobuild Southeast Asia show this year including Green Build Asia, Eco Light Asia and Solar Asia. Ecobuild Southeast Asia also featured a three-day conference and seminar programme that ran along side the exhibition.

Eliane van Doorn, UBM ASEAN’s director of business development, was quoted saying, “Ecobuild Southeast Asia provides an ideal springboard for policy makers, industry professionals and consumers to take advantage of opportunities to initiate new business, and learn from the first-hand experiences of industry experts and top decision makers.”

Alibaba acquires Chinese asset management company

News this week: The Alibaba Group has acquired a 51% majority share in Tianjin-based Tianhong Asset Management Co for US$193 million in order to expand the range of financial services it offers. According to a Tianhong spokesman, the company’s management will remain unchanged.

Earlier this year in June, Alibaba’s payment platform, Alipay and Tianhong cooperated to launch a new fund and payment platform, Yu’E Bao. Yu’E Bao is an extension of Alipay’s services that allows Alipay’s customers to transfer money from their account into an investment fund. According to Tianhong, the fund attracted more than 2.5 million customers and raised US$1.08 billion in its first 18 days of operation.

Yu’E Bao does not impose a minimum investment amount and allows its users to withdraw their money at any time. Alipay released a statement on its official Sina Weibo microblog saying, “In order to give investors in Yu’E Bao more security, improve innovation and provide more products and services, we have chosen to cooperate with Tianhong Asset Management.”

Friday, October 04, 2013

TCEB unveils new marketing campaign

News this week: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) introduced a new global marketing campaign “Thailand Connect” which aims to expand the country’s MICE industry. The bureau hopes the industry will generate revenues of approximately US$3.2 billion and attract 987,000 overseas MICE travellers in 2014.

TCEB’s new campaign focuses on three key factors in Thailand: a diversity of destinations, unrivalled business opportunities and the high quality of Thailand’s MICE professionals. The campaign also offers a number of market-promotion packages to incentivise MICE event organisers and travellers.

For international exhibitions, TCEB will support business-matching activities for visiting trade groups of 15 or more delegates from the ASEAN+6 countries and BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) countries – comprising of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand.

Additionally, TCEB forecasts revenue from MICE events in Chiang Mai to increase by 10% to US$135 million and the number of MICE travellers to rise by 5% to 72,424 this year. In 2012, Chiang Mai Province held 490 MICE events, of which 80% were international. The US$80 million Chiang Mai International Convention and Exhibition Center recently opened in May and is capable of housing 476 standard-sized exhibition booths.

UBM co-launches training seminars for Chinese exhibition organisers

News this week: International exhibition organiser, UBM plc, and the Services Department of the Ministry of Commerce of China (MOFCOM) will co-organise a one-day seminar titled “How to Use Databases, Internet and Social Media Technology to Improve Visitor Recruitment and Experience.” The programme aims to help improve the marketing expertise of local Chinese exhibition organisers. The event will be held in Beijing on 2^nd December 2013, and will also be supported by the China Convention & Exhibition Society.

The seminar is free of charge, but is by invitation only and will feature senior executives and key experts from UBM’s global business units who will share their experience and global best practices. Participants will receive an official certificate co-signed by the Trade in Services Division of MOFCOM and UBM on completion of the training.

Philip Chapnick, UBM’s group chief representative in China, said, “UBM attaches high importance to its corporate social responsibility – in China, and throughout the world, and we are bringing our experts in from around the globe to give something back to the industry. We want to help build the overall professionalism of the Chinese market in which we are enthusiastic participants, because we believe that a rising tide will lift all boats and create a stronger environment for all of the companies working in the Chinese exhibition market.”

TAITRA partners with local bank to process China payments

News this week: The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has entered a partnership with Taiwan’s E. Sun Commercial Bank to launch a new direct payment service – E. Sun Trade. The service will work in conjunction with TAITRA’s online trading platform, iDealEZ, to help Taiwanese exporters accept direct payments from mainland Chinese buyers.

According to E. Sun Commercial Bank, the new payment channel will work in cooperation with established mainland China-based payment platforms Alipay and Tenpay. The partnership between TAITRA and E. Sun will also reportedly provide Taiwanese exporters with marketing and logistics services.

TAITRA’s iDealEZ platform was launched in 2011 and has a reported membership of 80,000. In July 2012, the E. Sun bank also opened its first branch on the mainland in Dongguan in the southern province of Guangdong.

100+ exhibitors at Messe Frankfurt’s Watertech in India

News this week: The inaugural Indian water and wastewater treatment event, Watertech Expo and Conference, organised by Messe Frankfurt, welcomed more than 100 exhibitors to its recently concluded edition. The event was acquired by Messe Frankfurt in May this year and featured a wide range of products, services and technologies for the water industry from across India.

The Watertech Expo and Conference was held from 26^th to 28^th September at the Mahatma Mandir Convention Center in Gandhinagar. The 2013 edition occupied an exhibition area of 2,500 m² and attracted more than 3,000 trade visitors. Messe Frankfurt highlighted the inclusion of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Pavilion this year, which consisted of water supply and sanitation programmes of 18 participating states and union territories in India.

Mr Raj Manek, managing director of Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India, stated at the opening ceremony, “It is our sincere hope that trough Watertech 2013 we have made an important step towards Messe Frankfurt’s international development of the environmental technology sector and to bring relevant products, technology and expertise to alleviate the country’s water and sanitation crisis.”

Alibaba.com to hold first training seminar in Pakistan

News this week: Alibaba Group’s B2B e-commerce platform, Alibaba.com, will host its first ever training seminar in Pakistan with its strategic partner Pearl Shine Group International (PSGI). The seminar titled “International Trade Secret – 2013” will be held on 5^th October 2013 in Lahore.

The seminar aims to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan to understand how the Internet can facilitate international business growth. The training session will introduce key technical aspects to local business owners on the successful use of international e-commerce marketplaces.

According to media reports, as of 31^st December 2012, Alibaba.com had more than 700,000 registered users in Pakistan and nearly 37 million registered users worldwide.

UBM to launch beauty trade show in Philippines

News this week: UBM ASEAN, a subsidiary of UBM Asia, has announced plans to launch a new beauty trade show, PhilBeauty in 2014. PhilBeauty will take place from 18^th to 20^th June at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.

As part of the three-day exhibition, UBM will organise a conference, the Philippines International Beauty Conference. According to UBM, PhilBeauty will also host several product knowledge workshops and seminars as part of its professional education programme.

M Gandhi, managing director of UBM ASEAN Business, said, “We are pleased to be a part of this fast-growing beauty market, and to help stimulate its development by providing a platform for buyers and trade professionals from the Philippines and surrounding region to network with local and international suppliers, forge partnerships and conduct business.”

Asia Business Media