16.3 mil m2 sold at Asian trade fairs in 2012

News this week: According to the ninth edition of the annual UFI-BSG report on “The Trade Fair Industry in Asia” more than 16 million net m² were sold in the region in 2012.

BSG’s research shows that 16.3 million m² of space was sold by exhibition organisers to their clients in Asia in 2012. This represents growth of total net area sold of 2.7% - rising from 15,876,500 m² in 2011 to 16,307,250 m². Of that total, more than 55% was sold in China and 12% in Japan. Among the 1,948 trade fairs included in our database, 874 or 45% were held in those two countries.

Venue capacity continues to increase. By the end of 2013, available venue capacity in Asia will reach 6,617,755 m². The number of venues operating in Asia this year will be 191 across 15 different markets. Of those, more than 100 are in China – which now accounts for 69% of total capacity in the region.

This research was once again undertaken for UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, by Business Strategies Group (BSG). UFI members are entitled to receive a four page executive summary of the research and to purchase the full report at a substantial discount. For more information on this study, please contact UFI in Asia at: asia@ufi.org or follow this link to order online.

UFI’s survey shows exhibitions remain stable

News this week: Earlier this week, UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, announced the results of its 9^th Global Barometer Survey. Data of the survey was collected from 221 companies from 61 countries which includes UFI members and members of SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers) in the U.S., AFIDA (Asociacion International de Ferias de America) in Central and South America, and EXSA, the Exhibition and Events Association of Southern Africa.

According to the survey, about 60% of the companies in all regions expect their turnover to increase during the year. In terms of operating profit, about half of American companies forecast an increase by more than 10% with nearly half of the Asia/Pacific companies concurring. It is noteworthy that 44% of the companies surveyed believe that the negative impact of weak economies in the U.S. and Europe will end in 2013.

Paul Woodward, UFI Managing Director, concluded, “Apparently our industry is more conservative in their outlook than the results would show to be true. The results of our most recent Global Barometer survey confirm that our exhibition media continues to outperform expectations despite the tough economic environment.”

More details can be found here: UFI press release or here: UFI Global Barometer Survey result.

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website to find out more about this service. You can also follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates.

South-East Asia drives growth in Asia’s trade fair market in 2011

News this week: Growth of the trade fair industry in Asia was boosted in 2011 by strong increases in south-east Asia according to the eighth edition of UFI’s annual report on the trade fair market in Asia.

Overall, exhibition space sales grew by 2.6% last year. Net area sold by organisers in Asia reached a total of 15.9 million m².  Of that total, almost 55% was sold in China and 12% was sold in Japan. The research was once again undertaken on behalf of UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, by BSG. The report can be purchased online here.

Growth was clearly highest in south-east Asia in 2011. Singapore and Malaysia were the fastest growing markets in 2011 – up 15% and 14% respectively. The exhibition market in the Philippines grew by 8.8%. Vietnam was the only exception to this south-east Asian trend, posting growth of just 1.2%.

The larger exhibition markets grew notably more slowly in 2011. Asia’s largest market, China, grew by 2.5%, while India posted an increase of 3.3%. Two other large markets, Korea and Hong Kong grew by 2.2% and 1.1% respectively.

Source: UFI press release

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website to find out more about this service. You can also follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates.

UFI survey lowered expectations for global exhibition industry

News this week: UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, announced the results of its biannual “Global Barometer Survey”. Data of the survey was collected from 172 companies from 49 countries which includes UFI members and members of SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers) in the U.S., AFIDA (Asociacion International de Ferias de America) in Central and South America, and EXSA, the Exhibition and Events Association of Southern Africa.

While the 8^th survey shows that a majority of respondents in all regions declaring their business were impacted by the economic crisis, but they recorded positive growth in 2011. In terms of gross turnover projections, Europe is the only region to be considered flat, while Asia/Pacific remains solid, Americas and the Middle East/Africa regions remain relatively unaffected.

Looking ahead, however, the outlook is less optimistic. In past surveys, 63% of companies stated that they expected the economic crisis would be over by the end of 2012. Now, close to 50 percent believe it will not end until 2013.

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website to find out more about this service. You can also follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates.

Global Sources’ survey: Exporters focus on emerging markets

News this week: This week, B2B media company Global Sources released the results of a survey conducted by the company based on feedback from 581 exporters based in mainland China. According to the survey, China-based suppliers are increasing overseas shipments to emerging markets due to slowing orders from Europe as a result of the growing debt crisis.

The survey reveals that 42% of respondents expect to strengthen their footholds in South and Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region in the coming months.

The survey also indicated an optimistic outlook for Asian markets which was in part attributed to the free trade agreement in place between China and other countries in the region. Around 20% of surveyed companies plan to increase their presence in the China market, citing favourable government policies towards increasing domestic consumption.

On the drop-off in European orders, nearly all respondents reported exports being affected by the debt crisis; 35% of companies reported significant impact, while almost 60% reported some impact.

This post is excerpted from BSG's weekly e-newsletter which is part of our subscription research service, BSG Tracker. Visit our website to find out more about this service. You can also follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates.