Asia Business Media

Friday, October 10, 2014

TAITRONICS features 500+ exhibitors

News this week: The 40^th edition of Taitronics – Taipei International Electronics Show was held from 6^th to 9^th October 2014 at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Nangang Exhibition Hall.

Co-organised by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA), this year’s TAITRONICS featured more than 500 exhibitors occupying 1,200 booths, which showcased the latest products and technologies at the four-day event. The theme of this year was “Green Electronics, Smart Living” and focused on sustainable development and the growing role of electronics in daily life.

According to TEEMA president David Chen, wearable device shipments are expected to reach 74 million units this year, led by smartwatches. The organisers also estimated the business deals completed during TAITRONICS to value at US$500 million.

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Toy & baby products fair in Shanghai to open with 1,364 exhibitors

News this week: The 2014 China Toy Expo and China Kids Expo will open next week running from 14^th to 16^th October, at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), covering 120,000 m² of exhibitions space with 1,364 exhibitors worldwide – up 24% from last year.

Organised by the China Toy & Juvenile Products Association (CTJPA), the co-located fairs are expected to attract more than 80,000 trade visitors from China and overseas. According to media reports, exhibitors from more than 20 key production regions in China will participate along with over 300 international toy and baby products brands from more than 30 countries and regions – that represents a 32% increase over last year.

May Liang, executive vice president of CTJPA, commented, “Although exhibition space has been sold out since early September, we are still receiving many requests and interests to participate both from domestic and international companies. I am also pleased to release that show visitor pre-registrations from mainland China and overseas has increased by 72% and 149% respectively.”

Messe Frankfurt changes textiles shows in China

News this week: International trade fair organiser Messe Frankfurt announced it will relocate the spring edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Spring to a new venue in Shanghai and it will discontinue the Hong Kong edition of Interstoff Asia Essential – effective next year.

The organiser decided to relocate its two Shanghai-based trade shows to the new 400,000 m² National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai’s Hongqiao district to allow for further growth – where they will run concurrently with the 23^rd edition of the China International Fashion Fair (CHIC). CHIC is jointly organised by Beijing-based organiser Fashion Expo and the China World Trade Center.

Addressing the ending of Interstoff Asia Essential in Hong Kong, Messe Frankfurt claims a steady shifting of textile manufacturing and fashion buying offices from Hong Kong to China in recent years influenced its decision to focus all of its efforts in mainland China.

HKECIA: It is business as usual in Hong Kong

News this week: This week, the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) issued a statement to reassure all participants, visitors and exhibitors that despite the on-going student protests in Hong Kong, events are still running smoothly and largely without interruption.

Public transport links to Hong Kong’s two major venues, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), are running close to normal. The Mass Transit Railway (MTR), and the ferry services are operating as usual, although some bus routes are affected and special traffic arrangements are in place in certain locations near HKCEC.

Javed Khan, chairman of HKECIA, was quoted saying, “Our advice to participants in upcoming conferences and exhibitions is that Hong Kong is definitely still open for business and safe to travel. We have seen that trade shows which have successfully completed last week or are scheduled this week in Hong Kong have, aside from some minor travel disruption, continued as normal.”

Friday, October 03, 2014

Reed Exhibitions partners with K.Fairs

News this week: Reed Exhibitions has announced a new joint venture (JV) partnership agreement with Korean exhibition organiser, K.Fairs Ltd. Under the new agreement, the first event the two companies will jointly organise is a maritime event – Kormarine. Reed K.Fairs Ltd. will organise the next edition of Kormarine, which will take place in Busan’s BEXCO from 20^th to 23^rd October 2015.

Billed as Korea’s largest international maritime industry event, the 2013 edition of Kormarine attracted over 1,000 exhibiting companies and 40,000 visitors from over 70 countries. Kormarine was first launched in 1978 showcasing boats, ships ferries, and the latest in engine, deck and fishing equipment and technologies.

Paul Beh, Reed Exhibitions’ Asia Pacific president, commented, “Kormarine is the biggest maritime event in Reed’s portfolio, further strengthening our presence in Asia’s maritime industry, namely Asia Pacific Maritime in Singapore, Indonesia Maritime Expo (IME) in Indonesia, and Oceanology International China.” Mike Rusbridge, chairman and CEO of Reed Exhibitions, added, “Kormarine is Reed’s debut into the nation’s burgeoning maritime industry. Reed is optimistic we will rapidly expand our Korean presence even further in future.”

Routes Asia 2016 to be hosted in Philippines

News this week: UBM plc announced at its recent World Route Development Forum held in Chicago that the 14^th edition of Routes Asia will be held in the Philippines’ capital city of Manila. The three-day event will run from 6^th to 8^th March 2016.

The 2016 edition of Routes Asia will be hosted by the Philippine Department of Tourism, and co-hosted by the Manila International Airport Authority, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority.

Routes, founded in 1995, organises airline and airport networking events. Every year, Routes hosts one global event, World Route Development Forum and one regional event each in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Mega Expo revenue and profit down in 2014

News this week: Last week, Hong Kong-listed exhibition organiser, Mega Expo, reported its financial results for the year ended 30^th June 2014. Revenues in the year were US$27 million, a year-on-year decrease of 6.7%. Profit dropped 46% within the year, down to US$1.8 million. Diluted earnings per share in the year were HK$0.0774 (US$0.001).

The majority of Mega Expo’s revenues were generated from the exhibition organising business, amounting to US$25 million. The remaining revenues were generated from exhibition related services (US$1.3 million) and ancillary services (just US$10,000). In the reported financial year, revenue generated from exhibition related services slipped 7.0%, while the ancillary services declined by 24%.

Mega Expo attributed the decrease in revenue to the postponement of the Las Vegas Asia Expo 2013, which was originally scheduled to take place in August 2013. The company’s management also cited competition from other exhibition organisers contributed to the drop in revenue.

HC International transfers Hong Kong listing to main board

News this week: Hong Kong-listed B2B e-commerce company, HC International, announced that its proposed transfer of its stock listing from the Hong Kong Growth Enterprises Market (GEM) to Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s Main Board has been accepted. The company will officially begin trading under stock code “02280” on 10^th October 2014.

HC was publicly listed in December 2003 and it operates a number of sourcing directories in China including its B2B e-commerce platform, Mai-Mai-Tong (www.hc360.com). The transfer of HC’s listing will not affect the company’s existing 662,816,618 issued shares. HC’s shares closed at HK$13.92 as of 30^th September 2014 with a 52-week price range of HK$8.56 to HK$23.65.

For the year ended 31^st December 2013, HC recorded revenues of US$138 million, up 53% compared with its 2012 results. Net income last year was US$25 million – a jump of 132% compared with the year before.

INDOPLAS and concurrent events post record attendees numbers

News this week: Messe Düsseldorf concluded its co-located exhibitions earlier this month with record-breaking numbers in terms of both exhibitors and visitors. The biennial events, INDOPLAS, INDOPACK (incorporating INDOPROCESS) and INDOPRINT, were held from 3^rd to 6^th September, at Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo).

The four-day events covered 13,000 m² of exhibition space and attracted 362 companies from 19 countries – that is a 30% increase compared with the previous edition in 2012. More than 22,000 trade buyers visited the events, representing a 20% rise versus the previous edition.

The three concurrent events featured a wide range of technologies and innovations including energy-efficient machinery, the latest equipment and applications, new product solutions and services covering the plastics, packaging, processing and printing sectors.

HKTDC announces appointment of new executive director

News this week: Last week, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) announced the promotion of former deputy executive director, Margaret Fong, as its newly appointed executive director. She had replaced the recently departed Fred Lam with effect from 1^st October 2014.

Fong joined the HKTDC in 2010. She has served as HKTDC’s deputy executive director since 2010, overseeing the international promotion of Hong Kong’s product and service industries and the HKTDC’s network of more than 40 offices worldwide.

Chairman of HKTDC, Jack So, was quoted saying, “Since joining us, Margaret has achieved significant success in leading our efforts to promote Hong Kong as Asia’s business hub and create opportunities for Hong Kong-based companies in developed and emerging markets. She has also been instrumental in fostering closer ties with our stakeholders and the community through the use of new media.”