UBM Asia launches new furniture show in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, 28^th November: After acquiring the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) earlier this year, UBM Asia has announced plans to launch a complementary furniture and interior show next year. The Southeast Asia Furniture & Interiors Import-Export Exhibition (SEAFIE) will be held from 13^th to 16^th September 2013 at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

SEAFIE will be organised by the MIFF team and will complement MIFF. UBM Asia estimates the new show will cover a gross exhibition space of 45,000 m² with 300 international exhibitors and 20,000 trade buyers. The four-day event will showcase international mid- to high-end brands of home and office furniture, interior design products and soft furnishings.

MIFF Chairman Datuk Dr Tan Chin Huat commented, “The timing is ideal for the launch of SEAFIE in light of the changing market environment. Based on in-depth market research by UBM, September is a key second buying season for furniture and interiors buyers worldwide these days.”

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ITE acquires Indian exhibition business

London & Mumbai, 4^th December: International trade exhibitions and conferences organiser, ITE Group, has acquired a 28% stake in Asian Business Exhibitions and Conference (ABEC) US$22 million valuing ABEC at approximately US$80 million.

ABEC runs 19 exhibitions in India covering 11 industry verticals. The company operates a total of 63 events with reported profits of US$2.5 million for the year ended 31^st March 2012 and has assets of US$31 million.

ITE’s CEO, Russell Taylor, said, “ABEC has a quality portfolio of events with strong market positions in sectors where ITE has an established presence… ABEC’s events in the building, architecture, design and decor industry total more than 65,000 m² net of sold exhibition space, giving ITE an interest in India’s dominant trade shows for this growing sector. With an established event portfolio in the building and interiors industry and a strong international sales network, ITE can deliver significant value to ABEC’s business.”

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Alibaba.com moves closer to supplier ratings system

Hangzhou, 26^th November: Alibaba.com has announced that it will increase the supplier information available to buyers using its B2B sourcing platform, Alibaba.com. This step towards increased supplier transparency is part of an on-going effort to improve the level of trust in suppliers listed on the platform.

 

Although the company has not gone as far as offering buyer-generated ratings, Alibaba.com will post the number and nature of recent complaints against suppliers. Previously, complaints were limited to fraud-related issues only. Under the new plan, complaints related to product quality and delivery delays will also be included.

 

Disputes in which Alibaba.com staff find the supplier at fault will be recorded on the supplier’s homepage on Alibaba.com - for all visitors to review. The list will include verified complaints in the past 90 days and an indication as to whether or not the complaint was resolved.

  

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.

MICE visitors to Macau increased in Q3

Macau, 27^th November: Macau’s Information from the Statistics and Census Service has announced that 223 MICE events were held in Macau in the third quarter. This is a drop of 13 events year-on-year, but the total number of participants and attendees increased by 34% year-on-year to 699,805.

 

In the third quarter, 22 exhibitions were held in Macau – an increase of seven exhibitions and attendees also increased by 38% to 684,268. There were 201 meetings and conferences held in the quarter attracting 15,537 delegates.

 

In the first nine months of 2012, Macau hosted 728 MICE events. That is down 45 events compared with the same period in 2011, but the total number of attendees increased by 29% to 991,602. The majority of those visitors (903,444) attended exhibitions.

 

 

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.