Asia Business Media

Friday, March 22, 2013

Alibaba reports jump in mobile transactions

News this week: According to the latest statistics published by the Alibaba Group, online purchases made on the company’s consumer-focused e-commerce platforms, Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com, jumped 600% in 2012.

The number of visits to the platforms via mobile devices reached 300 million last year. Of this total, 19% or 57 million users reached the checkout to finalise their purchase. Overall purchases through mobile phones made up close to 7% of all transactions on Taobao and Tmall.com in 2012, compared with just 1.8% in 2011.

Earlier this year, third-party vendors began offering custom mobile app services to build storefronts for private merchants on Taobao. This is similar to services which are currently available on U.S.-based Amazon.com where mobile sales are estimated to be approximately 5% to 8% of total sales in 2012.

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UBM launches Myanmar machinery show

News this week: UBM Asia (Thailand) announced a new industrial manufacturing trade show, INTERMACH Myanmar, which will be launched in Yangon this year. The show will take place from 24^th to 26^th October 2013 at Tatmadaw Exhibition Hall in Yangon.

The inaugural INTERMACH Myanmar will showcase industrial machinery from around the world and will be co-located with SUBCON Myanmar 2013 – an industrial subcontracting event also organised by UBM Asia.

M. Gandhi, managing director of UBM Asia, said, “With unprecedented growth and development now underway in Myanmar and set to grow even further with the new ASEAN Economic Community – the timing for INTERMACH Myanmar couldn’t be better.”

Reed launches Shanghai property show, develops Hong Kong show

News this week: Reed Exhibitions’ subsidiary and organiser of the property-focused shows, MIPIM and MIPIM Asia, Reed MIDEM, has announced the launch of MIPIM China and to further develop MIPIM Asia in Hong Kong.

The new show, MIPIM China, will be launched in Shanghai in the second half of 2014 with sister company Reed Exhibitions China. According to Reed, MIPIM China will be a dedicated exhibition, conference and networking event serving real estate professionals in the Chinese market.

The coming edition of MIPIM Asia will be held from 5^th to 6^th November 2013 at Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong. The show includes high-level conferences, premium networking and the MIPIM Asia Awards.

UBM launches Indian B2C Jewellery event

News this week: UBM India has announced the launch of a B2C jewellery exhibition in the southern India city of Chennai. The inaugural event will be held in October 2013 and it will target jewellers in Chennai. The event will be named, “I Love Jewellery.”

The launch was announced during the Gem & Jewellery India International Exhibition (GJIIE), jointly organised by UBM India and Madras Jewellers and Diamond Merchant's Association (MJDMA). The I Love Jewellery exhibition will be held immediately before the important Indian holiday, Diwali, and it will focus on high-end products.

MJDMA President Jayantilal J Challani was quoted, “The idea behind B2C is to benefit the end users by making available all varieties and latest design under one roof at an affordable price.”

Taiwan to launch Eco-products show in 2014

News this week: Taiwan will see the launch of a new green trade show during next year’s event calendar. The Eco-Products International Fair will be jointly organised by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Asian Productivity Organization (APO). The annual event is scheduled to run from 13^th to 15^th March 2014.

The three-day show will showcase the latest eco-technologies and products, along with industry seminars and workshops. According to government statistics, Taiwan’s green trade exports were valued at US$42.8 billion in 2011, accounting for 14% of Taiwan’s total exports.

HC International’s profit jumps 58%

News this week: Earlier this week, Hong Kong-listed HC International released its results for the year ended 31^st December 2012. Revenues in the year were US$88 million, up 25% from the 2011 figure. Net income for the year was US$11 million – a jump of 58% over the previous year. Dilute earnings per share in 2012 were RMB 0.1133 (US$0.018).

Online services continue to be the largest business segment of the Beijing-based company, generating 75% of total revenues – or approximately US$66 million. This represents a 42% year-on-year growth. Seminars & other services segment surpassed the trade catalogues & yellow page directories to become HC’s second largest business segment with revenues of US$13 million, or 15% of total, and recorded an increase of 24%. The remaining revenues were generated from the trade catalogues & yellow page directories. Revenues from that segment were down 33% in 2012 compared with the year before.

MMI acquires ceramics show in India

News this week: Trade show organiser, Messe München International (MMI) announced the acquisition of an event for the ceramics industry in India, Indian Ceramics. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Indian Ceramics was launched in 2005 by British trade fair organiser and specialty publisher, Bowhead Media. The transaction will be completed during the 2013 edition of Indian Ceramics and MMI will take-over organising the show beginning with the 2014 edition.

The annual Indian Ceramics showcases products and services from classic ceramics and raw materials to technical ceramics. The 2013 edition will feature more than 150 exhibitors and is expected to attract more than 5,000 visitors. The event will be held from 19^th to 21^st March at the University Exhibition Centre in Ahmedabad.

Friday, March 15, 2013

TCEB increases MICE targets in 2013

News this week: The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has announced revised targets for 2013 after exceeding its targets in 2012. The bureau is now targeting a 10% growth in MICE visitors resulting in 940,000 and revenues of US$2.93 billion.

According to TCEB, the meetings industry is expected to attract 231,000 visitors or 25% of the total in 2013. Incentive travel will account for 229,800 visitors, or 24% of international MICE visitors. International conventions will account for 306,000 MICE travellers or 33% of the total, while international exhibitions will account for 172,600 visitors or 18% of the total MICE visitors in 2013.

TCEB aims to achieve this goal using a three-stage strategy: 1) target new markets, 2) build strategic alliances, and 3) position the industry to compete effectively in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) – a single market which takes effect in 2015.

Taiwan unveils 4-year MICE promotion plan

News this week: Taiwan has launched a new four-year promotional programme to expand its MICE industry. This follows the conclusion last year of the “Taiwan MICE Advancement Program.”

The new “Taiwan MICE Pilot Programme” aims to increase the overall number of MICE events in Taiwan. The programme, led by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), will include a cloud-based database for event organisers as well as a MICE e-institute to provide online industry education and employment matching services.

Walter Yeh, managing director of Pilot Programme and TAITRA’s vice president, stated, “Corporate meetings (including incentive tourism), international conferences, and exhibitions will be our main focus. We will be employing strategic marketing to attract buyers to organise their meetings in Taipei, Hualien, Kaohsiung, Kenting and other parts of Taiwan… Providing subsidies for the showcasing of new exhibitions in Taiwan will also be included in the Pilot Programme.”

Pico Thailand posts quarterly net loss

News this week: Pico Thailand, the Thai-listed subsidiary of Pico Far East Holdings, released its results for the quarter ended 31^st January 2013. Revenues in the quarter were US$8.5 million, a decrease of 36% compared with the same quarter last year. The company recorded a net loss of US$96,000 in the quarter, compared with a net profit of US$992,000 in the same period in 2012.

Pico Thailand’s management attributed the decrease in revenues to lower income from its exhibition and knowledge communication businesses. According to the company, the exhibition business revenue is lower than last year and a major contract related to its knowledge communication business ended in the middle of 2012.