Close to 300 delegates from 20 countries and regions attended the UFI Asia-Pacific Conference in Macau. The annual event was held at The Parisian Macao and hosted by the Macau Fair & Trade Association.
The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has approved the rights for Thailand, a registered candidate, to host the 2029 International Horticultural Expo or “Korat Expo 2029.”
The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) is a global organisation uniting thousands of growers of flowers and ornamental plants. It is the approving body of International Horticultural Expos, such as Expo Doha Qatar 2023.
Sustainability is more important than ever for European tourists, and Asian destinations are increasingly harnessing this potential.
ADIPEC will be held in Abu Dhabi on 4-7 November 2024, advancing tangible action across the entire energy value chain, accelerating decarbonisation and advancing the global energy transformation.
UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, and AsiaWorld-Expo have signed a multi-year Diamond Sponsorship Agreement, underlining AsiaWorld-Expo’s commitment to the ongoing development of the exhibition industry.
With a global range of exhibitors, learning sessions that dig into today’s most pertinent issues and opportunities to build new connections, IMEX Frankfurt 2024 is set to be a show with impact.
Farnborough Internation has purchased a 48 per cent ownership of Automotion Events, the company behind The British Motor Show, to support the brand in growing its automotive portfolio.
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has made a significant stride in its commitment to elevate the nation’s business events industry.
Augsburger Schwabenhallen Messe- und Veranstaltungsgesellschaft and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe are the latest new members of AUMA – the association of the German trade fair industry.
UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, has released the latest 32nd edition of its flagship Global Exhibition Barometer research which takes the pulse of the industry.
Last night, beMatrix won the award for 'Best Stand Design' in the category of stands from 30 to 69 square metres.
IOT Solutions World Congress (IOTSWC), the leading global event on industry transformation through the use of disruptive technologies, will showcase the latest advances and trends in this field.
IMEX Frankfurt 2024 holds up the mirror to the big shifts and changes in the industry by bringing together event professionals.
UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, is proud to announce its 2024 series of regional conferences and co-located events.
Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB) is gearing up to host the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Workshop on January 22, 2024, in the presence of Nasser Ali Qaedi, CEO of Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA).
This article delves into the necessity of agile internal structures within the trade fair industry, emphasizing the importance of embracing digital competencies, restructuring organizational frameworks, and fostering a demand-driven approach.
The German trade fair industry is starting the New Year with strong tailwind: According to initial estimates by the association of the german trade fairindustry, AUMA, at least 180,000 exhibiting companies and 11.5 million visitors were guests at German exhibition grounds in 2023.
Marcus Bergström has been appointed as the new director and member of the executive board at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.
17.08.2020
The Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (“HKECIA” and “the Association”) presented results of the latest member survey “Impact of Covid-19 to Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry” (“Survey”) to representatives of Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“HKSAR”) on 11 August 2020 and urged the authority to provide more support to help Hong Kong exhibition and convention industry ride out Covid-19 storm.
In the meeting on 11 August
2020, the newly elected chairman Stuart Bailey and office bearers explained to
the senior government officials the biggest challenges faced by the industry
and asked the government to provide immediate financial and policy support in
addition to the Convention and Exhibition Industry Subsidy Scheme (“Subsidy
Scheme”) under the HKSAR Anti-epidemic Fund.
91% of survey respondents
state that the Subsidy Scheme with a commitment of HK$1,020 million to
subsidise participants and organisers of convention and exhibition activities
was insufficient. Part of the Subsidy Scheme
subsidises private organisers of exhibitions and international conventions held
at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and AsiaWorld-Expo 100% of
the venue rental. Due to the third wave of Covid-19 in Hong Kong,
there are further postponements or cancellations of public exhibitions
originally scheduled for this summer and the start day of the Subsidy Scheme
(originally 24 July 2020) was deferred by HKSAR government without a new start
day. No event organiser has received any subsidy under the Subsidy Scheme so
far.
The HKECIA member Survey was
conducted from 23 to 30 July 2020 among all 115 HKECIA members. 59
members have responded and completed the survey, with 31% being event
organisers and 69% non-organisers. Here are some of the key findings:
Business
loss:
From the 18 organiser respondents alone, 52
exhibitions and conferences have been cancelled or postponed and these
events expected to draw over 54,000 exhibiting companies and over 3.4
million of visitors;
98% of respondents claim that the impact of Covid-19
on their business is either severe or extremely severe;
89% of organiser respondents and 59% of non-organiser project more than 12 months
for their business to recover; and
All organisers respondents project a loss of
revenue in year 2020 with 36% of them projecting a loss of over HK$100
million in 2020.
3 biggest challenges faced by
HKECIA members:
Loss incurred by postponement or cancellation of
events;
Lower market demand; and
Uncertainty due to government’s policy, e.g.
social distancing, immigration control, compulsory quarantine regulation,
etc.
91% of respondents claim the
Subsidy Scheme does not provide sufficient assistance to their companies
Impossible for organisers to move forward with exhibitor
recruitment and overseas buyer promotion due to the uncertainty on the
pandemic and travel restriction; and
Uncertainty of the start-day of the Scheme may
cause financial loss as some organisers would have already given discounts
on participation fee to exhibitors.
HKECIA members also expressed
through the survey that more and concrete government policy support is crucial
to the industry revival. Some of the suggestions are:
Exercise greater flexibility for the compulsory
quarantine regulations imposed on foreign business travelers if they come
with valid health document. For instance, if travelers are tested negative
for Covid-19 within 72 hours before their flights to Hong Kong, they can
enter and stay in HK for maximum seven days without compulsory quarantine.
Speed up the formation of “travel bubbles” with
countries and regions with few Covid-19 cases
Extend the Scheme period from 12 to 24 months as
some organisers project the industry will need more than 12 months to
recover.
As the Scheme does not apply to exhibition
related service providers (non-organisers) who don’t generate any income
until events resume, the government is asked to provide one-off special
business operation support fund to convention and exhibition related
businesses (non-organisers)
Provide office and warehouse rental subsidies
Conduct aggressive promotions by government
agency to highlight Hong Kong is safe and international events are ideal
platforms for trade and exchange.
HKECIA chairman Stuart Bailey
stated, “Only four small-scale consumer exhibitions took place from February to
July. All other exhibitions and conventions scheduled to take place have
not been held. No event being held means that there has been zero cash
generated by organisers, venues, and suppliers to the industry. The
Subsidy Scheme, however, is only able to assist the convention and exhibition
sector once it is practicable for events to resume, a point which we have yet
to reach. We urge the government to provide immediate and additional
financial assistance for event organisers and event related service
providers.
“Apart from immediate
financial assistance, we seek clarity from the government on matters relating
to travel restrictions, and to demand much greater transparency around the
reviews of the compulsory quarantine arrangements for countries / regions that
have a good record against the pandemic.” added Bailey.
Bailey stressed that the
exhibition industry plays a critical role for the Hong Kong economy and has
contributed significant economic benefits to Hong Kong by generating spin-offs
for related industries, e.g. hotels, restaurants, transport, retail, etc),
creating numerous jobs and business opportunities for small and medium
enterprises, and enhancing Hong Kong’s international image and
reputation. Exhibitions need to come back strongly to support the
recovery of trade and business in Hong Kong.
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