Commitment with Singapore Tourism Board to set up its new regional headquarters

25.02.2020

Deutsche Messe, one of the world's leading exhibition organisers, and Singapore Tourism Board have signed an MoU (memorandum of understanding) to establish its first Southeast Asian headquarters – Hannover Fairs Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd - in Singapore. The new office will deepen Deutsche Messe's presence in Asia Pacific, providing greater support and expanding their trade fairs in the region. It will also look at creating new events in the medium term.

"We aim to have a solid long-term foothold in the booming Southeast Asia region and market our existing portfolio here directly. Singapore's geographical location and strong MICE ecosystem make it an ideal destination from which to expand our presence in the region. We are also confident that the country's fundamentals as a key MICE hub and attractive business destination remain strong, and that the MICE industry here will continue to thrive," explained Katariina Rohrbach, managing director of the newly formed Deutsche Messe subsidiary Hannover Fairs Asia-Pacific Pte. Ltd.
Under the partnership, STB and Deutsche Messe will work together to develop and anchor new events in Singapore, reinforcing the country's position as a Global-Asia node bridging markets in the East and West. 

"We want to extend a warm welcome to Deutsche Messe. Their decision to open their regional headquarters in Singapore points to our standing as a natural base for international event organisers who want to deepen their presence in Asia. Singapore's strong MICE industry ecosystem and its deep connections with Singapore's key business sectors enable us to host some of Asia's most impactful business events. Our partnerships with Deutsche Messe and SingEx reflect confidence in Singapore's economy and the prospects of our MICE Industry. We look forward to working with them to create and grow new best-in-class events in Singapore," said Keith Tan, chief executive of Singapore Tourism Board. Separately, an MOU between STB, Deutsche Messe and SingEx was also inked to reaffirm the commitment to organise Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific in Singapore and three parties to work together to develop and anchor new events in Singapore. The MOU continues the agreement concluded three years ago and secures the continued support of the Singapore government to hold Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific in Singapore. Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific is the Asian edition of the world's largest manufacturing tradeshow, Hannover Messe, and is staged jointly by Deutsche Messe and SingEx. Branded as a "Hannover Messe Event", the tradeshow is an important market platform in the Southeast Asia region, acting as a springboard for advanced manufacturing technologies that are vital to Singapore's continued economic growth, and accelerating the pace of manufacturing-sector technology transformation in ASEAN countries. 

Since its inception, Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific has grown to be a significant advanced manufacturing tradeshow, and a corner piece of Singapore's drive to transform the manufacturing industry in Singapore. It is a platform where manufacturers and providers can showcase their technologies and ideas, make new business contacts and build strategic alliances. The event has also grown from strength to strength with attendee numbers having increased by 50 per cent since its first edition in 2018. Last year, the tradeshow attracted 23,000 attendees and 350 exhibitors from 30 countries, an increase from 15,000 attendees and 266 exhibitors from 23 countries in 2018. "I am delighted to report that we are able to continue to organize and run Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific in partnership with the SingEx Group and with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board," commented Rohrbach. "It is of great importance that we continue our cooperation with both of these regional partners because without them it would not be possible to leverage the necessary industry knowledge, expertise and networks and bring them to bear effectively for the benefit of the show and its ongoing strategic development. We want to develop Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific into the leading industrial technology event in the region." 

Lim Kok Kiang, assistant managing director, Singapore Economic Development Board said: "Since its inception in 2018, ITAP has become a key platform for the region's manufacturing community to come together to discover the latest technologies, exchange best practices, establish partnerships and build networks. As ITAP continues to grow in prominence as the flagship manufacturing fair for Asia Pacific, we are confident that it will become a powerful platform in accelerating the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies across the region." Aloysius Arlando, chief executive officer, SingEx Holdings said: "As the event architect and organiser for the successful Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific together with international partner Deutsche Messe, SingEx focuses on curating differentiated and relevant content to meet the diverse needs of regional stakeholders and the everchanging demands in their industries. This expertise coupled with our commitment to position Singapore as the global Asian node for technology, innovation and enterprise attracted Deutsche Messe to partner SingEx for the event and work on future-ready trade events for the region. In this spirit of collaboration, we look forward to working with Singapore Tourism Board and Deutsche Messe to develop new shows that will benefit the greater global community."