Space sold at Asian trade fairs in 2012 tops 16 million m2 according to UFI report

PARIS/HONG KONG - According to the ninth edition of UFI’s annual report on the Trade Fair Industry in Asia, more than 16 million net m2 were sold in the region in 2012.

Research shows that 16.3 million m2 of space was sold by exhibition organisers to their clients in Asia in 2012. This represents growth of total net area sold of 2.7% - rising from 15,876,500 m2 in 2011 to 16,307,250 m2. Of that total, more than 55% was sold in China and 12% in Japan. Among the 1,948 trade fairs included in our database, 874 or 45% were held in those two countries.

Once again, growth was highest in Southeast Asia in 2012. Malaysia and Singapore were the fastest growing markets and were up by 8.2% and 7.6%, respectively. Indonesia’s trade fair market grew by 6.6%, Vietnam was up by 4.9% and the Philippines increased by 3.9%.

The larger markets performed better in 2012 than in the year before. Asia’s largest market, China, grew by 3.0%, while Japan increased space sold by 3.2% and India by 2.8% - all of which are higher than the regional average of 2.7%. Two other large markets, Korea (+0.8%) and Hong Kong (-0.4%) were relatively flat in 2012.

By the end of 2013, available venue capacity in Asia will reach 6,617,755 m2. The number of venues operating in Asia this year will be 191 across 15 different markets. Of those, more than 100 are in China – which now accounts for 69% of total capacity in the region.

In addition, China will open more venues in 2013 increasing total space available by 66,000 m2. China’s venue landscape will fundamentally change in 2015 with the opening of what will become Asia’s largest purpose-built exhibition centre. The Hongqiao venue in Shanghai will add an incredible 400,000 m2 of indoor space and 100,000 m2 of outdoor space when it opens in 2015.

Paul Woodward, UFI Managing Director, commented, “Our research shows two clear trends: 1) the continued trade fair boom in Southeast Asia and 2) the maturing of the trade fair market in mainland China. Both of these trends confirm that the trade fair market in Asia is one of the most exciting for organisers looking for high-growth opportunities.”

Woodward continued, “The growth in UFI’s membership in Asia reinforces the scale of the opportunities in Asia. We now have more than 200 members in Asia – accounting for approximately one third of UFI’s global membership. The number of members in Asia has risen by a factor of four in the past ten years – up from less than 50 in 2004.”

The report has again been edited by UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager and BSG Managing Director, Mark Cochrane. He commented, “The Asia trade fair industry sold more than 16 million m2 in 2012. That represents a significant milestone as the industry has doubled in size since the first edition of this report was published in 2005.”

“With new venue capacity being added over the next two years in key markets – including Jakarta, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur – we expect that the growth will continue. Southeast Asia should continue to post strong growth throughout 2013 and 2014, and we anticipate that China will see growth in its key markets (especially in Shanghai and Guangdong province) as long as the global economy at least holds constant.”

This report provides detailed information on the development of trade fairs and supporting facilities in 15 markets: China, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan,Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The report also includes analysis on actual market performance in 2012 as well as forecasts and commentary on key trends in each market.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews