BSG News

UFI Open Seminar in Shenzhen in 2012

2011-12-01T13:49:00.004+08:00

It is less than three months until our annual UFI Open Seminar in Asia. This will be the 7th edition of the seminar and it has grown to become UFI's second largest event after the UFI Congress! The 2012 edition of the seminar will be held in Shenzhen on 23-24 February at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Since the inaugural edition in 2005, this event has been managed by BSG on behalf of UFI. This year's theme is "Asian Exhibitions in the Year of the Dragon" and we have a fantastic programme lined-up. The previous edition of the seminar in Bangkok attracted over 260 delegates and we expecting a large turnout in 2012 as well.

Check out the full programme details and register today! The early bird rate is available until 21st January.

BSG and Mayfield Media partner to focus on acquisition opportunities in Asia

2011-09-06T10:00:00.006+08:00

BSG is pleased to announce our new partnership with Mayfield Media Strategies. We will be working with Steve Monnington and Anna John to advise independent exhibition organisers in Asia who are interested in selling their businesses. Steve and Anna have a truly impressive track record in M&A advisory and we look forward to bringing that expertise to Asia.

Here is a list of some of the recent transactions in which Mayfield Media has played a role.

The full press release is below.

Press Release September 6^th 2011

Mayfield Media Strategies and Business Strategies Group join forces to unlock acquisition opportunities in Asia.

Mayfield Media Strategies and Business Strategies Group have formed a partnership to help exhibition organisers in Asia market themselves for sale to international purchasers.

Mayfield Media are the leading specialist acquisition brokers for the exhibition industry. Over the past 15 years, they have helped many independent organisers sell their businesses or set up joint ventures with international partners. Mayfield Media have facilitated transactions all round the globe including in the UK, Mainland Europe, Australia and the Middle East and are increasingly working with entrepreneurs in emerging markets such as Turkey where they have completed five transactions in the last couple of years.

Business Strategies Group (BSG) is the only market intelligence and strategy-consulting firm in Asia focused on business media, information and events. Based in Hong Kong and founded in 2000, its services include research, market intelligence, mergers and acquisition support and strategy development. BSG publishes regular reports on all aspects of B2B media in Asia.

Steve Monnington, Managing Director of Mayfield Media commented ‘We have been planning to establish our business in Asia for some time and we are delighted to be working with Mark and the team at BSG. The exhibition business has always crossed borders, but in recent years we have seen a dramatic increase the in the number of international acquisitions. Selling your company to a foreign buyer can be a daunting task, especially if the relationship will be ongoing. Our experience helps vendors maximize the price and to work out the right deal-structure to ensure future success. Combined with Mark’s extensive knowledge of the Asian exhibition market we are confident of delivering results.’

Mark Cochrane, Managing Director of BSG commented, ‘We are extremely pleased to partner with Mayfield Media. They have unmatched experience as an acquisition broker for the exhibition industry – particularly in emerging markets. The exhibition industry in Asia is the fastest growing and most dynamic worldwide. The combination of BSG’s Asian market knowledge and Mayfield Media’s transaction expertise will allow us to offer a great deal of value to independent exhibition organisers looking to sell their businesses.’

The partnership will deliver turn-key services for exhibition organisers in Asia looking to sell all or part of their companies – this will include a valuation, analysis of potential purchasers, preparation of an information memorandum, price negotiation and overseeing the legal and due-diligence process.

For further information:

Mayfield Media

Contact: Anna John +44 208 992 3329

annajohn@mayfieldmedia.com

www.mayfieldmedia.com

Business Strategies Group

Contact: Mark Cochrane +852-2525-6103

mark@bsgasia.com

www.bsgasia.com

BSG and Trade Show News Network Announce Strategic Partnership

2011-04-12T14:20:00.003+08:00

BSG and TSNN (The Trade Show News Network) have announced a strategic partnership that will include the launch of the TSNN Asia Exhibition News e-newsletter covering the exhibition business in Asia.

The bi-monthly TSNN Asia Exhibition News e-newsletter will launch April 28th and feature news for show managers, meeting planners and suppliers in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as show managers and suppliers interested in the Asian markets.

We are very pleased to be working with Rachel Wimberly, Stephen Nold and the rest of the TSNN team. You can subscribe TSNN Asia Exhibition News e-newsletter here.

Full details from the press release are available here.

UFI Open Seminar in Asia headed to Shenzhen in 2012

2011-03-09T15:16:00.005+08:00

The 2011 UFI Open Seminar in Asia concluded in Bangkok on February 25th. The event reached a new record in terms of delegates (almost 260 in total). Thanks to our hosts, TCEB as well as all of the speakers, sponsors and delegates who made the seminar such a strong success this year.

The seminar concluded with the exciting announcement that the 2012 edition of the UFI Open Seminar in Asia will be headed to Shenzhen - specifically the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre.

BSG (which manages the UFI Asia/Pacific office and UFI Open Seminar in Asia) looks forward to welcoming you to Shenzhen and the 7th edition of this event next year!

2012 UFI Congress headed to Abu Dhabi

2011-02-01T14:55:00.004+08:00

UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, announced this week that the 2012 UFI Congress will be held in Abu Dhabi. The 2012 Congress will be UFI's 79th annual global meeting and the first to be held in the Arabian Gulf.

UFI Managing Director commented, "We have been hoping for a long time to be able to bring the UFI Congress to Abu Dhabi and are really delighted that our 2012 event will be hosted by ADNEC. Abu Dhabi generously hosted UFI’s Middle East/Africa office for the past five years. So, we are really excited to be able to share with our 550 members in 84 countries the magnificent facilities and exciting developments there which we know very well. This will, we’re certain, be a really memorable UFI Congress, all the more special for being the first one we’ve held in the Arabian Gulf region."

The 2010 UFI Congress was held in Singapore last November and it attracted 475 delegates from more than 50 countries. The 2011 UFI Congress will be held in Valencia.

BSG manages the UFI Asia/Pacific office as well as the UFI Open Seminar in Asia.

UFI President Eric Everard to close Bangkok Seminar

2011-01-17T18:12:00.006+08:00

BSG (which manages the UFI Asia/Pacific office and UFI Open Seminar in Asia) has now confirmed that UFI President Eric Everard will be the closing speaker at the UFI Open Seminar in Bangkok next month! Eric's topic will be confirmed shortly, but in line with the seminar's focus on "Elements of Success", Eric will draw on his experience as a successful entrepreneur. He founded both the Artexis Group and easyFairs.

If you plan to join us, please register before 21 January to enjoy the "early bird" rate. Programme and registration details can be found on the seminar website:

www.ufi.org/bangkok2011/

See you in Bangkok!

UFI Open Seminar in Bangkok 2011

2010-11-24T10:29:00.002+08:00

With the annual UFI Congress now successfully closed, we are turning our attention and efforts to another major event: The UFI Open Seminar in Asia. The 2011 edition of this event will be held in Bangkok on 24-25 February at the Centara Grand.

As has been the case since it was launched in 2005, this event is managed by BSG on behalf of UFI. This year's theme is "Elements of Success" and we have an exciting programme lined up. The previous edition of this event attracted over 200 delegates and we expecting a large turnout in 2011 as well.

Click here for programme and registration details.

BSG quoted in Tradeshow Week Asia article

2010-03-01T10:17:00.001+08:00

Asian Destinations Bounce Back - 3/1/2010 - Tradeshow Week

Lisa Plummer does a nice overview of the rebound in Hong Kong and Macau in the latest edition of TradeShow Week. BSG is quoted along with UBM Asia's Jimé Essink, The Venetian's Wolfram Diener and Vertical Expo's Kenny Lo. Kenny will be speaking this week in Taiwan at the UFI Open Seminar in Asia on his success with themes which might once have been considered "difficult" in Asia.

BSG Chairman, Paul Woodward is quoted in the article:

Also hopeful about Macau’s exhibition future is Paul Woodward, chairman of Business Strategies Group, who said he believes one of the key ingredients to the region’s success will be to establish its own, distinct tradeshow identity.

“As the local market is very small, it has been challenging for Macau to build up a critical mass of visitors and buyers to most exhibitions,” he added. “Organizers are still fine-tuning their approach to (determine) the themes and event style that will work well in this market. Attempts simply to copy formats that have worked previously in Hong Kong or Las Vegas haven’t been so successful.”

Asia’s economies performing well as UFI heads to Taiwan « UFI Live

2010-02-24T09:18:00.001+08:00

Asia’s economies performing well as UFI heads to Taiwan « UFI Live

This piece by Paul was posted on UFI's blog today incluing some news about the upcoming Open Seminar in Asia which is managed by BSG and reporting on the latest, positive news from key Asian economies.

CEFCO report on UFI Live

2010-01-20T09:05:00.000+08:00

The Blog of UFI, The Global Exhibition of the Exhibition Industry
Industry kicks of the year in chilly Xi’an

From Paul Woodward in Hong Kong: for the past six years, the first major meeting of the exhibitions industry anywhere in the world has taken place in China. This latest edition of CEFCO (the China Expo Forum for International Cooperation) has just finished in Xi’an in China’s northwestern Shaanxi province. Some 550 delegates from across China and around the world joined to talk about developments in the industry and prospects for the year ahead.

The meeting is organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and supported by UFI along with IAEE and SISO from the US. This year’s event saw UFI President Manfred Wutzlhofer kick off the proceedings accompanied by the team from the Asia/Pacific office in Hong Kong and a number of our members from around the world. At the opening ceremony, he told delegates “UFI is delighted to support once again this event which we clearly recognise as the most important meeting in China which is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most significant exhibition markets”.

CCPIT talked about this market when it presented its annual report on the Chinese trade fair industry. Even as exports stumbled in the first part of the year, many of the major exhibitions continued to grow. They did, though offer a note of caution on the rapid expansion in exhibition venue capacity when Mr. Gu Chao, Director-General of the Exhibition Department, called for careful review of wastage and under-utilsation of facilities.

Of course, for many attendees to a wintry Xi’an, some of the key highlights took place outside the conference hall including a visit to the remarkable terra-cotta warriors of the Chin emperor’s tomb. For those who weren’t able to join us there, I’d commend you to IAEE President Steven Hacker’s memorable photographs which he has kindly made public. Thanks Steven!

More to follow on the UFI Chinese members’ meeting and other highlights from CEFCO.

UFI Live blog launched

2010-01-19T22:16:00.003+08:00

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has launched a new blog, UFI Live. Hosted by Canadian Barry Sisskind, the new site will include a number of guest bloggers including UFI Asia/Pacific regional manager and BSG Chairman, Paul Woodward.

One of the first guest bloggers was Exhibitions India's Prem Behl, talking about his optimism for improvements in the facilities at the country's largest venue, the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Check out details now of UFI Open Seminar in Asia programme

2009-12-17T10:51:00.005+08:00

This event, as always, managed by BSG for UFI is looking very exciting this year in Taipei. We're expecting a big audience and some exciting speakers on the subject of "Innovation for Growth". Click on the postcard here to go to the programme and registration details:

Keep an eye out for the Twitter hashtag #ufitaipei for regular updates on speakers and the programme.

TAITRA: Asian MICE Forum 2009 to Be Opened on 19th November

2009-11-17T09:42:00.001+08:00

I'm going to be heading to Taipei on Thursday evening from Beijing to attend this event wearing my UFI 'hat': TAITRA: Asian MICE Forum 2009 to Be Opened on 19th November

It looks as though there will be a good cross-section of the business events industry represented with ICCA, UFI, SITE and IAEE all present.

New BSG Leadership Plans Announced

2009-10-24T08:40:00.001+08:00

Hong Kong, 23rd October 2009: Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG), Asia’s leading consultants to the business media and events industry, has announced new management plans for 2010 and beyond.

From 1st January 2010, BSG founder Paul Woodward will become chairman of the company with Mark Cochrane taking on the role of Managing Director. They will lead the business together until 1st July when Mr. Woodward leaves Asia to take on the full time position of Managing Director of UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry. At that point, Mr. Woodward will become non-executive chairman of BSG and Mr. Cochrane will assume overall management responsibility for the company.

Mr. Cochrane has been based in Hong Kong for 12 years. Prior to joining BSG in 2006, he worked for Global Sources and the Gartner Group in a variety of roles. A graduate of Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management, Mr. Cochrane has worked on a wide range of BSG’s consulting projects and, for the past three years, has been the primary author of the company’s annual study, “Trade Fairs in Asia.”

Commenting on the transition, Mr. Woodward said “We are all delighted that Mark will be stepping into this leadership role to take BSG forward into its second decade of business. The need which we identified back in 2000 when the company was formed for high quality, reliable information and advice on the business media industry in Asia still very much exists today. Mark’s experience means that he is very well positioned to provide what our clients need in the future.”

Regarding his new role, Mr. Cochrane said, “As Asia continues to be a growth centre, this is an exciting time to be managing BSG as it further strengthens its position as a market leader. I look forward to continuing to build on BSG’s long track record of providing clients with the advice and data that they need to successfully navigate change in this fast-growing industry.”

Nice piece from Shangri-La newsletter has me looking forward to our Taipei seminar

2009-10-09T07:58:00.002+08:00

Taipei's a great city and this piece from Shangri-La hotels has me looking forward to being there in March next year for our UFI Open Seminar in Asia (4 - 5 March...more details soon on UFI web site):

https://www.shangri-la.com/en/corporate/gcnewsletterarticle/139

Shared via AddThis

Keep the dates for UFI Asia Seminar 2010

2009-09-15T16:58:00.000+08:00

HKTDC links to BSG news

2009-07-15T16:10:00.003+08:00

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council's website is a very rich resource for companies wishing to trade with Asia. As well as listings and company information, it includes all kinds of business and economic research. Some of this is undertaken by the TDC's own, excellent research department and other items come from third party research and consulting firms including BSG.

Thanks to Marsha Ho at Edelman in Hong Kong for pointing out to us this piece which quotes a recent BSG Tracker Service report on the Impact of the Economic crises on the Asia B2B events industry.

New UFI/BSG research reports continued growth in Asia

2009-07-02T11:05:00.001+08:00

Trade fair market in Asia grows by 8.7% in 2008 according to UFI report
Issued: Thursday, 30th June, 2009

June 30, 2009 – Paris/Hong Kong: The trade fair industry in Asia expanded by 8.7% in 2008 despite the weakening global economic environment according to the fifth edition of UFI’s annual report on the trade fair market in Asia. Net area sold by organisers in Asia reached a total of 14.3 million m2 The research was once again undertaken for UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, by Business Strategies Group (BSG) in Hong Kong.

China’s growth continues to outpace the rest of the region. It is the largest market in the region in terms of space sold and industry revenues. Year-on-year, net square metres sold in China grew by 14% outperforming the regional average of 8.7%. Over 7.6 million m2 were sold in China in 2008 – accounting for 53% of 14.3 million m2 sold across Asia. The second largest market, Japan, continues to lose ground to China. The Japanese market shrank by more than 6% last year with 2.0 million m2 sold.

A number of much smaller markets grew faster than China last year. Space sold in Macau expanded by 69% on the back of the opening of the new venue at the Venetian. Taiwan grew by 26% and Vietnam by 24% in terms of square metres sold which was also primarily driven by additional, new capacity in both markets.

Revenues from trade fairs in Asia increased from US$3.25 billion in 2007 to US$3.45 billion last year – an rise of just over 6%, down markedly from the 26% revenue growth recorded in 2007. China outperformed all of the top five largest markets (measured by revenues) by a wide margin posting a 20% increase in revenues for a total of US$1.33 billion.

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 2008 as well as forecasts and commentary on key trends in each market.

Vincent Gérard, UFI Managing Director, commented, “2008 was another noteworthy year for the exhibition industry in Asia. Despite a challenging economic environment, space sales in the region as a whole grew by close to 9%. Seven different markets posted double digit growth – and of those four grew by more than 20%. Even this difficult year should be no exception with major markets forecast to continue expanding and several exciting new venues coming online by the end of 2009.”

As an added-value service, each UFI member will be entitled to receive a four page executive summary of the research and to purchase the full report at a substantial discount.

The report has again been edited by UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager and BSG Principal, Paul Woodward. He commented, “Asia continues to be one of the most vital and exciting exhibition markets in the world. Despite the global economic recession, in 2009 BSG is still forecasting growth in several of the region’s key exhibition markets including China and India. The pace of change here has been nothing short of remarkable. In 2003, there were 101 venues in the region and space sales were just 5.7 million m2. By the end of this year, Asia will be home to 162 venues generating space sales of 14.6 million m2.”

For more information on this study, please contact UFI in Asia at:
UFI Asia/Pacific Office 1101, Wilson House 19, Wyndham Street Central, Hong Kong
Tel : +852 2525 6129
Fax: +852 2525 6171
email: asia@ufi.org

BSG quoted by TCEB

2009-05-29T17:25:00.003+08:00

BSG CEO Paul Woodward has been quoted by the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, one of BSG's key clients, in a press release about exhibitions in Thailand. When talking about awareness of Thailand in Hong Kong and China, he says:

In Hong Kong there is a pretty high level of awareness of what Thailand has to offer. The levels of knowledge in China are still developing and we are working hard to help people there realize that Thailand is a good business base as well as a leisure travel destination for which it is currently most famous. Once people have seen the quality of the infrastructure in Thailand and international standard services to support it, they are very enthusiastic about the opportunities in the country.

Green shoots in Asia?

2009-05-02T15:44:00.003+08:00

UFI Info, the e-newsletter of UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, has just published an opinion piece by BSG founder Paul Woodward talking about early signs of recovery in Asia's trade fair industry:

I will be really interested to see the results of round
two of UFI’s barometer research. If I were a betting
man (which I am not), I’d place a decent wager on the
general mood being better than when UFI first carried
out this research early in the year.

Yes, the economic news is still quite mixed and au-
gust organisations such as the IMF are warning us
that things may be even worse than they feared.
Worthy journals like the Economist are cautioning us
against being too excited by the 'green shoots' which
people are reporting.

I am not an economist. But every business person I'm
talking to right now is seeing those green shoots.
They accept that 2009 won’t be a great year, but it is
now looking, in Asia at least, as though it just might
not be as bad as they had feared.

There are some encouraging signs emerging. After a
series of very disturbing reports about motor shows
around the world, for example, Auto Shanghai (an
UFI Approved Event) reported numbers up on all
measures and attracted huge international attention.
This is partly because China's car market is now big-
ger than that of the US. Porsche used the event to
launch a car for the first time outside Germany or the
US. The CEOs of many of the world's car companies
were there. For those of us in the trade fair business,
we were not surprised to see that the car industry
chose an exhibition as it tried to restart its economic
engines.

In Hong Kong, the large Spring sourcing shows
have been better than expected. The January
fairs were relatively quiet, but the early April
events, to the surprise of some, were bigger
and, for at least some of the events, visitor num-
bers were up by 10%. Although some of the
other big sourcing fairs in the region were still
struggling to attract visitors in the usual num-
bers, factory owners in South China are report-
ing that orders are beginning to pick back up.
The buyers clearly need good quality trade fairs
to locate next season’s products.

In Asia at least, the general economic news is
looking up. Just last week, two respected banks
(there are still a few) upgraded their forecasts
for China. They are now expecting 7.5 to 8%
GDP growth this year. Korea just reported first
quarter growth, albeit very slim growth, when all
had expected recession. Taiwan’s March ex-
ports were down, but much less than the pundits
had been expecting.

The good news for UFI members is that the fairs
supporting these mini revivals which are doing
best are those which lead their field. There is a
clear flight to quality and events which are new
or number 3 or 4 in their field continue to strug-
gle. UFI Approved Events by definition are well-
established and are usually the leaders in their
field. Now, more than ever, the UFI Approved
Events are proving their worth in this difficult, but
not impossible market.

BSG manages the Asia/Pacific office of UFI.

BSG issues report on crisis and B2B in Asia

2009-03-30T15:02:00.002+08:00

PRESS RELEASE

Impact of global economic crisis on Asia’s B2B media industry: Online revenues holding up well, exhibitions and publishing weakening

Hong Kong, 30th March: Business Strategies Group (BSG), the only consultancy in Asia specialising in B2B media and events, has released a new report analysing the impact of the global economic crisis on the Asian B2B media industry.

Key players including Alibaba.com, Global Sources and CMP Asia have all weathered the economic crisis quite well so far. Alibaba.com’s 2008 revenues increased 39% year-on-year. Global Sources’ revenues came within guidance increasing by 14% and CMP Asia’s revenues jumped by 19% in 2008.

The leading companies have reacted to the economic crisis with a variety of initiatives and strategies, but there are some common themes.

There is an emphasis on new markets to generate alternative sources of growth. Both Global Sources and Alibaba.com allocated additional resources to India in 2008. Alibaba.com is also making a concerted effort to diversify its paid supplier base outside of China – including more markets in Europe.

Both Alibaba.com and Global Sources have restructured their core online offerings to create lower cost products. Global Sources has discontinued a non-core business and has focused more resources on big buyers services (i.e. Private Sourcing Events).

In a show of confidence, both Global Sources and Alibaba.com have repurchased shares. Alibaba.com has board approval to repurchase up to US$258 million worth of shares on the open market. Global Sources bought back US$50 million worth of shares through a tender offer.

Business events, primarily sourcing exhibitions, have held up well until now, but most organisers are expecting 2009 to result in a significant drop in business. Consequently, governments around the region have launched a number of initiatives and schemes to boost the sector.

The Hong Kong government earmarked HK$150 million (US$19.4 million) to promote Hong Kong’s conventions and exhibitions business overseas and is also considering significantly expanding the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. The Hong Kong Tourism Board set up a new team, “Meetings & Exhibitions Hong Kong” (MEHK), to support the industry.

Singapore has established a US$60 million fund to boost tourism including the MICE and business travel sectors. The Singapore Expo venue is undergoing a facility upgrade. The Media Development Authority in Singapore has committed US$60 million to support its media sector.

Taiwan, Korea, Thailand and Malaysia have launched comparable efforts to support their MICE industry through subsidies, promotional activities and venues expansion projects.

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented, “We are anticipating a challenging, but eventful year in Asia’s B2B media industry. 2009 will undoubtedly be a down year for the exhibition business, but the impact on the B2B online sector is still an unknown. Global Sources’ 2008 online revenues increased by 24% and Alibaba.com’s by 39%, but the key question is: how will their revamped online products will hold up this year.”

This BSG report was distributed on 26th March to BSG subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. The report features over 30 pages of information and analysis covering the impact of the economic crisis on key B2B media companies including Global Sources, CMP Asia (now UBM Asia), Alibaba.com and the HKTDC as well as a detailed review of the activities of governments across Asia. The report is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

For information, please contact:

Paul Woodward, Principal, Business Strategies Group Ltd.
Tel: +852 2525 6163
e-mail: paul at bsgasia.com

Distributed through Edelman on behalf of Business Strategies Group Ltd.

Marsha Ho
Edelman
Telephone: 852 2837 4705
Fax: 852 2804 1303
Email: marsha.ho at edelman.com

ABM quotes BSG on Asia

2009-03-26T09:58:00.002+08:00

ABM, the Global Association of Business Information Companies (née American Business Media) has published some thoughts on Asia and the crisis from BSG's Paul Woodward in its Global Industry Insights e-newsletter. We say:

Given the number of resumés arriving in Hong Kong from the US, it would appear that there is some optimism that Asia can provide some reprieve from the worst of the downturn. The truth is more mixed. Research Business Strategies Group (BSG) has been preparing suggests that, while the region has certainly not escaped the downturn, there are some bright spots.

In the same edition, Neal Vitale of 1105 Media talks about China. he says:

In the January edition of ABM's Global Industry Insights, Tom Gorman of Fortune China noted that China will offer "solid, if slower, growth for well-managed media businesses with strong brands." At 1105 Media, we couldn't agree more.

ABM is gearing up for what it is calling its first Global B2B Day during its spring meeting at Amelia Island in Florida in early May.

Twittering

2009-03-10T14:24:00.002+08:00

One of our jobs is to track trends which may affect the businesses of our clients in B2B media companies in the next year or so. It is clear that Twitter, love it or hate it, has reached a critical mass in the past few months and engaged the consciousness of business people and particularly media business people.

Once dear old Gary Trudeau of Doonesbury picks up on a tech trend - he's no spring chicken you know - you know its so mainstream that it may almost be over. However, we press on.

The only way to work out what all this means is to use it. So, I have started twittering at pwoodwardhk. Do follow me there if you're interested. I'm learning that people are increasingly using it less to post on the colour of their socks (mine are red by the way), but to provide links to tidbits of news and insight relevant to their particular interests.

I just posted on Jack Ma's interview with the New York Times:

#Alibaba's Jack Ma tells New York Times that recession will last 3 - 5 years: http://tiny.cc/vdN2M

I can't promise that some of it won't be trivial, but I can promise that I'm trying to work out whether this does any more for a business than burn up staff time.

UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2009 opens in KL with record crowd

2009-02-12T21:42:00.004+08:00

This event is managed on behalf of UFI by the Business Strategies Group team:

UFI Open Seminar in Kuala Lumpur – A record audience

Paris/Kuala Lumpur, 12 February 2009: A record 208 delegates from 26 countries and regions have gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this week for UFI’s annual Open Seminar in Asia. The focus of the meeting, hosted by the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is "Ten Steps to Better Exhibitions" with a group of experts from around the world providing practical tips on how to run exhibitions in a time of crisis.

UFI Managing Director, Vincent Gérard, speaking in Malaysia, said “we are more than delighted that, in this challenging economic time, such a strong group of our UFI members as well as non-members from around the region has chosen to come together in Kuala Lumpur to exchange ideas on how they can protect and continue to build-up their businesses. It’s a real affirmation of the value UFI can provide in sharing information and networking opportunities to the industry. At the same time, a successful gathering like this really promotes the value of face-to-face events”.

Peter Brokenshire, General Manager of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, said “The Centre is honoured to be the host venue for the UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2009. With strong support from Malaysian organisations, this event marks an excellent opportunity for industry professionals to experience first-hand what Kuala Lumpur city has to offer and the Centre’s world-class facilities, the team’s professional and friendly service and of course, the gastronomic delights specially prepared by our culinary brigade of 51 chefs during the event”.

The UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2009 is strongly supported by a number of important Malaysian organisations which include Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), AOS Convention & Exhibition Sdn Bhd, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Kuala Lumpur Tourism Action Council, Pico International (M) Pte Ltd, and the host, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Day one speakers at the event include Byung-Kwan Bae, President & CEO, COEX, Korea, Stanley Chu, Chairman, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd and UFI Asia Pacific Chapter First Vice Chairman from Hong Kong, Peter Brokenshire, Nat Wang, President, Agility Fairs & Events Logistics Pte Ltd, Singapore, and, bringing a perspective on sales from outside the industry, Anthony Solimini, Author of "Trust, Comfort, Confidence - Three words that will change the way you sell".

Following an evening reception jointly hosted by Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau
(MyCEB) and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, day two speakers include Gunnar Heinrich, Managing Partner, adventics GmbH, Germany, Glenn Hansen, President and CEO, BPA Worldwide, and Skip Cox, President and CEO, Exhibit Surveys, Inc, USA, Michael Duck, Senior Vice President, CMP Asia Ltd and Hanson Toh, Han-Son, Malaysia Country Consultant, Google, Inc., Malaysia. The final session will bring together a panel of exhibitors to discuss what they need from the exhibitions they use today and tomorrow.

Other networking sessions include a lunch on Friday 13th sponsored by MATRADE, while a post-seminar guided tour of Kuala Lumpur is sponsored by AOS Conventions & Events Sdn Bhd.

Next year’s UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2010, to be hosted by TAITRA, will take place at the Taipei World Trade Centre on March 4 - 5.

The impact of recession

2009-02-02T10:12:00.002+08:00

BSG Principal Paul Woodward is quoted today in Telecom Asia piece about the impact of the economic slowdown on conferences and other business events:

Paul Woodward, Asia-Pacific manager of exhibitions industry group UFI, said economic downturns usually hit smaller and niche events the hardest.

“What we normally see during a crisis is that big, major events hold up reasonably well. That applies across most sectors,” he said.

“People tend to pull their marketing and travel budgets from smaller events that are a bit more marginal.”

He said events in Asian consumer businesses, such as toys and consumer electronics, looked to be feeling the biggest impact of the recession.

UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2009 to be held in Malaysia

2008-12-22T16:34:00.001+08:00

Paris, 15 December 2008: UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will hold the fourth UFI Open Seminar in Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 12-13 February 2009. The theme of this seminar focuses on "Ten Steps to Better Exhibitions - Practical tips on how to run an exhibition in a time of crisis".

As in the past, the UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2009 welcomes all UFI members and non-members to participate. Registration is now open with early bird rates available until 31 December 2008.

The seminar will be hosted by Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, one of UFI's members in Malaysia. UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager Paul Woodward commented "we decided to hold the 2009 seminar with a very practical focus on ten interesting topics about how to run exhibitions beginning from planning to looking at your future business. We're delighted to be working with the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on this project".

According to Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre's General Manager, Peter Brokenshire, "The Centre is honoured to be the host venue for the UFI Open Seminar 2009. This is an excellent platform for the local and international exhibition professionals to have a quality knowledge exchange and networking opportunities. The need to meet and connect with their counterparts is even more crucial in the current economic environment.

"In addition, we hope the delegates will also enjoy a first-hand experience of the space and flexibility at our venue, the team's professional and friendly service and of course, the gastronomic offerings specially prepared by our culinary brigade of 51 chefs during the event."

A group of experienced executives from the exhibitions industry as well as a group of major exhibitors and some outside experts will share their expertise in Kuala Lumpur. They will provide delegates with real-world stories and practical tips for running better exhibitions.

The UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2009 is strongly supported by a number of important Malaysian organizations and include Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), AOS Convention & Exhibition Sdn Bhd, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Kuala Lumpur Tourism Action Council, Pico International (M) Pte Ltd, and the host, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

A group of presenters in the following list has been assembled for the programme with others to be confirmed.
- Stanley Chu, Chairman, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd and UFI Asia Pacific Chapter First Vice Chairman, Hong Kong SAR.
- Peter Brokenshire, General Manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia.
- Nat Wong, President, Agility Fairs & Events Logistics Pte Ltd, Singapore.
- Glenn Hansen, President and CEO, BPA Worldwide, USA.
- Skip Cox, Exhibit Surveys, USA
- Michael Duck, Senior Vice President, CMP Asia Ltd, Hong Kong SAR

The Seminar runs from 1:30 - 5:45PM on Thursday 12th February and 9:00AM - 1:00PM on Friday 13th February followed by Seminar Lunch at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Seminar programme and registration info are available at www.ufi.org/kualalumpur2009.

For additional information please contact: UFI
Ms Lili Eigl, Manager Communications
35bis, rue Jouffroy-d'Abbans
75017 Paris, France
Phone: (33) 1 4267 9912
Email: lili@ufi.org

Seasons greetings from the BSG team

2008-12-22T16:32:00.002+08:00

Projecting resilience

2008-11-05T10:47:00.005+08:00

BSG CEO Paul Woodward is quoted in this article on the impact of the economic crisis on the MICE industry. The basic theme is that "conventions and exhibitions in the region will weather the global financial storm, despite a drop in delegate attendance". Corporate meetings and incentive travel are expected to be hit harder.

Woodward is quoted as saying "We can safely assume that the third and fourth quarters of this year will be pretty weak compared to previous years, as companies cut back on international travel in the face of future uncertainty. There are mixed reports coming from the major trade fairs under way now. Some are reporting flat visitor figures while others are conceding a 15-20 per cent reduction in international participation. The expectation is certainly that participation in Asian events from North America and Europe will be lower.”

China National Commitee meets in Ningbo

2008-10-09T20:51:00.005+08:00

I was honoured to be able to attend the meeting this week of China's National Technical Committee on Exhibition & Convention Standardization in Ningbo. OK, it may not be a title to get the pulse racing, but it is actually the only official, national level committee of any kind for the exhibitions industry in China. It is chaired by Chen Xianjin from the Shanghai World Expo Group who is also the chair of UFI's Asia/Pacific Chapter. The 20 or so key members are a real who's who of the industry in China.

I gave an overview of developments with the ISO's new standard and in UFI's own standardisation efforts. Pictured here, next to Woodward are Chen Xianjin (L) and, next to him, the Head of Ningbo city government's Convention & Exhibition office.

Other leaders of China's exhibition industry in the picture (and taking leading roles in the Committee) include (from the left) Tang Guifa from Shanghai, and Chen Fang and Li Kai from Beijing. Not pictured included old friends from the industry in China such as Wang Mingliang of CMP Sinoexpo, Mike Jiang of Reed's Shenzhen Sinoexpo business and many others.

Blogging has resumed

2008-08-28T22:07:00.001+08:00

After a long-ish summer break, regular blogging has resumed on our Asia Business Media blog. We explain where we've been and what we are now looking at in our first post.

UFI/BSG report records 18% growth in Asian exhibitions

2008-06-26T22:37:00.001+08:00

PRESS RELEASE

Trade fair market in Asia grows by 18% in 2007 according to UFI market report

Paris/Hong Kong, June 24, 2008: The trade fair industry in Asia expanded strongly again in 2007.Net area sold by organisers in Asia grew by nearly 18% reaching a total of 13.2 million m2 according to the fourth edition of UFI’s annual report on the trade fair market in Asia. The research and analysis was once again undertaken for UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, by Business Strategies Group (BSG) in Hong Kong.

The report shows that China remains the largest trade fair market by a substantial margin. Year-onyear, net square metres sold in China grew by 21% outperforming the regional average of 14%. India was, however, Asia’s fastest –growing market in 2007, up 50% followed by South Korea which grew by 32%. Over 6.7 million m2 were sold in China in 2007 – accounting for 51% of the total across Asia. The second largest market, Japan, grew by just 1% last year with sales of 2.2 million m2. Revenues from trade fairs in Asia increased from US$2.57 billion in 2006 to US$3.25 billion in 2007 – an increase of 26.5%. China continued to extend its lead over other markets in 2007. Last year, trade fair revenues in China were nearly US$1.12 billion. This is a massive increase of 47% over the US$760 million recorded in 2006.

This annual industry 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 2007 as well as forecasts and commentary on key trends in each market.

Vincent Gérard, UFI Managing Director, commented, “The publication of the fourth edition of this report is an important contribution to UFI’s global research efforts. It shows that Asia remains one of the most dynamic areas for growth in our industry. It is exciting to see the predicted takeoff in India becoming a reality along with the many other exciting markets in the region”. As an added-value service, each UFI member will be entitled to receive a six page executive summary of the research and to purchase the full report at a substantial discount.

The report has again been edited by UFI Asia/Pacific Regional Manager and BSG Principal, Paul Woodward. He commented, “In the last five years, we have seen the trade fair industry undergo a remarkable transformation. In 2003, the region recorded space sales of 5.7 million m2 at 101 venues. Last year, the number of venues had surged by more than 50% to 156 venues and sales had more than doubled to 13.2 million m2.”

Featured in TradeShow Week Power Pack

2008-06-25T08:45:00.003+08:00

BSG founder Paul Woodward is featured in TradeShow Week's Power Pack 100 listing of the "most influential people in the exhibition business". Very kind, thank you guys. They say:

From his perch in Hong Kong, for years Woodward has had his hand on the pulse of the Asian tradeshow industry, churning out detailed reports on all aspects of the continent's business. He seems to know as much about what's going on in the relatively low-profile countries of southeast Asia as he does about the enormous industry in China. Woodward also runs UFI's Asia/Pacific office...

They go on to credit me with writing UFI's new global venues report. That was actually produced by Christian Druart in UFI's head office with Asia input from BSG.

In Thailand

2008-06-02T16:17:00.003+08:00

I was invited to Bangkok last week to join in a press conference organised by my friends at the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau. They were announcing a new initiative to support exhibitions in Thailand which included the launch of an Approved Event by TCEB scheme. Drawing on UFI's international standards, this will require data to be audited and international participation levels.

It's a good initiative which can help cement Thailand's strong position. According to our data, it is already the leading host of trade fairs in south-east Asia. I'm a big fan of promoting higher professional standards in the events industry.

Here I am with TCEB Exhibitions Director Supawan Teerarat and CMP Thailand's Nucharin Paradeevisut. You can read more of the news here but your Thai will have to be pretty good!

BSG quoted in reports on Alibaba, Microsoft & Yahoo!

2008-05-05T13:58:00.002+08:00

We may be somewhat inaccurately described as an IT consulting firm here (we focus on business media, information and events), but thanks anyway to the XFN for including our comments in this piece on the impact of Microsoft's break-up with Yahoo! on Alibaba:

"I believe the slump in its share price today has more to do with worries about its first-quarter earnings more than Microsoft's decision to drop its takeover bid for Yahoo," said Paul Woodward, principal at information technology consulting firm Business Strategies Group.

"I doubt if there is any direct link between its share price and the proposed Microsoft deal," he said.

"Alibaba.com's earnings depend to a large extent on world trade and with the slowing of the global economy it's understandable for investors to worry about its earnings," he said.

Tracker newsletter adds PE analysis

2008-04-25T16:04:00.003+08:00

We have been tracking the stocks of Asian listed B2B media companies since 2001. Today, we added to our Asian Business Media Tracker service a new feature; a weekly report on PE ratios of the companies listed in Asia which we follow.

This is published in the subscriber version of our weekly newsletter. A free version of the newsletter, without the PE tables and many other important features, can be obtained with a sign-up form on our website (at the bottom of the Tracker page....yes, it needs a clearer link....work in progress).

Results of the first week's analysis show that the highest PE of the companies we track is Info Communication (the parent company of Paper Communication Exhibitions) at 137.3. This makes 5th placed Alibaba look quite modest at a mere 66.3. The 'cheapest' stock in our table is Tokyo-listed Xinhua Finance at a bargain 3.1.

Of the 23 stocks we track, 9 have no real PE as they are loss-making.

BSG announces link with Cue Ball

2008-04-10T13:35:00.002+08:00

PRESS RELEASE

BSG announces link with Cue Ball

Hong Kong, 10^th April: Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG), Asia’s only consultancy focusing on the business media, information and events industries, is pleased to announce a new alliance with Cue Ball LLC, advisors and brokers to global media. BSG will assist Cue Ball in the licensing of its client's B2B properties throughout Asia.

For Cue Ball, BSG will represent the B2B properties, brands and services of Nielsen Business Media (www.nielsenbusinessmedia.com), Vance Publishing Corporation (www.vancepublishing.com) and BowTie Inc. (www.bowtieinc.com). Other trade media groups could be added to BSG's licensing brokerage services in the future.

Cue Ball’s CEO John Cabell commented “the growing markets of Asia obviously represent very exciting opportunities to many international publishers. We are very pleased to be able to work with Paul Woodward and his team at BSG to bring together our portfolio of leading international publishers and their network of contacts across Asia”.

On behalf of BSG, Paul Woodward noted “as Asia’s publishers continue to build their B2B activities, there are many interesting new ways in which they can work together with the well-established publishers in North America and elsewhere in the world who are represented by Cue Ball. We look forward to developing this exciting new part of our business”.

B2B publishers in Asia who are interested in these opportunities should contact BSG CEO Paul Woodward or Director Kim Cheng for more information.

For the full announcement, see the BSG website at www.bsgasia.com.

For information, please contact:

Paul Woodward, Principal, Business Strategies Group Ltd.

Tel: +852 2525 6163

e-mail: paul at bsgasia.com

John Cabell, CEO, Cue Ball LLC

Tel: +1 (505) 466-4826

e-mail: info at cueballdigital.com

BSG quoted in TradeShow Week article

2008-04-08T10:38:00.005+08:00

TradeShow Week magazine in the US has put together a very thorough review of the possible impact of economic slowdown on the exhibitions business. Given the publciation's focus, it naturally concentrates on the US situation. It does, however, also report on the possible impact on China and Editor Michael Hart interview BSG's Paul Woodward, CMP Asia's Michael Duck and CIEC's Zheng Shijun for the article. Highlights:-

“We recorded 30-percent growth in 2006,” Woodward said. “It seems impossible to continue that in '07. If there is any slowdown, it's probably more of a maturing process. In other words, there might be 8- or 9-percent growth instead of 30 (percent).”
“If South China is going to get some slowdown in manufacturing because of a slowdown in orders from the U.S., then there could be something latent to care about,” Duck said.

The China Import & Export Fair, better known as the Canton Fair, takes place April 15-30 in Guangzhou, and sections of the China Sourcing Fair take place April 12-15 and April 20-23 at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.

“Those are entirely driven by exports,” Woodward said. “The attendance figures there will be very interesting to watch.”

“It's still a little early to tell,” Woodward said. “We're just getting into the main trade fair season.”

But go ahead and read the whole piece. It's very interesting.

BSG releases report on Global Sources

2008-03-13T17:06:00.002+08:00

PRESS RELEASE

Global Sources moves to consolidate position with large retail buyers

Hong Kong, 13th March: Business Strategies Group (BSG), the only consultancy in Asia specialising in B2B media and events, has released a new report profiling Global Sources. 2007 was a good year for Global Sources. Revenues grew by 16% reaching US$182 million. GAAP net income was US$24 million – down 15% from the 2006 figure primarily due to the write down of an acquisition and increasing non-cash compensation expenses.

The report also notes some key developments in Global Sources’ strategy in 2007.

The company continues to refine its strategic focus on large buyers by holding over 80 private sourcing events and strengthening the supplier verification services that they provide. BSG concludes that the successful execution of this strategy will be a key component of creating differentiation between Global Sources and the more SMEfocused Alibaba.com.
In November, Global Sources entered China’s online domestic sourcing market with the launch of www.globalsources.com.cn. BSG comments that this will put the company in head-to-head competition with Alibaba.com’s Chinese language sourcing site. Alibaba.com has a formidable head start and it will be interesting to see how much traction Global Sources can gain in 2008.
The report notes that Global Sources is committed to growing its presence in India in 2008. It has said that it will add sales staff, launch new exhibitions there and host private sourcing events which target large retail buyers.

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented “we are expecting another eventful year for Global Sources – one of the most important companies we cover - as they focus resources on building up their presence in India as well as their domestic B2B sourcing service in mainland China. It will also be important to keep a close watch on their efforts to offer deeper supplier verification services which is a key component in their strategy to serve the larger buyer segment and differentiate their company from Alibaba.com.”

This BSG report was distributed on 12th March to BSG subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. The report features over 20 pages of information and analysis covering Global Sources key products, competitors, financial data and a review of the company’s overall corporate strategy. It is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

ENDS

New look BSG web site

2008-03-13T11:28:00.004+08:00

The original BSG web site had been doing sterling service since early 2001. Without any major updates in design, it was getting a little hard to manage. So, not before time, my colleagues Kim and Wing have been working for a while on this new look site which is up today.

Nice job ladies!!

Delegates happy with BSG-managed seminar

2008-02-29T10:13:00.001+08:00

UFI Press Release

The 170 delegates from 23 countries and regions meeting in Macau for UFI’s third Open Seminar in Asia have expressed high levels of satisfaction about the event. Focusing on the topic “New Exhibition Opportunities for Asia”, the seminar was hosted by the new Venetian Macau Resort & Hotel.

“This meeting is going from strength to strength” said UFI’s Managing Director, Vincent Gerard who was in Macau for the event. “We were wonderfully looked after by the Venetian which is a spectacular venue and the programme really seems to have struck a chord with delegates. The room was full from the first session to the last”. The meeting included some of the new features adopted in UFI’s European Seminar in Bilbao in June last year. These included “ask the expert” sessions, interactive panels and structured networking.

Speakers included Brand Events’ Chris Hughes and Media 10’s Lee Newton who both challenged delegates to think innovatively about how consumer events can evolve away from traditional exhibitions. A panel comprising Interads India’s Rajan Sharma, David Zhong of VNU Exhibitions Asia and Fiera Milano’s Shahin Javidi then gave some very different perspectives on the potential impact of joint ventures on exhibitions in Asia. This was clearly important to the audience as delegates voted 99% in favour of the view that more joint ventures are likely in the future in Asia.

Day Two saw Prof. Per Mollerup from Denmark wake delegates up with a very stimulating talk on “wayshowing”; his concept of how to reorganise venues and events so that they serve attendees various needs much better. CMP’s Michael Duck, David Zhong and Asia/Pacific Chapter Chairman Chen Xianjin then discussed various opportunities for regional trade fairs in China and India. All agreed that these would become increasingly important in the near future.

In the final session, Singapore’s Edward Liu was the expert who answered delegates questions about his views on operating in challenging markets. Vietnam was high on the mind of a number of the questioners. Finally, Pradeep Gupta, the CEO of Cybermedia from India, talked delegates through the different types of events which have emerged in the high tech sector.

As usual, delegates spent a good deal of time networking including using the Expostudio web-based appointments system and the social functions. These included an evening reception at the Macau TV Tower hosted by the Macau Trade & Investment Promotion Institute and a lunch hosted by the Macau Government Tourism Office.

Next year’s UFI Open Seminar in Asia will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention & Exhibition Centre on February 12 – 13.

Paul Woodward on B2B media trends

2008-02-29T08:27:00.002+08:00

Thanks to Thomas Crampton for putting together this interview in the NextMedia studios. His full blog posting on this is here. We talked for 10 minutes about key B2B media trends including;

The impact of manufacturing's move away from South China and Shanghai on B2B media;
The increasing importance of regional markets within India and China;
The impact of economic slowdown on the activities of major western B2B media companies in Asia, and;
The ways in which print is being by-passed in direct-to-online launch strategies in Asia.

Final speaker confirmed for Macau

2008-02-11T11:12:00.000+08:00

The 2008 UFI Open Seminar in Asia, managed by BSG, takes place next week in Macau. We're going to be looking at a variety of ideas for new types of events. I am really delighted with the quality of the group of speakers who will come together for this and have just confirmed the final participant in our panel on joint ventures.

Shaheen Javidi is the Chief Marketing Officer of Fiera Milano and will join David Zhong of VNU Exhibitions Asia and Rajan Sharma, Managing Director of Inter Ads India to discuss whether JVs still represent the most valuable future trend for business development. Delegates will be particularly keen to hear Javidi's insights following the recent confirmation of the joint venture for international business development between Fiera Milano and Deutsche Messe AG (Hanover).

BSG quoted in reports on MSFT/Yahoo! impact on Alibaba

2008-02-05T12:15:00.000+08:00

We noted in our Asia Business Media blog yesterday that Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! was causing a fair bit of excitement in relation to Alibaba.com. One of the calls we received was from Xinhua Finance News who's piece is here:

"Alibaba.com appears to be riding on the back of the big surge in Yahoo's share price following news of Microsoft's takeover bid for Yahoo," said Paul Woodward, principal at information technology consultancy firm Business Strategies Group.

"I don't think there is any case yet of anyone, such as Microsoft, showing interest in acquiring Alibaba.com which is small relative to global players," he said.

I won't be going back on the Alibaba Christmas card list any time soon with later comments in the piece about valuations. Not that anybody takes too much notice of what I'm saying on this. I see the stock is up another almost 5% this morning.

Mail server troubles

2008-02-01T17:10:00.000+08:00

BSG's mail server appears to have taken an early Chinese New Year holiday (along with the technician who runs it who is also AWOL). So, mail sent to us since Thursday evening Asia time is stuck somewhere.

In the meantime, please feel free to send me e-mail at paulw at netvigator.com or, for BSG in general, bsginfo at biznetvigator.com. We'll let you all know once we're back online...and with a new mail server service provider!!

Update: All better now! Please feel free to use our bsgasia.com e-mail addresses again. More robust systems on the way.

Press release on new BSG report

2008-01-31T23:47:00.000+08:00

PRESS RELEASE

M&A activity in Asian B2B media sector increases by 75% in 2007

Hong Kong, 31st January: Business Strategies Group (BSG), the only consultancy in Asia specialising in B2B media and events, has released a new report tracking mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Asia’s B2B media sector.

In 2007, the total value of M&A activity in this industry hit a new high of US$470 million. That is a 75% increase over the US$269 million recorded in 2006.

In 2007, there were 33 transactions – 50% more than the 22 deals in 2006. The average deal size was US$14.2 million which was an increase of 16% over the previous year. Significant deals in 2007 included:

· India-based Network 18’s purchase of 40% of Infomedia for US$45 million. The stake was acquired from ICICI, an Indian bank.
· Tarsus’ trade show-related acquisitions in India including its purchase of the India Label Show as well as a significant investment in Montgomery India Limited.
· The sale of a significant stake in Thailand’s IMPACT Arena to a foreign investor for an undisclosed sum. The convention and exhibition venue features of 136,000 square metres.
· Xinhua Financial was particularly active in 2007 closing four deals valued over US$90 million.

BSG is forecasting 37 deals worth US$650 million in 2008 – an increase of close to 40% over the 2007 figure. This substantial growth will be driven by deal flow from India and continued purchases by industry majors including Reed\ and CMP. Alibaba.com is also expected to begin to play a significant role in the industry’s M&A activity in 2008. The company has indicated that it plans to use a significant portion of its IPO proceeds to acquire existing businesses.

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented “we are forecasting 2008 to be another year of dramatic M&A growth in Asia’s B2B media industry. Continued economic growth in China and India and a potential slowdown in the U.S. will further heighten interest in the region’s B2B media firms. BSG anticipates that all eyes will be on Alibaba.com and their war chest of US$1.7 billion.”

This BSG report was distributed on 29th January to BSG subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. It is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

ENDS

Carbon offsets

2008-01-20T20:44:00.000+08:00

Running an international business is exciting and many of us love visiting different parts of the world as part of the work that we do. Over the past three years, I've averaged 63 flights and around 205,000km a year. Other colleagues are flying a fair bit, if not that far. I have been thinking for a while that this gives us big fat and not very green carbon footprint.

I was, therefore, pleased to see the Cathay Pacific/Dragonair flyGreener initiative. I am planning to use this service to pay an appropriate offset for all the travel that BSG staff and I do on business in 2008. I'm going to keep track of how much carbon we contribute and will post here on how we go about those offset.

Interesting to read the Economist's take on how poorly most companies are doing in this whole area of CSR, despite many good intentions.

Important new Tracker report released

2008-01-14T22:33:00.000+08:00

PRESS RELEASE

BSG releases ranking of publicly-listed Asian B2B media companies

Hong Kong, 14^th January: Business Strategies Group (BSG), the only consultancy in Asia specialising in B2B media and events, has released a new report covering all publicly-traded Asian B2B media companies. The report ranks 25 companies by revenue, gross profit and market capitalisation. It also provides profiles of all 25 companies featuring key financial metrics, the share price performance over the past 12 months and other data such as key shareholders and core business description.

In terms of revenues, Pico Far East, which provides marketing, logistical and advertising services to exhibition organizers, is the largest with revenues of US$231 million. Alibaba.com is a new-comer to BSG’s ranking. The company debuts in the number two position with revenues of US$176 million in 2006. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) with revenues of nearly US$173 million for its publishing and exhibitions activities ranks third. Xinhua Finance (US$167 million) and Global Sources (US$156 million) round out the top five.

As of 8 January, the market capitalization of the top 25 companies ranges from Alibaba.com’s US$16.8 billion down to Hong Kong-listed CCID Consulting which has a market capitalization of just US$7.7 million. Three companies have a market cap of over US$1 billion – Alibaba.com, Baidu (US$11.4 billion) and Global Sources (US$1.1 billion). Surprisingly, Shenzhen-listed Zhejiang Netsun with revenues of just US$8 million ranks fourth with a market cap of US$604 million. NASDAQ-listed Xinhua Finance Media completes the top five with a market capitalization of US$383 million.

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented “we expect the top five companies to continue to expand rapidly. Both Alibaba.com and Xinhua Financial recently completed IPOs and BSG anticipates that both companies will pursue acquisitions as a means of growth. Meanwhile, Global Sources is also aggressively expanding its successful series of sourcing trade shows in new locations such as Dubai and India.”

This BSG report was distributed on 10^th January to BSG subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. It is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

ENDS

Holiday Greetings from the BSG team

2007-12-07T12:37:00.001+08:00

A really great team!

2007-11-17T18:52:00.000+08:00

BSG gets its own Facebook page

2007-11-16T17:39:00.001+08:00

Having teenagers keeps you young....which is why BSG now has its very own Facebook page. We're trying this all out to try to work out whether it's relevant to our business or to our clients'. We'll be keeping everybody posted.

BSG quoted in Global Sources earnings call

2007-11-16T12:42:00.000+08:00

Thanks for Global Sources CEO Merle Hinrichs for quoting us during yesterday's conference call with analysts reviewing the company's Q3 results. He said:

According to the BSG, a Hong Kong based Consulting Company, Global Sources is now the second largest Trade Shows organizer in Hong Kong after just two years in the business in Hong Kong.

He was quoting from our report on the South China exhibitions industry which was distributed last month to subscribers to BSG's Asia Business Media Tracker service.

BSG mentioned in Folio article

2007-11-10T11:07:00.000+08:00

Many thanks to Plastic News' Bob Grace for mentioning us in his interesting interview with Folio on e-publishing in China. The article says:

Plastics News took a digital-only approach for two reasons: one, the Chinese government requires foreign publishers to partner with a Chinese publisher on all print ventures (but not digital); and two, distributing a print news publication in a country the size of China would have been both prohibitively expensive and inefficient. “We wanted to try to sidestep or postpone that and get our brand known. We do breaking news and our Web site turned us into a global news service,” says Robert Grace, editor and associate publisher.

Crain executives took some initial trips to China and met with publishing consultant Paul Woodward of BSG Asia. They also contacted trade associations and asked the Chinese customers of their Western customers if they’d be willing to share marketing lists.

Thanks Bob!

The article mentions that you don't need a Chinese partner for e-publishing ventures which isn't quite true. If you want to locate a web site on servers in China, then the restrictions on foreign-owned publishing are similar to those for print (although with different regulators). If you publish in Chinese from outside China, however, it's perfectly feasible to go it alone.

BSG caught up in Ali-frenzy

2007-11-06T20:33:00.001+08:00

A number of press reports have picked up quotes on us today including:

Associated Press: "It's a great company. But it's very much a proxy for China, the Internet and the appeal of its founder, Jack Ma, and (the price) has nothing at all to do with the business fundamentals put on the table," Paul Woodward, business media consultant at Business Strategies Group, which values the entire business-to-business market in mainland China at $1.41 billion.

BSG releases to report to susbcribers

2007-11-05T15:40:00.000+08:00

PRESS RELEASE

Comprehensive report on Alibaba.com comments on market value and competition

Hong Kong, 5^th November: A report just published in Hong Kong provides unique analysis of Alibaba.com, the divisions of the Alibaba Group to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 6^th November. The report has been researched and written by the only consultancy in Asia specializing in B2B media, information and events, Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG).

Alibaba.com is the B2B division of the Alibaba Group. When its stocks start trading on the Hong Kong market, it will be valued at some US$8.8 billion – almost five times BSG’s estimated total size of the China B2B media market in 2007. BSG’s estimates the total B2B media marketplace in mainland China including exhibitions, online and magazines in 2006 was US$1.41 billion. This market is growing rapidly at 25 – 30% a year, but despite the strong growth, Alibaba.com’s IPO still values the company at several times the total market size.

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, commented “there is justifiably a huge amount of interest in Alibaba. It’s an exciting company and combines some of the most interesting aspects of China and the Internet. However, there hasn’t so far been too much effort to place the parts of the company being listed in the context of the market in which they operate. It’s not the general Internet business being listed here, but the B2B media operations. That’s not the same thing and careful comparisons are required”.

The report includes a detailed comparison with Nasdaq-listed Global Sources, Alibaba.com’s most direct competitor among B2B media companies. It also describes possible strategies that BSG’s consulting team believes Alibaba.com will pursue in order to justify the huge valuation given by the market to the company at the time of its IPO.

The report BSG has produced was distributed on 2^nd November to subscribers of its Asian Business Media Tracker service. It is also available for purchase on a stand-alone basis.

ENDS

Global Sources quotes BSG report

2007-11-02T11:30:00.001+08:00

The following press release has just been issued by Global Sources. It's not on their web site yet although I imagine it will be shortly:

Global Sources Now Second-Largest Trade Show Organizer inHong Kong– BusinessStrategiesGroup Report

Growth driven by China Sourcing Fairs: Electronics & Components, Gifts & Home Products, Fashion Accessories and Underwear & Swimwear

HONG KONG, Nov. 1, 2007 – TheBusiness Strategies Group trade show market report shows Global Sources (NASDAQ: GSOL) is the second-largest trade show organizer in Hong Kong, with a 14 percent market share.

This news comes as Global Sources (http://www.globalsources.com) closes its biggest yet China Sourcing Fairs: Electronics & Components, Fashion Accessories, Underwear & Swimwear and Gift& Home Products shows at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong with over 7,500 booths.

Global Sources’ Chairman and CEO, Merle A. Hinrichs, said: “We are delighted with the findings of the Business Strategies Group report. Becoming the second biggest show organizer in Hong Kong, having just operated in the market since 2006, is a dramatic testament to the success of the China Sourcing Fairs and to the trust and support we have established over the years with our buyer and supplier communities.

“Our exhibitors appreciate the quality of the buyers who attend the China Sourcing Fairs and, likewise, buyers value the quality of the suppliers they meet. And clearly, the convenience of Hong Kong and AsiaWorld-Expo has supported our exciting growth.

“Beyond this, the combination of our online, print and trade show services gives Global Sources a major advantage. Export suppliers have three primary marketing objectives: lead generation; branding and differentiation from competitors; and getting face-to-face with buyers to negotiate and win orders. We believe that the China Sourcing Fairs have grown so rapidly because Global Sources helps suppliers achieve all three objectives.”

Growing Share of Hong Kong’s Expanding Trade Show Sector

The Business Strategies Group report entitled ‘Profile of the South China Exhibitions Market’, published in September 2007, shows that Hong Kong’s trade show industry experienced strong growth in 2006 attracting 62,000 exhibitors – up 50 percent from the previous year – and 5,200,000 visitors.

The report cited primary reasons for industry growth as “the successful opening of AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), the emergence of Global Sources as a serious competitor in Hong Kong’s exhibition industry and the existence of significant untapped demand from exhibitors.”

The report adds that “the opening of AWE added over 66,000square meters of space and Global Sources was able to successfully fill it with its China Sourcing Fairs during peak periods in April and October.”

Global Sources plans to further expand its Hong Kong China Sourcing Fair portfolio with the launch of specialized shows for Gifts & Premiums and Home Products in 2009.

In total, Global Sources will organize eight China Sourcing Fairs in Hong Kong in 2008 and nine Fairs outside the region in other rapidly growing exhibition markets of Shanghai, Dubai and Mumbai.

Specialized Global Sources Trade Shows, Websites and Magazines

The China Sourcing Fairs are an important part of Global Sources’ sourcing and product information services, which include Global Sources Online (http://www.globalsources.com), Global Sources trade magazines and Global Sources Direct (http://www.globalsourcesdirect.com).

Further information about Global Sources is available at http://www.corporate.globalsources.com.

Off to Beijing

2007-10-15T20:56:00.000+08:00

I'm heading off to Beijing tomorrow morning to speak at the ad:tech event. I'm joining Eddie Choi of Tradedot and Mike Hay of Ringier to talk about B2B media. I'll be providing an overview of face-to-face (mainly exhibitions) and then talk about the pros and cons of 'integrated' multi-channel B2B media companies. Once it's done, I'll try to provide a link here to my presentation.

A number of people including Thomas Crampton will be blogging on this. I'll post more over on the Asia Business Media blog.

BSG - no relative

2007-09-20T09:27:00.000+08:00

I was interested to see today in a China Tech Stories blog post about Baidu hitting 70% market share the use of the acronym BSG. This is one which has, of course, become very dear to our hearts.

Among China marketers though, it sadly doesn't seem to stand for Business Strategies Group, Asia's only consultancy focusing on business media, information and events. It stands for Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

After all these years covering the China market, I've never seen that before. Hmmm.

Starting the 8th year

2007-09-05T18:45:00.000+08:00

It's hard for me to believe that BSG is now starting its 8th year of business. According to Cantonese numerology, this should be a lucky year. I've lived in Hong Kong long enough now (22 years) to know that this is serious business; there are no row 4s on Cathay Pacific's planes and I wouldn't sit in one even if there were. Row 8 would be great. Row 38's pretty cool too.

Anyway, there will be lots of new things for us to focus on this year:

New services for our Asian Business Media Tracker subscribers
New events
New team members

Looking for team member(s)

2007-05-23T12:48:00.001+08:00

One of our team members is moving on and we're looking for a new researcher, consultant and/or research manager. If you think you've got what it takes to join the BSG team, drop us a line. Use the e-mail address info at bsgsasia dot com and tell us about yourself.

You'll most likely be successful if you're already in Hong Kong. But heh, this is a brave new virtual world. We might be able to work out something from somewhere else. Try us.

UFI India report

2007-04-26T09:02:00.000+08:00

Over on the Asia Business Media blog, we talk about India today. Here is a bit more detail on the UFI India report. The freely available Executive Summary kicks off with the following observations:

Recently the Indian exhibition industry has entered a modernization and growth phase. New tradeshows are organized, new exhibition centres are built, and the market is opening up to foreign investors for both the organization of exhibitions and the operation of venues.

Thanks to its growing economy (8.5% of GDP) and its demography (1,095 million inhabitants, and 300 million middle class); India is emerging as a major player on the global economic scene. Its many assets should enable it to become a key player in the global exhibition business in the midterm period.

India’s exhibition infrastructure, in terms of venue and space availability, must be increased and modernized. In a way of comparison, India today has the same exhibition capacity as the city of Chicago. Until now India lags far behind China whose available exhibition space is eight times greater and which has three times the number of exhibitions.

It concludes:

The exhibition market in India has a promising future and is destined to grow. The policy of the Indian government and its bureaucracy is slowly changing, allowing private stakeholders and the foreign investors to invest and develop business more easily. With the Indian economy progressing at a rate over 8% per annum, and the help of the government and the participation of the private sector, India is on the right track to boosting its exhibition industry.

The full report is available to members here.

UFI Asia Seminar over 100

2007-02-15T22:40:00.000+08:00

The UFI Open Seminar in Seoul which is being run by BSG next month has now registered over 100 delegates and numbers are rising fast. This is going to be an excellent meeting with a really good cross section of Asian and international speakers. It is UFI's premier event of the year in Asia and, after the successful launch last year in Hong Kong, looks set to become a fixture on the calendar. Watch out for details of next year's event tentatively scheduled for 21 - 22 February.

Outsell reports on online advertising

2007-02-01T08:24:00.000+08:00

New Study of Ad Spending from Outsell, Inc. Shows Online’s Share Growing to 20 Percent; Search Engine Ad Spending to Leap 39 Percent

Survey of Advertisers Who Control $6.5 Billion in Spending Also Shows the Continued Decline of Print and Broadcast Ad Shares; Rising Click Fraud Concerns

Burlingame, CA, January 29, 2007--Outsell, Inc. has just released its second annual report on ad spending, forecasting U.S. advertising to grow 5.8 percent in 2007. The comprehensive national study of advertisers, who control about $6.5 billion of spending, shows that companies plan to increase their online spending by 18 percent this year, faster than for any other major media type. Advertisers also plan to raise their spending for advertising on search engines by 39 percent, the fastest of any online media method.

Outsell fielded a Web-based survey of 1,010 advertisers and looked at five media types—online, print, events, TV/radio/movies, and other. Among this year’s findings:

• Print, while still the largest recipient of ad dollars (40 percent), will continue to lose share as online’s share grows to 20 percent. This is a major milestone for online advertising.
• Advertisers’ share of online spending for pay-per-click (PPC) ads will fall one percent in 2007, while cost-per-action ads’ share will grow eight percent and online sponsorships’ share will rise 12 percent.
• Click fraud concerns are a driver in PPC’s drop in share. Forty-nine percent of advertisers have reduced or plan to reduce their PPC spending because of click fraud, up from 37 percent when Outsell first surveyed advertisers on this issue in the Spring of 2006. Advertisers also rate their own Web sites and e-mail marketing more effective than search engine ads, additional drivers in PPC’s slowdown.
• Advertisers rate online advertising very effective for branding, contrary to common wisdom that online shines at leads but is weak for branding.
• The share of TV/radio/movie ad spending will decline about 3.5 percent this year.
• This is the first study to reveal that advertisers are redirecting more trade magazine ad dollars to events than they are moving to paid search.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Outsell information industry analysts are available to discuss the report and individual companies. Journalists should contact Dawn Ringel, Warner Communications, 781-449-8456 or dawn@warnerpr.com.

Companies that would like to purchase this search report should go to http://www.outsellinc.com/store/products/313?refid=home or contact Outsell at 650-342-6060 or info@outsellinc.com.

UFI Asia Seminar moves to COEX

2007-01-23T12:15:00.000+08:00

In order to accommodate the demand for delegates and showcase the full range of facilities available in Seoul, the UFI Open Seminar in Asia will be relocated to COEX. Dates and programme remain unchanged.

BSG releases first report on M&A activity in Asian B2B media

2007-01-21T12:21:00.000+08:00

Hong Kong, 20^th January 2007: Subscribers to Business Strategies Group’s Asian Business Media Tracker Service received a week agao a unique new research report on mergers and acquisitions activities in the business media, information services and events sector Asia.

The report reveals that there were 21 deals in 2006, up from 17 in 2005 with a total value of US$266.4 million. BSG is predicting 25 transactions and a deal value of $300 – 350 million in 2007. Subscribers can track the value of deals over the past five years in terms of value, industry focus and acquiring companies. BSG also provides an analysis of the most important deals of 2006 as well as commentary on the differences between Asian markets and those in the US and Europe.

BSG Principal Paul Woodward commented “2006 was a record year for media M&A activity in the US and Europe. Asia is still small by comparison to those markets but there is strong growth across all sectors, particularly online. So far, we are seeing mainly strategic investments from major multi-national media companies but we do expect to see increased interest from private equity in India and in some aspects of the Chinese market”.

BSG’s Tracker Service was launched in December 2006 and provides subscribers with a variety of regularly-updated industry reports as well as an enhanced version of the company’s regular weekly newsletter.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Jess Wong e-mail: jess at bsgasia.com

Tel: +852 2525 6129

Web site: http://www.bsgasia.com/bsg_tracker.html

UFI Asia Seminar Programme Announced

2007-01-19T09:28:00.000+08:00

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, will hold the second UFI Open Seminar in Asia in Seoul, Korea from 8-9 March 2007. Following the successful model of the first Asia seminar held in Hong Kong in 2006, the event will be open to all professionals in the exhibition industry. As in 2006, the BSG team will manage the seminar on UFI's behalf.

The seminar will be jointly hosted by two UFI members - the Korean national trade promotion organization, KOTRA and the Association of Korean Exhibition Industries (AKEI), a national association. A group of senior level representatives from around the world is expected in Seoul to share their practical experience in the exhibition business through ten interesting topics. The Seminar will focus on two key themes, “Improving Your Exhibition Competitiveness” and “The Changing Role of Venues in Successful Exhibition Business”.

The UFI Open Seminar in Asia 2007 welcomes UFI members and non-members to participate and registration is now open.

A distinguished panel of presenters has been assembled for the programme including:

· Prof. Dr. Bong-Seok Kim, Professor of Trade Fair & Exhibition Management, Kyung Hee University, Korea.

· Katharina Hamma, Executive Director, Messe München GmbH, Germany.

· Ross Yaeger, Vice President, MindComet Corp., USA.

· Silvana Kürschner, Director – Marketing Management/CRM/Alliances, Leipziger Messe GmbH, Germany.

· Michael Dreyer, Vice-President Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd, Singapore.

· Eric Préat, Vice President Product Development, easyFairs, Belgium.

· Warren Buckley, Managing Director, Suntec Singapore, Singapore

· Pojai Pookakupt, Director of the Board, Chair Person of Education Committee, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Thailand.

· Paul Thandi, Chief Executive, The NEC Group, UK.

The Seminar runs from 2:00 – 5:30PM on Thursday 8^th and 9:00 – 12:00 on Friday 9^th in Crystal Ballroom at Lotte Hotel Seoul. Full programme and registration details are available at www.ufi.org/seoul2007.

New BSG Subscription Service

2006-10-13T16:17:00.000+08:00

The following announcement appears today in our weekly newsletter:

Hong Kong, October 10: Business Strategies Group (BSG) has announced the launch of a new and unique subscription service. The Asian Business Media Tracker will provide subscribers with privileged access to unique data on the B2B media and events business across Asia.

The service has been designed for senior executives at B2B publishers, business information providers, exhibition organizers and venue operators, venture capital and private equity groups, industry associations, trade promotion bodies and other governmental organizations.

The new service offers nine different and comprehensive reports to subscribers. They are:

1. Enhanced weekly newsletter

2. Industry reports (monthly)

3. Profile of B2B media companies in Asia

4. Listed B2B media in Asia financial tracking

5. Key exhibition venues in Asia

6. Directory of the top 25 exhibition organisers in Asia

7. List of the top 100 trade fairs in Asia

8. B2B online media report

9. B2B publishing report

Please contact Jess Wong (jess@bsgasia.com) for more information on subscription packages.

Update: You can find more detailed information and subscription forms on the BSG web site now at this page.

Outsell Acquires EPS

2006-08-22T05:04:00.000+08:00

We have been working with EPS in London for a little over a year and half and were delighted for them to hear the news that they have been acquired by Outsell, Inc.

The following announcement is circulating to their clients and partners:

'It is with great pleasure that we write you today to announce Outsell, Inc.'s acquisition of Electronic Publishing Services Ltd. (EPS) of London. Both firms have long been committed to giving the publishing and information services industry and its stakeholders a strong voice by defining the industry and creating industry awareness. Today we are the only research and advisory firm covering all aspects of the information industry worldwide, and we are thrilled to be working together.

This union provides our marketplace with deeper coverage in all key information industry segments. It also provides global reach and geographic coverage, serving over 300 clients around the world; we are maintaining our offices in London and the San Francisco Bay Area. Our team is nearly 60 strong, and our ability to fully serve you and your needs is unprecedented in the marketplace. We are pleased to collaborate and are excited about the opportunities ahead. David Worlock, Founder and Chairman of EPS, will serve as Chief Research Fellow of the new organization, and all members of the EPS team will remain an integral part of our company.

Anthea C Stratigos
Gregory P. Chagaris
David Worlock

UFI Asia Seminar announced for Seoul

2006-07-04T20:28:00.000+08:00

BSG will once again manage the UFI Open Seminar in Asia in 2007. At UFI's Summer Seminar in Helsinki last week, a contract was signed between UFI and KOTRA to host the event on March 8 - 9 in Seoul, Korea. UFI 2005/06 President Tom Beyer and KOTRA's Director-General of trade fairs Mr. Han Jong-Woon are seen signing the contract in this picture.

BSG managed the first UFI Open Seminar in Asia in Hong Kong this year. See here, here and here for details.

Great response to UFI report news

2006-06-25T18:00:00.000+08:00

UFI and BSG have just announced the imminent release of the second annual report of the Trade Fair Industry in Asia. It has generated a great response from individual companies and media, already being reported in a number of places including:

Travel Daily News

Highlights from the press release include:

The report provides detailed information on the development of exhibitions and supporting facilities in 13 markets: Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It includes data on actual market performance in 2005 as well as forecasts for growth in 2006 and beyond.

The report shows that the overall Asian exhibitions market grew over 12% in 2005 in terms of actual space sold by organisers. Exhibition sales topped 10 million square metres in the year according to the UFI/BSG research. China remains the top market with almost 40% of space sales in the region, followed by Japan in second place and South Korea in third.

BSG recruiting again

2006-05-14T11:20:00.000+08:00

The following advertisement has appeared in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post. We would be very happy to hear from any readers who may be interested - the job is Hong Kong based:

Exhibitions industry - exciting opportunities

Manager / Assistant Manager

A fast-growing consulting business is looking for a talented self-starter with experience in the exhibitions industry to join its Hong Kong team. This role will involve working with high-profile international organisations, assisting them to develop their activities across Asia.

The successful candidate will be a university graduate with 3 - 5 years of exhibitions industry experience and the capacity to work comfortably independently in countries around Asia. Fluent English is essential. Putonghua and other Asian languages would be a significant advantage. Experience of exhibitions in different Asian companies would be of most benefit.

Please apply in writing by e-mail with full details of relevant experience and expected salary to Ms. Kim Cheng, Business Manager, Business Strategies Group Ltd. Email: kim@bsgasia.com

BSG to work with BPA on events in Asia

2006-05-06T18:10:00.000+08:00

The following press release was issued by BPA Worldwide last week while we were all in London attending the FIPP B2B conference:

Hong Kong China 1 May, 2006 – Under a recently signed agreement, Business Strategies Group Ltd. (BSG) will work to enhance and support BPA Worldwide’s Events Audit offering in Asia.

Hong Kong-based BSG will assist in marketing new BPA Event memberships and supporting existing members in Asian countries through non-auditing customer services activities. BSG is Asia’s only consultancy supporting business media and events.

“BPA offers world-respected standards in events attendance auditing, as well as circulation auditing of publications and other media, and it has proven its commitment to China and greater Asia,” said Paul Woodward, Principal of BSG. “We are proud to be working with BPA to help Asian event producers provide their exhibitors and sponsors with solid assurance of attendance and audience demographics data.

“In an increasingly crowded market, the better-quality exhibition organisers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors,” Woodward added. “Providing properly audited data to their customers is an excellent way to do that. At the same time, the major international exhibitors in Asia expect organisers to adhere to the same quality benchmarks they are demanding elsewhere in the world.”

“We have been doing newspaper and magazine audits in Asia for over a decade now and, with expositions and events of all kinds on a major growth curve, we feel that the time is right to make the benefits of the BPA Event Audit known in this region,” said BPA President and CEO Glenn Hansen. “Exhibitors throughout the world want third-party verification of what they are getting in return for their events investments, and BPA is leading the way in supplying these important metrics.”

New member of BSG team

2006-03-15T20:50:00.000+08:00

BSG is delighted to announce an addition to its consulting team. Mark Cochrane has been based in Asia for almost 10 years, working in that time for Global Sources, the Gartner Group and most recently as an independent consultant. An MBA graduate FROM the American Graduate School of International Management(Thunderbird), Mark has wide-ranging research experience in the B2B and technology industries in Asia and will work as a consultant on many of our client projects as well as helping us to expand our range of multi-client research studies.

Woodward quoted in Alibaba.com release

2006-02-22T15:47:00.000+08:00

Alibaba.com has just announced a new programme for partnership with exhibition organisers. The company's official press release includes a quotation from BSG Principal Paul Woodward:

Industry analysts agree that with increased competition in Asia's trade show sector, trade show organizers who adopt innovative media strategies will have an edge over the competition. Paul Woodward, Business Strategies Group (BSG) founder and a veteran of business development in Asia with over 20 year experience in the region, said: ''The Chinese exhibitions industry has been growing at over 20% a year for the past five to 10 years. It is increasingly important for trade show organizers to distinguish the quality of their events with much more sophisticated communications programs and doing so with the right media partner.''

UFI Asia Seminar 2 weeks to go

2006-02-05T13:48:00.000+08:00

With just over 2 weeks to go, sign-up for the UFI Asia/Pacific Seminar has substantially exceeded our expectations. At close of play on Friday we were expecting 144 delegates from all over the world (see the website for list of who is coming). As well as the anticipated strong showing from all over Asia, we have delegates from as far afield as Russia, the Czech Republic and the USA.

Event sponsors are the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Hong Kong Tourism Board, AsiaWorld-Expo, and Adventor. Thanks to all of them.

Details of UFI Open Asia/Pacific Seminar

2005-11-19T09:25:00.000+08:00

The UFI Open Asia/Pacific Seminar, which is being managed by BSG, has released its programme and booking details on the web site of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

The theme of the Seminar, scheduled for 21 - 22 February at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre is The Key Role of Visitors & Innovative IT Solutions for Your Exhibition Business. Speakers will include:

Lynne Mathieson, Marketing Director of Reed Exhibitions
Sarah Farrugia, Managing Director, Farrugia Leo Ltd, UK
Lindy Wee, Director Marketing & Communications, Singapore Exhibition Services, Singapore
Heinz Kreuzberg, Director of Central Division Information Systems, Messe München GmbH
Yunya Zhang, General Manager of InfoCenter, CIEC Group Corp., Beijing, PR China
Krister Ungerboeck, Managing Director, Ungerboeck Systems International, USA
A speaker from Alibaba.com
Stanley Chu, Chairman, Adsale Exhibition Services, Hong Kong

China Daily quote

2005-11-17T11:26:00.000+08:00

BSG Principal, Paul Woodward, is quoted in the China Daily newspaper in his capacity as Regional Manager of UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

UFI Asia Seminar announced

2005-10-07T09:09:00.000+08:00

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, has announced its first Asia Seminar, to be held in Hong Kong from 21 - 22 February. The seminar, open to both members and non-members of UFI will focus on the topics "The Key Role of Visitors" and "Innovative IT Solutions for Your Exhibition Business."

BSG manages UFI's Asia/Pacific office in Hong Kong and will provide project management services to run the Asia Seminar.

e-mail feed added

2005-10-05T20:45:00.000+08:00

There has been some discussion on the blogs recently (here too) about the use of e-mail feeds instead of the orange lozenge "RSS" feeds for blog readers. This seems easier than having two, overlapping RSS/Atom type feeds. So, we have replaced one of the feeds at Asia Business News with one which should generate an e-mail for you each time we add a new post.

We're using Feedblitz for this. I will be interested in any comments you might have on that.

BSG China 100 launched

2005-09-09T14:58:00.000+08:00

We have just announced in our weekly newsletter that we will be launching the BSG China 100. This will be a definitive listing of the top 100 trade fairs in China and we expect it to be formally launched around the end of the year. More details will be posted here as the plans develop.

Creating a corporate BLOG

2005-09-09T14:33:00.000+08:00

This blog has been created, at the excellent suggestion of fellow blogger Hugo E. Martin, to complement our news and opinions site. It will be updated more intermittently and will contain just information about our own company activities or those of our clients.