South-east Asia boasts strongest growth in exhibition space sold

Exhibition space sold at Asian trade fairs in 2012 has increased 2.7 per cent over 2011's figure, with South-east Asia once again demonstrating the most growth.

According to UFI’s annual report Trade Fair Industry in Asia, undertaken by BSG, some 16.3 million m² in space was sold by exhibition organisers in the region last year, compared to 15.9 million m² in 2011.

Malaysia and Singapore were the fastest growing markets, posting 8.2 and 7.6 per cent year-on-year increases respectively, followed by Indonesia (6.6 per cent), Vietnam (4.9 per cent) and the Philippines (3.9 per cent).

Despite remarkable growth statistics from South-east Asia, China remains the behemoth in Asia’s exhibitions industry. Of the total 16.3 million m² sold, China accounted for 55 per cent of the space, with Japan trailing at 12 per cent. Furthermore, while available venue capacity in Asia is expected to reach 6.6 million m² in total over 191 venues across 15 countries by end-2013, over 100 of the said venues are located in China, making up 69 per cent of Asia’s total capacity.

The middle kingdom, set to add 66,000 m² in available space in 2013, will also unveil Asia’s largest purpose-built exhibition centre in 2015. The Hongqiao venue in Shanghai will offer 400,000m² of indoor space and 100,000 m² of outdoor space.

Paul Woodward, managing director, UFI, said: “Our research shows two clear trends: the continued trade fair boom in South-east Asia and the maturing of the trade fair market in mainland China. Both of these trends confirm that the trade fair market in Asia is one of the most exciting for organisers looking for high-growth opportunities.”

UFI Asia/Pacific regional manager and BSG managing director, Mark Cochrane, also commented: “South-east Asia should continue to post strong growth throughout 2013 and 2014, and we anticipate that China will see growth in its key markets (especially in Shanghai and Guangdong province) as long as the global economy at least holds constant.”

-TTG Asia.

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