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Trade fairs resilient in turbulent times

By Jia Bian (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-15 11:47

The global economic slowdown has undoubtedly brought challenges to world markets, but CMP Asia, organizer of reputable trade fairs in Asia, continues to be well poised for continuing growth, its CEO said.

"The trade exhibition industry is very resilient," said Jim Essink, CEO of CMP Asia. "In times of adversity, suppliers need professional exhibitions even more as they are widely acknowledged as the most effective and efficient sales and marketing platforms that bring buyers to the exhibitors' stands."

"Buyers may reduce their buying trips due to tighter budgets but they will still need to visit events that offer them a large number of products and suppliers so they can find competitive offers," he added.

"Our events performed well in the last quarter of this year," Essink said.

While the financial crisis in the United States unfolded on September 15, CMP Asia's Hong Kong Jewelry & Watch Fair held from September 15 to 21 concluded with another great success this year.

It attracted 2,630 exhibitors, an increase of 107 over last year. Kazakhstan and Namibia for the first time joined the fair for its 26th session since its debuting in 1983. It is now Asia's biggest and one of the top-three jewelry fairs in the world.

It is also regarded as the world's most international fair in visitor nationality, with a total of 37,276 participants from 133 countries and regions attending the seven-day event this year. The overall number of overseas visitors increased by 2 percent.

To meet the space requirements of current and new exhibitors and to offer as many product choices as possible to buyers, the fair is now held in the two exhibition venues in Hong Kong - the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and AsiaWorld-Expo.

Beauty event

Another big event around the corner is Cosmoprof Asia, the premier beauty event in the Asia-Pacific region, which will be held in Hong Kong from November 12 to 14 at the HKCEC. Celebrating its 13th session, it is the largest international fair of its kind in the region, and widely known as the world's second-most important beauty event.

It features exhibitors from nearly 40 countries and regions displaying the latest in beauty products, along with 17 national and group pavilions showcasing distinctive items. Some 40,000 qualified visitors from about 100 countries and regions and international buyers are expected to attend.

"The fair will be welcoming 1,332 exhibitors from 40 countries and regions, an increase of 5 percent over 2007 and the exhibition area will expand by 7 percent to 50,300 sq m," said Essink.

"This year, we're launching an international program to attract buyers from India, Japan and Australia. As a professional organizer, we support our exhibitors in helping them to diversify their markets and lessen the impact of the downturn in any specific market. This is indeed the beauty of international exhibitions," Essink said.

To make the fair a beauty panorama, adding innovative ideas is essential. This year, the OMC Asia Zone Cup Open 2008 will be held in conjunction with Cosmoprof Asia on the first two days of the exhibition. It is well-known as the "Olympics of hairdressing" and is expected to attract more than 300 contestants and an audience of some 3,000 from all over the world.

CMP India

CMP India opened its first office in Mumbai in December 2006. Within two years, the number of exhibitors taking part in CMP India events and the exhibition area both grew by over 100 percent.

"India is a big potential market. Given time and the investment in enhancing its infrastructure, it offers tremendous opportunities for exhibitions to serve the huge domestic market," Essink said.

Four exhibitions will be held in November by CMP India, part of the total of 13 fairs for the year. One of the highlighted shows is the Pharmaceutical Machinery and Equipment Convention India, which will be held from November 27 to 30 in Mumbai.

Owned by United Business Media, CMP Asia organizes over 110 trade fairs worldwide and provides business information through 22 trade publications and associated websites. The company also aims to help extend the global reach of sellers and buyers through their industry-specific B2B Internet portals. The company now has portals serving the jewelry, leather, fashion, furniture and cleaning industries.