SARS No Longer a Fear Factor

By Gary Tufel -- Tradeshow Week, 4/12/2004

One year ago, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was wreaking havoc in many parts of the globe, causing deaths from Asia to Canada, with a devastating effect on tradeshows.

According to the World Health Organization, 8,098 people worldwide became sick during the 2003 SARS outbreak; of those, 774 died. Asia was hard-hit last March, particularly Hong Kong and Singapore, where some tradeshows were canceled and others went on as scheduled with much lower participation rates.

Today though, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that no areas of the world are still reporting ongoing person-to-person transmission of SARS. Although the CDC warns that travelers should be aware of the ongoing risk of communicable disease, and stay informed about current travel recommendations, the agency's focus has shifted to other problems, such as avian influenza.

Katy Lam, director of trade fairs for Messe Frankfurt, said that for its Hong Kong shows, "SARS has not been an issue for us in 2004."

Peter Sutton, president and CEO of CMP Asia, agreed that there are no residual SARS effects, although that could change quickly if there were another serious outbreak.

Business recovery from SARS in the second half of 2003 was faster and stronger than the trade fair business expected. "Many customers clearly wanted to make up for lost business due to SARS," Sutton said.

CMP Asia shows are setting records, he added. The Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair in September was the biggest in its 20-year history, and the world's largest jewelry fair in the second half, he said. "There is no decline for existing shows due to SARS," Sutton said. "It is no longer a factor."

Cliff Wallace, managing director of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, added that Hong Kong has been free from SARS since June 2003. He noted the government has implemented many precautions, including border screenings, to prevent SARS from entering from Guangdong, where the outbreak started. So far, no one screened has tested positive for SARS, he said.

Wallace said his center returned to normal quickly after the travel advisory to Hong Kong was lifted on May 23, 2003. "The majority of the major events were rescheduled to alternative dates in the second half of 2003," he said. "Fortunately, there were only two major events canceled, as well as several smaller local events."

In Singapore, the heart of the SARS crisis was from March to May. Alice Yeo, director of sales for the Suntec Singapore Intl. Convention and Exhibition Centre, said the venue took additional control measures beyond those recommended by the Ministry of Health.

Still, three events scheduled for late March or early April were canceled, while five confirmed bookings were postponed. In April, one exhibition was canceled, and in May three local consumer events were canceled. Events that took place saw a reduction in attendance; one had a 75-percent attendance decline.

Yeo said that since last June, when Singapore was declared SARS-free, she has seen a gradual increase in exhibitions. The 83 exhibitions held there in 2003 were down slightly from the 91 held in 2002. And as of the end of March, the center had already hosted 1 million visitors, nearly half of last year's 2.3 million visitors.

Only half the usual number of exhibitors turned out for dmg world media's May 2003 Asia Pacific Coatings Show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. "Some wanted to cancel the entire show, but it was still held. SARS had a transitory effect, but we're much less worried about it now," said Nick Ratcliffe, financial director for dmg, adding that this year's show in Bangkok is meeting projections.

At another of CMP's events, Marintec China, a biennial Shanghai event held in December, about 80 percent of the companies came from abroad. The 2003 event set attendance records, including 2,206 international visitors, which represented a 37-percent increase over 2001.

Lam added that Messe Frankfurt's Interstoff Asia Spring in Hong Kong, which suffered a 25-percent drop in buyers at the beginning of the SARS crisis, drew close to normal levels of 10,000 buyers when held late last month. Attendance was up by 10 percent at Intertextile Beijing, which opened March 30, drawing 500 exhibitors, many from Europe.

Edward Liu, managing director of Conference & Exhibition Management Services in Singapore, said the SARS problem has waned. "Recently, there were some concerns about the avian flu, which claimed some lives in Vietnam and Thailand," Liu said. "But the scare has dissipated."