TopTenWholesale Tops Joint Venture List
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 9/3/2007
Three recently announced joint ventures and partnerships made news in the tradeshow industry.
TopTenWholesale, which provides information for wholesale suppliers and distributors, formed a strategic media partnership with Nielsen Business Media for its ASD/AMD Trade Show — Las Vegas in conjunction with ASD/AMD's Las Vegas Gift Expo & the ASD/AMD Jewelry Show, most recently held Aug. 12–16.
In the second deal, Shenzhen Sinoexpo Exhibition and Reed Exhibitions established a joint venture company in Shenzhen, China, known as Reed Huabo Exhibition (Shenzhen).
Finally, Internet marketer Alibaba.com and two large German messes have agreed to work together marketing events in Asia.
As part of its partnership, TopTenWholesale will promote ASD/AMD, posting news and information on its Web properties and e-newsletters. In turn, Nielsen will provide prominent recognition for TopTenWholesale's efforts at the show, including exhibit space in the Publishers Pavilion and in the show directory.
Jason Prescott, CEO of TopTenWholesale, said working with Nielsen to promote and support the show provided increased opportunities for the entire general merchandise landscape. George Stewart, merchandise group director for Nielsen Business Media, said the partnership offered a way for exhibitors and buyers to maintain constant communication with all stakeholders in the general merchandise arena.
Reed's deal in China is with a leading exhibition organizer for gifts and home products, Shenzhen Sinoexpo, established in 2001. Its flagship event, the China (Shenzhen) Intl. Gifts, Handicrafts, Watches & Housewares Fair held each spring and autumn, is among the largest gift shows in China. It also stages the semiannual China Intl. Gifts, Premium & Housewares Fair in Beijing. Jiang Chengwen, president of Shenzhen Sinoexpo, was named managing director of the new joint venture, which will manage the exhibitions.
Reed Exhibitions Chairman and CEO Mike Rusbridge said the gift and homewares industry is a core strategic market for Reed Exhibitions worldwide, so it made good sense to invest in these Chinese exhibitions previously run by Shenzhen Sinoexpo, particularly in the burgeoning Pearl River Delta region. Although Reed Exhibitions already had organized several exhibitions in Guangdong province, he added, this represents further recognition of Reed's commitment to the region and strengthens its presence there.
Alibaba.com, an online business-to-business marketplace, and Koelnmesse formed a strategic alliance to jointly market trade fairs in Asia. The partners will initially collaborate on the China Intl. Hardware Show, Sweets China, Intl. Sweet & Snacktec China 2007, World of Food China and Intl. Foodtec China. The two companies intend to explore a similar partnership arrangement for trade fairs in Europe. Alibaba.com and Hannover Fairs Shanghai, the Chinese subsidiary of Deutsche Messe, also signed a strategic partnership to promote CeBIT Asia.
