The Other Side of Asia

When it comes to the Asian exhibition market, it's tempting to think that China rules. It does, of course, but to believe tradeshows begin and end with China would be a mistake. Exhibitions are essential to many other Asian countries, which host mega-shows and are building state-of-the-art facilities. They may have one eye on China, but not all of them even see the Chinese as their biggest competitors.

Here's a look at four Asian nations that are bullish on exhibitions.

If you're wondering whether the South Korean tradeshow industry is growing, the short answer is yes. It has to if it wants to keep up with the many other Asian countries that are going great guns with their own exhibition industries, according to Phil Chung, manager of international sales and marketing for KINTEX, the Korea Intl. Exhibition Center in Goyang, near Seoul.

“All governmental organizations are gearing up to make Korea the hub of all types of events in the business, meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions industry,” Chung said.

After KINTEX's current expansion is completed in 2010, Chung said, it will span more than 100,000 square meters (1.1 million square feet) and have a 5,000-seat auditorium. The facility, which opened in 2005, hosts such events as the Seoul Motor Show, attracting more than 1.1 million people.

“Compared to the Chinese centers, many Korean centers aren't that big,” Chung said, “but many companies and associations host their incentives and conventions here because of our market potential and the beauty of Korea.”

He said Singapore is Seoul and its satellite cities' main competitor.

“Touristy places like Busan and Jeju could be Singapore competitors,” Chung said. “Even though their venues aren't that big, they have great potential. But the main center is KINTEX, because of its size and ongoing development plan, and we are well-supported by the government.”

According to Myung-Wha Chung, manager of the COEX exhibition planning team, the Korean exhibition industry has been a big part of the country's economic development for the past 20 years, and is changing dramatically as the market opens up with new venues and big international ambitions.

Between 1991 and 2006, exhibition space throughout the country grew from 13,000 sq. m. (140,000 sq. ft.) to 175,955 sq. m. (1.9 million sq. ft.). The number of tradeshows held each year also grew from 40 to 353 and the number of show organizers from 25 to 150.

Convention center construction in South Korea has been booming since 2000: BEXCO at Busan and EXCO at Daegu opened in 2001, and Songdo Convensia at In-Cheon City will debut in April with 8,415 sq. m. (90,500 sq. ft.) of exhibition space.

COEX hosted 141 tradeshows in 2006, 40 percent of all shows in South Korea. Second was KINTEX, hosting 48 shows, 14 percent of the total. The metropolitan Seoul area (aT Center, COEX, KINTEX, SETEC) hosted 244 shows, about 70 percent of all South Korean shows.

Chung said the country still lacks the services and operational skills to manage international-scale events, so there is a drive to upgrade in every way possible. Also, the majority of shows taking place in South Korea are still designed to serve the domestic market, so organizers are using aggressive overseas marketing efforts to attract foreign buyers and exhibitors.

South Korea has three major facilities:

• KINTEX, offering 53,541 square meters (576,300 square feet) of exhibition space
• COEX Convention & Exhibition facility in Seoul, 36,027 sq. m. (387,800 sq. ft.)
• BEXCO, the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center in Busan, 26,508 sq. m. (285,300 sq. ft.)

The country also has several smaller venues:

• Changwon Exhibition Convention Center, 7,827 sq. m. (84,200 sq. ft.)
• Daegu Exhibition & Convention Center (EXCO) 11,616 sq. m. (125,000 sq. ft.)
• KOTRA Exhibition Center Daejeon, 4,200 sq. m. (45,200 sq. ft.)
• KimDaeJung Convention Center (in Gwangiu), 10,800 sq. m. (116,200 sq. ft.)
• Intl. Convention Center Jeju (in Seogwipo), with 8,049 sq. m. (86,600 sq. ft.)
• Seoul Trade Exhibition Center (SETEC), 7,948 sq. m. (85,500 sq. ft.)

The Philippines offers two primary exhibition facilities.

In Cebu, the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino's Cebu Intl. Convention Center has 10,000 sq. m. (107,600 sq. ft.) of exhibit space, including a grand ballroom, two exhibit halls and nine function rooms. In Pasay City, the World Trade Center Metro Manila has 8,300 sq. m. (89,300 sq. ft). of exhibit space.

Interfama, a Singapore-based exhibition organizer, has been instrumental in pioneering the exhibition business in other Asian countries and has been in a joint venture partnership with Leverage Intl. to do management and marketing in Singapore and, to a lesser extent, the Philippines.

In 1995, Interfama and Leverage decided to pursue more projects in the Philippines and launched their first show in 2000, PowerTrends 2000.

Leverage is also the Philippines representative of Fiera Milano Intl., Reed Exhibitions and Hong Kong Trade Development Council. As such, Leverage promotes their exhibitions among Philippine companies and organizes Philippine participation in shows either as exhibitors or visitors. Shows promoted by Leverage are in the electronics, fashion, food, gifts, home furnishings, information technology, and jewelry sectors.

The country's exhibition industry is represented by the Philippine Assn. of Convention and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers.

Singapore's exhibition industry is one of Asia's most significant. According to Kershing Goh, the Singapore Tourism Board's regional director for the Americas, the city-state hosts more than 5,000 business events annually.

Goh said Singapore has a strong and vibrant MICE industry, with well-known regional and international organizers such as Koelnmesse (Imaging Expo Singapore & P.I.X - Photo Imaging X-change 2007, SIGGRAPH Asia 2007), Messe Berlin (ITB Asia 2008), Reed Exhibitions (Intl. Apparel Machinery Trade Show 2008, Bex Asia 2008), Conference and Exhibition Management Services (Games Convention Asia 2007) and Zak Trade Fairs & Exhibitions (Zak Salaam India Expo 2007), all operating or based in Singapore.

“We can expect competition from neighboring Asian cities to heat up as each will want to improve their capabilities to attract and host MICE events,” Goh said.

The Singapore Assn. of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers is the country's best-established industry trade association, representing 127 of the country's leading organizers, as well as industry suppliers.

Singapore has three main exhibition facilities:

• Singapore Expo Convention & Exhibition Centre opened in 1999 with 100,000 sq. m. (1.1 million sq. ft.) of interconnected, ground-level, column-free exhibit space. Ten conference halls are available, suitable for 150 to 1,000 people, and meeting rooms can seat 15 to 125. Four additional halls totaling 40,000 sq. m. (430,500 sq. ft.) were completed in September 2005 and linked to the original building via a sheltered walkway.
• Suntec Singapore Intl. Convention & Exhibition Centre offers 24,000 sq. m. (258,300 sq. ft.) and the Singapore Indoor Stadium another 2,925 sq. m. (31,500 sq. ft.).
• The Raffles City Convention Centre features more than 70,000 sq. ft. of function space.

According to Angela S. L. Chan, senior project manager at the Nangang Intl. Exhibition Center and TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council), exhibitions have been held in Taiwan for more than three decades. However, it was only after the completion of the Taipei World Trade Center 21 years ago that the industry began to take on greater importance.

Taipei is the base for Taiwan's MICE industry because the World Trade Center includes the country's largest exhibit hall and most advanced conference facilities and infrastructure. Each year, about 120 exhibitions are held in Taipei, including 90 shows organized at the TWTC. TAITRA operates the TWTC Exhibition Hall and Convention Center.

Taiwan has seen rapid increases in the number of shows, exhibitors, and visitors, along with the size of these shows. This caused a space problem that is especially acute for the main shows covering computers, electronics, bicycles and auto parts.

There are 12 major exhibitions at the TWTC where demand for space far outpaces supply, Chan said. With current exhibition facilities at TWTC unable to provide enough space, the government built the new TWTC Nangang, which will become the main venue for such tradeshows as Computex Taipei, AMPA, Taitronics, Taipei Cycle, TIMTOS and Taipei Plas.

TAITRA, founded in 1970, is the foremost nonprofit trade promotion organization in Taiwan. With more than 700 staff members and 45 overseas branch offices worldwide, TAITRA has been organizing tradeshows for over 30 years. It produces around 25 of them at the TWTC.

Taiwan has several exhibition facilities:

• The just-completed Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Center is about 15 minutes from TWTC on the eastern outskirts of Taipei City. It will hold its first show in March. The TWTC Nangang will offer 46,175 sq. m. (497,000 sq. ft.) of exhibition space.
• The TWTC Exhibition Hall has 28,239 sq. m. (304,000 sq. ft.) of exhibit space. It is the only venue in Taiwan purpose-built for large-scale tradeshows. The showfloor is in use more than 80 percent of the time, hosting more than 90 exhibitions each year. With high demand for more exhibition space, two additional exhibit halls were built in 1999 and 2003, adding 14,000 sq. m. (150,700 sq. ft.) of exhibit space.
• The Taipei Intl. Convention Center, with 56,502 sq. (608,100 sq. ft.) of exhibit space is Taiwan's largest tradeshow venue. It hosts about 1,000 conferences and trade events annually.
• In Tainan County, the Berushaw Exhibition Center has 12,200 sq. m. (131,300 sq. ft.) of exhibit space.
• In Taichung, the World Trade Center Taichung offers 10,429 sq. m. (112,200 sq. ft.)