Global Association of the Exhibition Industry issues report on Asia’s 2015 trade fair industry Macao MICE sector maintained steady growth that year

As a leading international group in the exhibition and convention field, UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, brings together renowned trade show organisers and exhibition centre operators from around the world. Its main aims are to promote the development of the exhibition industry regionally and globally. Each year, UFI commissions a group of professional consultants to conduct a survey on Asia’s trade fair industry, and publishes an annual report on the sector. This material is an important reference point for international exhibition organisers/exhibition management teams. According to the 2015 report recently released, Macao was one of the smallest trade fair markets in Asia that year, but also has had the shortest development history. Despite the city’s overall economy having been negatively affected in 2015 by the external economic environment, the local trade fair market recorded an increase of 5.9 percent in total net space sold at trade fairs. The rate of growth was higher than the region’s average, which stood at 5.6 percent for the same period. Macao’s 2015 performance came on top of a 2014 rise in the amount of net space leased in the city for such events. In 2015, total trade fair space sold in Macao jumped to 209,250 square metres, an increase of 147.6 percent compared with the 84,500 square metres sold in 2011. This made Macao the Asian trade fair market with the fastest growth during that five-year period, according to the report. UFI’s report highlighted the strong support for the local exhibition industry given by the Macao SAR Government. It also mentioned the importance of ancillary facilities to promote the development of the city’s trade fair industry. For instance, the future Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will improve regional connectivity; while the number of air connections between Macao International Airport and other Asian cities had steadily increased. Therefore, growth of Macao’s trade fair industry in the coming few years was expected to exceed the regional average, noted the report. The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) officially became a member of UFI in October 2005. IPIM has since then actively participated in UFI’s activities, with a view to enhancing exchanges with relevant international bodies in the exhibition field. IPIM has also launched a “One-stop Service” for MICE Bidding and Support in Macao: it provides comprehensive services to assist convention and exhibition organisers interested in running events in the city, aiming to attract and introduce renowned overseas events to Macao.