Year of the Rabbit and of Chinese revival ?
W hile many in the exhibition sector began the New Year by exercising their minds on likely trends in the industry for 2023 and beyond , including acceleration of ESG and sustainable practices , the news many have been waiting on has arrived : the return of the Chinese market .
This huge dynamo of a market , both inbound and outbound , is the big impetus the global exhibitions sector has been waiting for . Our expert contributor on Asian matters , Paul Woodward , examines the implications of the China and Hong Kong markets beginning to open up once again in a special article , pages 40-41 .
And the remarkable resilience of our industry and , indeed , the human spirit , percolates through the exclusive case study from our Ukraine colleagues in Kyiv who describe in our cover story how they organised successful exhibitions during war conditions and rocket bombardment . It is a report that deserves the greatest of respect and certainly evoked a sense of awe when I first read it .
But what of other economic trends in the global exhibitions industry ? Well , visitors , especially in the US , are being more selective about events and are increasingly likely to favour locations where they can combine business and leisure travel and where there are few security concerns . Likely winners in this debate are Las Vegas and Florida , with possible US losers being Chicago and Los Angeles .
And surely it is time to tackle the gun laws Stateside which , judging by recent mass shootings in California , again illustrate just how easy it is for crazed gunmen to wreak havoc on peaceful society . Are our venues as safe as they can be ?
Dubai , on the other hand , is surely one of the safest and most business-friendly centres . Organisers are already ramping up their businesses in the emirate . While , also in the wider region , Saudi Arabia is pitching hard to increase its share of exhibitions , and I am sure Qatar is likely to cash in economically on its World Cup legacy . Certainly , like Southeast Asia , the MENA is a region to watch .
And , for any readers UK-based , do come along to International Confex 1-2 March at ExCeL London to see our EW team face to face .
Paul Colston Editor Twitter : @ ExhibitionWorld Instagram : @ ew _ magazine
Managing Editor : Paul Colston ; Portfolio Director : Iain Stirling ; International Reporter : Catie Owen ;
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www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 1 2023 5