German trade fair organiser targets

The boss of Messe Dusseldorf Asia, a branch of a Germany-based trade-fair organiser, expects revenue this year to grow by about 15 per cent from two years ago.

"Though the growth in Thailand is not exponential, the market is very promising. With strong support from the government, we see many national and regional exhibitions and trade fairs," Gernot Ringling, managing director of Singapore-based Messe Dusseldorf Asia, said yesterday.

This year, the company will organise four trade shows in this country: Pack Print International, T-PLAS Thailand, Medical Fair Thailand, and Wire & Tube Southeast Asia. It expects these events to draw more than 50,000 visitors into the country.

Pack Print International will be held in August at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Bitec). Ringling said the fact that it would be held here was a reflection that the printing industry in the Kingdom was still growing, while other industries represented at its trade shows were also playing key roles for the Thai economy.

T-PLAS Thailand, which is a platform for the plastic and rubber industry, will be held at Bitec at the same time as Pack Print International.

Medical Fair Thailand will be held from September 10-12 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, and Wire & Tube Southeast Asia will be held from September 16-18 at Bitec.

Ringling said his company would hold these four trade fairs every two years and it was looking to engage with other industries in the Kingdom in the near future.

He acknowledged that Thailand was well recognised as a regional medical hub, hence his company might bring its medical-rehabilitation shows into this market. Such a trade fair would be a platform for international sellers to meet local buyers in the rehab field because Thailand and some other countries in Southeast Asia are becoming ageing societies. Compared with the last series of shows in 2013, the company expects to see at least 15-per-cent growth in sales from these four world-class international shows.

The company also wants to encourage Thai traders to visit its GIFA – International Foundry Trade Fair, which will be held in the German city of Dusseldorf in June.