Expos Asia (EA), set up in 2016 with offices in Singapore and Shanghai, has expanded to become Expos Global (EG) with a presence in Europe and the US, following the relocation of CEO and founder Bjoern Kempe to Germany in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Kempe, who spent 22 years in Asia, shared that EG started building a portfolio of new clients following the relocation. Within a year, Kempe helped launch EG’s new website in November 2021, and a new corporate identity to be ready by April 2022.
He told TTGmice that 2020 and 2021 were “difficult”, with “almost no deals for M&A (mergers and acquisitions)”, which resulted in the business collapsing.
However, Kempe is hopeful for the future, as EG continues its assignment for Thailand Convention Exhibition Bureau as the official representative in Europe, as well as for Dental Tribune International in the role of an international business development partner.
“We will be announcing new tradeshow projects in Singapore and Shanghai that we will be managing for foreign organisers in 2022 and 2023. We will also continue our services to consolidate the exhibition industry through strategic consulting and M&A,” he said.
Although EA/EG had talent acquisition queries in the past, Kempe added that a brand new headhunting service, MICE XL, was recently launched.
He explained: “As the MICE industry sector had bled out many talents in the last two years, MICE XL will help recruit new ones – from project managers all the way up to managing directors – from new sectors.”
The change in the composition of industry talent might precipitate new ideas and new concepts for an industry which has had to undergo a speedy digital transformation, he noted.
As for the future, Kempe remains optimistic that Asian tradeshows would flourish, and that important regional shows would replace mega events. Singapore is also one of the cities he foresees will regain its business events momentum, and will have huge opportunities in store over the next few years.
As for global exhibitions, Kempe opined that the industry would continue to consolidate, which would be very important for future survival when technology would be even more advanced.
