INFORMA Markets plans an Asia Pacific edition of its United States-based business event series in Hong Kong next year, the meetings and exhibitions arm of the city’s tourism board has revealed.
Connect Marketplace is being scheduled for March 19-21 with Informa selecting Hong Kong to build a “strong Asia Pacific presence” for the event, according to an announcement on social media by Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK).
The new business events show was unveiled as the organiser debuted its aviation logistics event, Super Terminal Expo, yesterday at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE). A spokesman said Informa Markets would be the main organiser with the company’s Informa Connect division as co-organiser.
The announcement of Connect Marketplace 2025 comes nearly a month after a decision by rival show organiser Reed Expo (RX) to abandon plans to debut another Hong Kong MICE show – IBTM Asia Pacific – in the same month as Connect Marketplace is now due to be held.
Organisers plan to hold Connect Marketplace across 11,360 sqm at AWE’s Halls 5 and 7. More than 600 buyers are due to be hosted along with 8,000 delegates and trade visitors from at least 14 countries and regions. Some 250 MICE brands are also expected, according to reports, ranging from convention bureaus, hotels and resort groups, event companies, event-tech suppliers, and airlines.
With the theme “Your Bleisure, Our Pleasure”, the new show will vie for a share of the business event buyer-supplier market in Asia Pacific. Competitors will include AIME in Melbourne and two events in Singapore: The Meetings Show, held by Northstar, and ITB’s MICE Show Asia, which is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore).
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Northstar and Informa each have a wide range of event media and conference brands across the United States and Europe. Northstar focuses on travel-related areas while Informa covers B2B and consumer. Connect Marketplace is already seen by some commentators as a potential rival to IMEX and IBTM.
“Connect Marketplace Hong Kong 2025 is committed to fostering impactful connections and empowering the MICE community in Asia,” said Margaret Ma Connolly, CEO and president of Informa Markets Asia.
She added that the new show would gather industry professionals to “showcase the latest services and attractions, share knowledge, and forge relationships that will elevate the future of MICE in the Asia Pacific region”.
Matt Johnson, managing director of Connect Marketplace, said the event’s “signature hosted buyer model” would be brought to Asia. Hosted buyer arrangements are considered vital for matching exhibitors with sales leads.
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The unveiling of Connect Marketplace Asia Pacific comes as Hong Kong International Airport’s third runway is scheduled to open on November 28, A new Airport City featuring retail, restaurant and event facilities, will link AWE with the world’s busiest cargo-logistics hub and the port serving the Hong Kong-Zhuhai and Macau Bridge – the most recognisable infrastructure symbolising the Greater Bay Area.
In the last financial year, Hong Kong International Airport handled 4.5 million tonnes of cargo and 45 million passengers, according to officials. The three-runway system is expected to increase the capacity to 120 million passengers and 10 million tonnes of cargo each year.
The Airport City development along with AWE will be the setting for a series of key aviation and logistics events over the next year with Connect Marketplace expected to raise Hong Kong’s profile in the international business events industry.
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Hong Kong Tourism Board executive director, Dane Cheng, commented: “We’re thrilled to support Connect Marketplace Hong Kong 2025, a flagship MICE trade show from North America expanding its APAC footprint through Hong Kong.
“This is a strong testament to our city’s status as the world’s meeting place and events capital of Asia, and we look forward to providing participants with enriching experiences while fostering the success of this inaugural show,” Cheng said.
Irene Chan, CEO of AsiaWorld-Expo, said Connect Marketplace would be held as the venue marked its 20th anniversary and represented a “significant milestone for the Asia Pacific MICE industry”.
“With AsiaWorld-Expo’s strategic location at the centre of the thriving China Greater Bay Area, we are confident that this premier networking event will set the stage for a new era of connections and collaborations across the Asia Pacific region,” Chan said.
