FALLOUT from US-Israel-Iran war in the Middle East is beginning to spill over into Asia’s business‑events industry, with organisers in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia reporting travel disruptions, missing buyers and growing uncertainty.
As regional airspace remains restricted across several Middle Eastern countries, flight cancellations and rerouting are now affecting the flow of high‑value participants to major trade fairs and exhibitions.
“This is becoming a problem,” Stuart Bailey, chairman of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Industry Association, told MIX.
“At the start of the conflict it was still Ramadan, so most people from the Middle East were not expected to attend events and the impact was minimal. Now Ramadan has ended, we are seeing the effect: buyers are unable or unwilling to travel to trade fairs in Hong Kong.
“Few shows have large numbers of exhibitors from the Middle East, but several important buyers who would normally attend are staying away. For example, at Art Basel this week a number of high‑net‑worth collectors who would usually travel from the Middle East have decided to avoid flying because of the current situation,” Bailey said.
According to the South China Morning Post, exhibitors from the Middle East struggled with soaring oil prices, cancelled flights and freight delays. Some chose to postpone their involvement, while others faced difficulties shipping goods due to uncertain transport schedules.
The knock‑on effects have spread across the wider Asian business‑events market. Organisers in Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have been compelled to respond to intensifying logistical pressures. Rising freight and logistics costs have strained budgets, while participant delays linked to airspace closures have complicated event execution. In several cases, organisers have faced pressure to reschedule exhibitions and conferences to accommodate late arrivals.
The broader conflict has also disrupted global shipping routes and reduced available air‑freight capacity, both of which are crucial to the functioning of large‑scale trade shows, according to Bloomberg. With supply chains already stretched, the additional pressure from Middle Eastern instability has added another layer of difficulty for event planners managing tight build‑up and teardown windows.
