Vertical Expo ruffled a few feathers when it rolled out two risqué events in the same year: a funeral show and adult expo. What made you take such a big step?
We ran a gift show in Shanghai for two years but a price war broke out and the show was no longer sustainable. So we brainstormed and found gaps in the market for a niche topic where trade happens, but there was not yet a platform. Then one of our partners explored the topic of funerals.
We went to the United States to get the world’s largest association of funeral directors to work with us. In 2008, after Cotai Strip was developed in Macau we were one of the earliest to have a show – the Asia Funeral Expo. To our great surprise, the venue threw us out, but we were offered the Macau Tower and survived. The funeral show opened in May, and in the following September we opened the adult show back at the Cotai venue, this time with no problem.
Both shows have been considered taboo. What was the reaction from outside those markets?
Before we opened the funeral expo, plenty of people joked about us holding a “coffin show”, but the adult event got a different reaction from some people. Whereas the funeral show was treated as a joke, or – more seriously – bad luck, people would approach us and warn that we risked our reputation, saying, “people would think you’re sick”. But luckily my family supported me and this was very important; they expressed no shame or embarrassment and agreed that it was good for the community. When we were hiring during this period, we only had two topics: death and sex. So we had people being encouraged to leave the job by family members who didn’t approve. My own family’s support gave me the power to continue.
Vertical is now doing more mainstream shows, but how difficult was it to get into markets you were unfamiliar with?
When I joined Vertical in February 2006, we had no show. So our vital job was to find a project. To do this, you either develop it yourself, or co-operate with others. So we worked both ways. In 2008, there was an opportunity brought about by the Beijing Olympics with a demand for security and anti-terrorism equipment. We worked with a partner in Beijing representing the city’s police and the Public Security Bureau, but we were the show manager, not the owner or shareholder.
When we couldn’t continue the security or gift show, we were back to zero, and for a time had nowhere to go. We did not have a database or were familiar with either funeral parlours or the adult industry. It was difficult, but we’d always find the first contact and travel to the manufacturer’s production base to try to convince them. People see your presentation and find out whether you’re serious. These areas have long been looked down upon, so when they saw a professional company wanting to do something to lift their industry’s standing they truly appreciated it.
What next for Vertical Expo?
We’re celebrating our 10th anniversary this year; we’ve gone from six people to 60 with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Our topics these days are bakery shows and elderly care.
