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UFI Celebrates Centennial at 92nd Global Congress in Hong Kong – Where the Future of Exhibitions is Shaped

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Exhibition industry converges to explore how to leverage Hong Kong’s super-connector role between the world & the Greater Bay Area, world-class venues and diverse cultural experiences to achieve more for trade shows and visitors

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 November 2025 – The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has cemented Hong Kong’s position as an exhibition and conference hub in Asia as the host city of the landmark 92nd UFI Global Congress. Staged at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) on 19–22 November 2025 under the theme “Shaping the Future”, the Congress in UFI’s centenary brought together hundreds of global industry leaders to reflect, connect and shape the future of the global exhibition industry, capturing Hong Kong’s strengths as the trade fair capital of Asia and the World’s Meeting Place delivering world-class infrastructure, seamless Greater Bay Area (GBA) integration and innovative event solutions.

HKTB Chairman Peter Lam remarked, “We are thrilled that the UFI Global Congress has returned to Hong Kong after 25 years to celebrate UFI’s centenary. This year’s Congress holds special significance; it is both an honour and a testament to our city’s enduring position as the “World’s Meeting Place”. Combined with business-friendly policies, world-class infrastructure, professional services and unique GBA opportunity, Hong Kong continues to attract international business events across the region. Moreover, Hong Kong goes beyond being just a business hub – the city boasts a year-round calendar of world-class mega events, enlivening it with delightful activities, exclusive festive attractions and irresistible experiences. I invite global industry leaders to explore beyond the conference halls and immerse themselves in Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong Tourism Board Chairman Peter Lam

Hong Kong – A Destination of Choice to Unleash Growth Potential for the Exhibition Sector

As a key economic pillar, the global exhibition industry produced US$95 billion in direct GDP and contributed US$162 billion in direct spending in 2024, according to UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry. In 2024, Hong Kong’s flagship venues – Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and AWE – hosted more than 350 exhibitions with 9.17 million participants. This year, the city sees a strong momentum in trade exhibitions, with 10 new exhibitions staged in Hong Kong.

Chris Skeith, Managing Director & CEO of UFI

Chris Skeith, Managing Director & CEO of UFI noted, “Coming to Hong Kong this year particularly is important to UFI as it’s our centenary. We’ve been celebrating the past, honouring the present, but the main thing we’re here today for is to help shape our future. Experience and trust are two major trends to watch for the industry, and Hong Kong is the perfect destination for us today. Not only have you got the people, the growth opportunity, the amazing landscapes and seascape, and you have also got the venues and the capability to help deliver the events that we can bring. So as UFI moves into our next centenary, I can see lots of our members bringing events to Hong Kong again to help shape the future of their businesses, their communities, their events, and we will do that together.”

Future-focused Congress Programme Highlights Future-proof Developments & Insights

In this year’s UFI Global Congress in Hong Kong, high-calibre speakers led future-focused dialogue. Silicon Valley strategist Dex Hunter-Torricke, hailing from SpaceX, Facebook and Google, dissected how AI and technological changes were reshaping industries, and how the exhibition sector could play a defining role in reconnecting people and ideas.

Global industry leaders also explored the forces shaping the future of events through the main stage programme. A key highlight was AWE’s Phase II development featuring Hong Kong’s largest purpose-built in-door performance venue with 20,000 seats, to be completed by 2028. This expansion is an integral part of SKYTOPIA, the new tourism landmark in Lantau being developed by the Airport Authority. The project integrating commercial activities, culture and leisure is set to propel the city to become a dream destination for visitors.

Lisa Hannant, Chief Executive Officer of Clarion Events

Lisa Hannant, Chief Executive Officer of Clarion Events attested to Hong Kong’s appeal. “We have an iconic brand called Global Sources, and we have been established here in Hong Kong for over 50 years. Hong Kong is at the forefront of the evolving industry across the whole of the trade show sector. It’s a meeting place for international markets and a real connector where buyers meet sellers. With a diverse economic background and vibrant culture, it is an extraordinary place to be able to establish new events such as The Hong Kong International Show Jumping Show.” she said.

Richard Ireland, Chief Executive Officer of Clarion Events Asia

Richard Ireland, Chief Executive Officer of Clarion Events Asia echoed this viewpoint “It didn’t take us long to realise that Hong Kong is a great destination for such a show. Its location near the Greater Bay Area, its affluent population and ability to host large successful events really made it a very simple decision.”

Hong Kong – the Gateway to Unlock Opportunities in GBA and Beyond

Featured as a speaker in the Session themed “Gateway to Growth: Unleashing Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area”, HKTB’s General Manager, Mega Events, MICE and Cruise Marilyn Tham highlighted Hong Kong as an unmatched gateway for uncovering opportunities in the GBA and Asia, thanks to Hong Kong’s one-hour easy access to the GBA market of 87 million people, and the four-hour flight radius to all Asian markets.

Margaret Ma Connolly, President and CEO of Informa Markets Asia

Margaret Ma Connolly, President and CEO of Informa Markets Asia, elaborated, “Hong Kong is really the bridge from Asia to the world. Hong Kong has unique access to the Greater Bay Area, and Chinese Mainland is the second largest exhibition market in the world. At Informa Markets, we have launched a few Asia’s debuts in Hong Kong that are aligned with the government Policy Address’s key strategic pillars, whether it’s in aviation, logistic hub or MICE development. So we have launched the Super Terminal Expo, The Battery Show Asia, the Beauty Ingredients & Formulation Asia (BIFA) and Connect Marketplace Hong Kong and we are also launching LEAP East next. Hong Kong has a lot going for it, with the MICE industry being the hub in APAC. I do believe this is Asia’s century and now the momentum is strong.”

Rich Destination Experiences to Enhance Visitor Enjoyment

UFI Global Congress delegates personally experienced how Hong Kong masterfully blends business and leisure. The Congress Dinner at M+, hosted by the HKTB, presented an elaborate feast of culinary excellence, neon art, cross-genre music, and a dance performance paying tribute to Bruce Lee on the 85th anniversary of his birth.

UFI Congress Dinner at M+

Dance Performance at Congress Dinner


Four tours of contrasts were also curated by HKTB for delegates – Peak Tram to PMQ that contrasted legendary skyline with creative energy; Palace Museum to Kowloon Walled City that mixed imperial treasures with a urban regeneration gem; Ngong Ping 360 to Tai O that juxtaposed modern engineering with traditional fishing village vibe; and Tai Kwun to Big Bus Tour that showcased colonial heritage alongside cosmopolitan energy.

The HKTB-sponsored destination experiences showcased endless reasons for extending stays to take in more.

Post-Congress Tour to Hong Kong WinterFest

Post-Congress Tour to Lantau Island

Post-Congress Tour to Chinese Temple

Post-Congress Tour to Kowloon Walled City

Hashtag: #UFI #HongKongTourismBoard

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XTransfer Joins Forum Ekonomi Malaysia 2026

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Signals Plan to Make Malaysia Regional Compliance Hub

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 February 2026 – XTransfer, the world’s leading B2B cross-border financial platform, was honoured to be invited to join the Malaysia Economic Forum (Forum Ekonomi Malaysia 2026). Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, shared insights on how Malaysia can accelerate technology application and innovation to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) scale exports under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), during FEM 2026’s panel discussion, “Made by Malaysia: Accelerating Technology Applications & Innovation”.

Bill Deng (second from the right), Founder and CEO of XTransfer, joins as a speaker at Forum Ekonomi Malaysia 2026.

Bill was honoured to join YB Tuan Liew Chin Tong, Deputy Minister of Finance of Malaysia, and Mr Ooi Ching Liang, Senior Director of Engineering at SkyeChip, for a discussion focused on strengthening high-growth, high-value industries, advancing R&D commercialisation, increasing productivity and competitiveness, and supporting MSMEs in global value chains.

Drawing on XTransfer’s work with MSMEs across markets, Bill noted that many Malaysian businesses are “able to export,” but face persistent barriers to scaling exports. The most common issues are trust, compliance, and scale, which often surface as payment delays, repeated documentation requests, FX uncertainty, and working capital pressure as orders grow.

“For B2B SMEs in foreign trade, the biggest constraint isn’t demand. It’s the operational complexity behind cross-border payments, foreign exchange, and compliance,” Bill said. “In particular, AML requirements can be difficult for both traditional banks and SMEs to manage efficiently, creating friction that slows down legitimate trade.”

Bill highlighted a structural shift in global trade flows from a single dominant corridor to non-U.S., intra-Asia, and broader South–South routes. This trend is increasingly clear in real SME transaction patterns. Bill shared, “In 2025, XTransfer’s average collection amount from Asia, Africa, and Latin America grew by 106% year-on-year, with Africa exceeding 270%, Latin America reaching 94%, and ASEAN reaching 82%.” YB Liew noted the trend and thinks it is a direction Malaysia should pursue.

XTransfer also said it plans to establish Malaysia as its regional compliance centre, citing Malaysia’s strong geographic and time-zone advantages, a mature regulatory environment, availability of talent in compliance and risk operations, and cost efficiency. “Malaysia gives us the talent, governance environment, and regional proximity to scale compliance as intra-Asia and emerging-market trade accelerates,” Bill added.
Hashtag: #XTransfer #Malaysia #SMEs #13MP #FEM2026




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CGTN: Little Chinese New Year opens big window to China’s soul

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BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 February 2026 – As China marks Xiaonian, or Little Chinese New Year, there is growing evidence of its ancient traditions evolving into global lifestyle trends. CGTN published an article analyzing how this prelude to the Year of the Horse – from the folk ritual of “sweeping the dust” to the cross-cultural fusion of the Spring Festival Gala – illustrates China’s growing global cultural resonance.

As the lunar calendar turns its final pages, China enters a period of joyful anticipation known as Xiaonian, or Little Chinese New Year. Often celebrated as the Festival of the Kitchen God, it marks the official start of the “busy year” – a traditional term for the intense, joyful period of preparing food, cleaning homes, and shopping for the upcoming Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival is a deeply significant time for family reunion. In 2024, UNESCO inscribed the “Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year” onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

While daily routines continue to evolve, they remain anchored in rituals that provide a sense of normalcy and meaning. It is perhaps no wonder that in a climate of uncertainty, traditional Chinese lifestyles are finding a new audience beyond the country’s borders, with the Spring Festival chief among those unique traditions that are fast becoming a shared human experience.

Diverse traditions, shared aspirations

In a prelude to the broader celebrations, Xiaonian, observed on February 10 and 11 this year, kickstarts a focused period of preparation. According to ancient lore, families offer Zaotang, or sticky “Kitchen Candy,” to the Kitchen God to ensure he delivers a favorable report on the household’s conduct before he ascends to the heavens. This lighthearted tradition marks the beginning of several symbolic rituals aimed at welcoming a fresh start.

A key element of this transition is donning new clothes. In Chinese culture, the New Year represents a moment when “all things are renewed,” and wearing new garments symbolizes shedding the “dust” or misfortunes of the past to embrace auspicious energy for the year ahead. Alongside this personal renewal, families nationwide engage in “sweeping the dust,” a deep-cleaning ritual to purify the home and prepare it for new blessings.

Whereas these practices are universal, celebratory flavors vary by geography. In the north, families traditionally gather over steaming plates of dumplings, whereas in the south, the menu often features sweet rice cakes (Niangao) and glutinous rice balls (Tangyuan).

As Mao Qiaohui, a researcher at the Institute of Ethnic Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explains, these variations highlight the inclusive nature of Chinese civilization.

“Although folk customs differ between different regions across China, this diversity reflects the cultural pluralism within the Spring Festival tradition,” she notes. “Different regional identities contribute to a shared pursuit of harmony and reunion.”

The vitality of these traditions is also evident in local craftsmanship. In northern regions like Shandong and Henan, artisans are currently making Huamo, decorated steamed buns, featuring horse designs for the upcoming zodiac year. Meanwhile, in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province, intangible heritage inheritors are carving spirited stallions onto traditional gourds. These creations reflect the regional diversity of the festival and a collective desire for progress in the year ahead.

Cultural dialogue: From global stage to daily life

The festive atmosphere is reflected further in preparations for the Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan), produced by China Media Group.

Recent rehearsals show performances meshing traditional Chinese culture with international artistry. One performance piece combines the wooden clog dance of the Hani and Lisu ethnic groups with the rhythmic tap of Spanish Flamenco and Hungarian folk dance. And with global stars like Jackie Chan and Lionel Richie on the bill, the Gala’s stage is set to become a stage for the world to come together.

The reach of the gala has expanded far beyond a domestic audience. Through the “Spring Festival Gala Prelude” events held in the United States, Russia, France, Italy, and several African nations, the program has become a gateway to Chinese New Year customs and cultural exchange.

This interest extends beyond art and into the lives of people worldwide, as seen in the #BecomingChinese trend. This phenomenon features international social media users adopting elements of Chinese daily life – such as keeping a thermos of hot water handy, wearing quilted indoor slippers or practicing mindful movement with Baduanjin exercises.

The festival is no longer a distant event but a gateway to Chinese lifestyle, rooted in ancient wellness wisdom and constantly updated by modern convenience, and the first step to a journey of exploration into a culture that values ritual, safety and hospitality.

Whether through global broadcasts or shared daily habits, the Spring Festival increasingly strengthens a sense of cultural empathy between China and the rest of the world.

For more information, please click here:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-02-10/Little-New-Year-opens-big-window-to-China-s-soul-1KEhJjMX2fe/p.html

Hashtag: #CGTN

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De Beers Group and Assouline Celebrate the Launch of “A Diamond Is Forever: The Making of A Cultural Icon 1926-2026”

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LONDON, UK – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 February 2026 – In the 1930s, De Beers redefined the role of diamonds in society, celebrating them as masterpieces of nature and craftmanship. Before this, diamond jewelry pieces were treasures exchanged discreetly amongst society’s elite, as luxury houses, fearful of diminishing their mystique, fostered only private relationships with their clients. De Beers revealed the wonder of diamonds to a wider audience, shifting the perception of them from luxury item to a gift integral to romantic milestones and aspirational, glamorous lives, as well as a way of marking personal achievement.

De Beers Group And Assouline Celebate The Launch Of “A Diamond Is Forever: The Making Of A Cultural Icon 1926-2026”

When copywriter Frances Gerety captured the diamond’s essence with the phrase “A Diamond Is Forever” in 1947, the declaration enshrined the diamond as a promise of love and endurance, a sentiment resonating far beyond the notion of a simple gift. Gerety’s words, seen on archival advertisements, magazine placements, and celebrity endorsements, reflected the deep cultural connection between diamonds and enduring relationships. Commissioned artwork from artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Raoul Dufy draw a direct line between a diamond’s rarity—each one formed deep within the earth over billions of years—and the creative genius of fine art. By sharing these artistic visions with the world, De Beers revealed the wonder of diamonds—nature’s oldest treasure—to a wider audience, elevating their aura and allure while preserving the sense of rarity and significance that sets them apart.

For a century, the story of diamonds has been one of transformation and continuity. In the 1960s, stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe adorned themselves with diamonds, embodying the elegance and glamour associated with the gemstone. The 1990s “Shadows” campaign, with its evocative pairing of diamonds and the neoclassical composition Palladio by Karl Jenkins, captured the essence of the diamond: authentic, unique, and everlasting.

In recent years, the conversation around diamonds has expanded to include provenance, sustainability, and ethical stewardship, affirming the diamond’s place as a symbol not just of love but of responsibility and conscience. Much like walking through a gallery that traces the evolution of artistic expression, A Diamond Is Forever offers a view into how diamonds have come to embody the shifting ideals and aspirations of society itself.

Hashtag: #DeBeersGroup #NaturalDiamonds #diamonds #ADiamondIsForever #Assouline




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About De Beers Group

Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, marketing and retailing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers Group’s strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers that span the diamond value chain, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives Tracr and GemFair. De Beers Group also provides leading services and technology to the diamond industry in the form of education and laboratory services via De Beers Institute of Diamonds and a wide range of diamond sorting, detection and classification technology systems via De Beers Group Ignite. De Beers Group is committed to ‘,’ a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit .

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