IEG AND VNU EXHIBITION ASIA INSTALL BOARD OF DIRECTORS AT NEW ´EAGLE´ JOINT VENTURE, FOCUSING ON TRADE SHOW BUSINESS IN CHINA AND ITALY

Shanghai, March 7, 2018 - Europe Asia Global Link Exhibitions (EAGLE), a new joint venture created by the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) and VNU Exhibitions Asia to develop trade show business in China and Italy, is officially in business following the formal establishment of its Board of Directors.
During a meeting held today in Shanghai, which will serve EAGLE´S base of operation, Corrado Facco, IEG´s Managing Director, was appointed of Chairman of the EAGLE Board, while David Zhong, President of VNU Exhibitions Asia, was appointed Vice-Chairman. Emanuele Guido, head of Group Strategy & International Business Development at IEG, will serve as an EAGLE Director, while Shine Liu, Vice President of VNU Exhibitions Asia, has taken on the role of Executive Director. Davide Gabaldo, IEG´s Legal Director, who has overseen the establishment of EAGLE from a corporate perspective, was also present.
The meeting was held at the Italian General Consulate in Shanghai, in the presence of Italian Consul General Stefano Beltrame and Italian Trade Commissioner Massimiliano Tremiterra.
From IEG´s perspective, EAGLE will serve to develop business interests in the Far East in the wellness, green technology, hospitality and tourism sectors, where the Italian company is already well vested. IEG currently hosts TTG Travel Experience at its Rimini Expo Centre, which this year will take place October 10-12. It is Italy´s leading exhibition for outbound tourism, and is one of the most important events of its type in Europe.
For VNU Exhibition Asia, a company belonging to Utrecht Expo, EAGLE will provide additional opportunities to consolidate its commercial relations with the leading companies in East Asia.

Two EAGLE events have already been scheduled for 2018.
The 15th Shanghai World Travel Fair (SWTF) will take place May 24-27. With an expected attendance of more than 500 exhibitors from around the world and 13,000 buyers and visitors, mainly from east China, SWFT is a B2B and B2C event focusing on China´s growing outbound tourism market.
The Travel Trade Market (TTM) will take place September 5-7, in Chengdu, Sichuan. It is a B2B event for inbound and outbound Chinese tourism operators. TTM offers international exhibitors the opportunity of meeting tourism professionals from secondary and tertiary cities in the central and western regions of China.

Before taking EAGLE into its operational phase, the joint venture partners conducted a survey during the Chengdu Travel Trade Market Business Forum 2017 to gauge market interest, and conducted 1,000 business meetings during the TTM preview, consulting with some 60 international buyers from more than 17 countries, as well as tourism companies. The new venture has already concluded an agreement with the European Tourism Association (ETOA), which is the leading association in Europe of tour operators and tourism industry suppliers, to explore and secure greater commercial opportunities in the Chinese market.

A CHINESE TOURISM BOOM
The World Tourism Organization reported that 135 million Chinese tourists travelled abroad in 2016, up 6% from the number registered a year earlier. The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) estimated that the tourism sector grew by a further 4% in 2017. The amount spent during oversees travel by Chinese citizens exceeded 261 billion U.S. in 2016, representing a 12% increase from the previous year. A record 5.8 million Chinese tourists booked overnight stays in Italy in 2016, up 400,000 compared from 2015. According to the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), during the first 6 months of 2017, a 14% increase was recorded in the number of visa applications, with rise in applications for +22% for individual trips and +10% increase for group trips.



ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP SPA: FOCUS ON
Italian Exhibition Group SpA, created by the merger between Rimini Fiera and Fiera di Vicenza, is presided over by President and Chairman, Lorenzo Cagnoni, Executive Vice President, Matteo Marzotto and Managing Director, Corrado Facco. IEG, which closed 2017 with a forecasted turnover of 129 million Euros, EBITDA of 23 million Euros and a consolidated net profit of over 8 million Euros, is Italy´s largest trade show organizer in terms of own products and gross operating revenue, as well as the national leader in the conference and congress sector: 60 products in portfolio (including Food & Beverage, Green, Technology, Entertainment, Tourism, Transport, Wellness, Jewellery and Fashion, Lifestyle & Innovation) and 280 events and congresses. In 2017, IEG, attracted a total of 15,649 exhibitors and 2,648,675 visitors at its Rimini and Vicenza-based exhibition and congress facilities. IEG´s priority it to promote the internationalization of these sectors of reference, starting from a solid base within the world with joint ventures and branches in the United Arab Emirates, USA, China, India and South America.



PRESS CONTACT ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP
Marco Forcellini, press office manager marco.forcellini@iegexpo.it Silvia Giorgi, international press silvia.giorgi@iegexpo.it


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