UBM Sinoexpo Acquires a Majority Interest in China Vending & Kiosk Show and Shanghai Digital Signage Show from Tiansheng

SHANGHAI, Dec. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Co Ltd (UBM Sinoexpo), one of UBM Asia's joint venture companies in China, today announces that it has acquired the China Vending & Kiosk Show, the Shanghai Digital Signage Show, and their co-located shows from Shanghai Tiansheng Exhibition Service Co., Ltd (Tiansheng) in Shanghai and will organise the shows from 2014 onwards.

(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2013/12/16/20131216170029288032.html )
(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2010/04/19/20100419602891.jpg )

The annual China Vending & Kiosk Show is the largest tradeshow of its kind in Asia. It was launched in 2004 and has grown in line with the development of the vending retail market in China since then. Key exhibiting categories at the show include automatic vending machines for food, beverages, medicines, books and newspapers. The show also covers self-service systems such as water and beverage dispensers, laundry machines and coin-operated amusement machines. Products at the show also include self-service terminals, solutions and equipment, together with parts and accessories for vending machines. Show visitors comprise representatives of organisations within the global automatic vending industry, distributors, agents, supermarkets, retailers, service providers, government and purchasing departments in corporations.

The Shanghai Digital Signage Show was launched in 2009 and is held alongside the China Vending & Kiosk Show. It covers digital signage and advertising systems, large screen display systems, LCD/LED display systems, touch screen and other display panels, HD transmission systems, and related solutions and equipment. The show's exhibitors include display panel manufacturers, IT solution vendors, touch equipment manufacturers and software companies. Visitors to the show are drawn from the advertising and media industries, retail showrooms, construction companies, rail stations, airports, banks, government etc. In September 2013, the two shows attracted a total of 15,455 visitors and occupied over 17,000 square metres of gross exhibition area.

The rapid increase in labour costs in China and the rise of a new generation of consumers have had a positive impact on the automation and self-service industries. The expansion of the rail and aviation network in China also adds a further boost to demand for vending machines. With growing demand for higher quality, more versatile, networked and interactive signage, and easy-to-operate outdoor advertising equipment as used by retailers, banks, airports, railway stations, and other public venues and facilities, the usage of digital signage in China is clearly set to expand.

Jimé Essink, President & CEO of UBM Asia, said: "China is a big potential market for these two industries. We aim to bring in more overseas participation with our international network and large database to take these two leading and professional events to a new level. The China Vending & Kiosk Show and Shanghai Digital Signage Show also complement the annual Hotelex Shanghai and the co-located Expo Shop China show organised by Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo."

In April 2103 Hotelex attracted over 1,500 exhibitors and with its co-located shows, welcomed a record-breaking 70,557 visitors.

Zhang Xinyuan, owner and General Manager of Tiansheng said: "Vending machines and digital industries are experiencing a great boom in China now and I firmly believe that the development of these two shows will accelerate with this co-operation with UBM Asia and UBM Sinoexpo. We both look forward to offering our clients improved services and a larger platform for their business and markets in China."

The show teams will move into the UBM Sinoexpo office building to work with the UBM Sinoexpo teams. Mr Zhang will continue to lead these project teams and work with the project managers of Hotelex and Expo Shop teams, reporting directly to Zhang Xue Qiang, Managing Director of UBM Sinoexpo.

For press enquiries, please contact:
Jennifer Law, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications
UBM Asia
Tel: +852 2516 1691
Fax: +852 3749 7342
Email: Jennifer.Law@ubm.com

Christy Chan, Corporate Marketing & Communications Executive
UBM Asia
Tel: +852 2516 1679
Fax: +852 3749 7342
Email: Christy.Chan@ubm.com

Notes to Editors

1. About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com)
Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia's leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 25 major cities with 30 offices and over 1,400 staff.

With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 21 market sectors with 160 dynamic face-to-face exhibitions, 75 high-level professional conferences, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock vertical portals and virtual event services for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks.

UBM Asia has extensive office networks in China, Southeast Asia and India, three of the world's fastest growing B2B events markets. UBM China has 11 offices in the major cities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen, where we organise more than 60 exhibitions and conferences. In ASEAN, UBM Asia operates from its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines with over 50 events in this region. UBM India teams in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad organise 20 exhibitions and 60 conferences every year across the country.

2. About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)
UBM plc is a global events-led marketing services and communications company. We help businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content. Our 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

For more information, go to www.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM corporate news; follow @UBM for news and updates from across the businesses and selected members of UBM's Twitter.