Taking its lead from the One Belt One Road initiative, Asia Lifestyle Expo 2019, will arrive in Bangkok next year. This brand new platform will promote a free flow of trade, encourage market integration and forge new ties within the ASEAN region.
The three-day trade expo, held from 21st - 23rd August 2019 at BITEC, will provide retailers, trading companies, e-commerce, and online sellers an opportunity to import lifestyle products to ASEAN and to export ASEAN-made products regionally and globally. Five-hundred booths will showcase products ranging from gifts, consumer electronics, toys, accessories, kitchenware, arts and crafts as well as homeware.
In line with the One Belt One Road initiative, the multi-trillion-dollar project reshaping intercontinental trade; Asia Lifestyle Expo 2019 will tap into ASEAN, a key import-export region. It has experienced a rapid economic growth with an expected GDP to rise to US$ 4.7 trillion in 2020 from 2.22 trillion in 2016, a middle class to rise from 190 million people in 2012 to 400 million by 2020, and an increasing demand towards higher quality, new lifestyle and new sources.
Asia Lifestyle Expo 2019 will shine a spotlight on ASEAN products and provide a platform to support ASEAN businesses within the competitive global market. According to the Thai Retailers Association, Thai's retailer industry will grow 3.8-4.0 percent in 2018 and 4.5 percent in 2019. In 2016, Thailand had total retail sales of US$ 88.2 billion, representing 22 percent of the country's total GDP.
Thailand was handpicked as the prime destination for this expo, due to its unrivalled trade show credentials, attracting 1,047,959 overseas MICE travelers and generating US$ 2.467 billion in revenue throughout the fiscal year of 2017. The second largest economy in ASEAN is home to both exceptional exhibition venues and over 970 star-graded hotels. Additional, English is widely spoken in the country and its two international airports covering 131 international destinations make it an appealing location for MICE visitors.
"Thailand has proven itself as ASEAN's go-to destination for exhibitions. Throughout the fiscal year of 2017, the country attracted almost 215,992 exhibition travelers, generating almost US$ 574 million in revenue. This offers huge potential to Thailand and the region's firms for breaking into the competitive global market of imports and exports," said Mr. Sakchai Pattarapreechakul, President, N.C.C. Exhibition Organizer Co., Ltd.
Asia Lifestyle Expo 2019 is the sister show of Hong Kong October Show, a hugely popular series which is one of the largest and most important sourcing trade events in Asia, presenting over 5,000 booths from 30 countries and welcoming 50,000 buyers from over 130 countries to source ASIAN-made products.
"Like the Hong Kong October Show managed by COMASIA Limited, Asia Lifestyle Expo 2019 will showcase a huge range of lifestyle products. The emphasis for this new expo is firmly focused on ASEAN trading, providing an opportunity for ASEAN firms to ride on the One Belt One Road initiative by making new ties and trade partners within the region and beyond," said Mr. Peter Cheung, Director, COMASIA Limited.
In addition to Asia Lifestyle Expo 2019, the Asian Electronic Game and Amusement Equipment Expo, organized by COMASIA Limited and show managed by N.C.C. Exhibition Organizer Co., Ltd., will be held simultaneously in Hall 99 of BITEC.