It has been a long time coming, but in the end, it was well worth it. Following the acquisition from Singex of the TyreXpo series of trade shows in 2019 by Tarsus Group, the jury had been out as to how TyreXpo Asia 2023 would be received by the market, but we needn’t have worried.
TyreXpo Asia Draws the Crowds in Singapore
After four years of being starved of an industry showcase event, the South-East Asian tyre industry was clearly ready to meet once again, and as a result, the show’s 2023 incarnation, held from 8-10 March at the iconic Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore ended up as a considerable success.
With initial figures of 5488 attendees – all unique – visitor rates were significantly up on previous years. The first day was exceptionally busy, and even the final day, normally considered a wind-down day, showed good traffic.
Show Director Alwin Seow was clearly delighted. Indeed, having anticipated attracting around 180 registered buyers, Seow revealed to Commercial Tyre Business that the actual figure was three times that amount, a spectacular result by any measure.
Against this backdrop Tarsus was able to make two major announcements during the show. Firstly, the company was able to announce the launch of two new regional shows, TyreXpo Americas, which will take place at Centro CitiBanamex in Mexico City from 5-7 Dec this year, and Tyrexpo MEA, which will be organised at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi in Sep 2024, the exact date as yet to be decided. Tarsus was also able to confirm that TyreXpo Asia will move to Bangkok in 2024, being scheduled to take place at BITEC from 15-17 May, 2024, and then return to Singapore in 2025.
In addition to the above, on 9 March in a major announcement for the global exhibitions sector, it was also revealed that the Tarsus Group had been acquired by Informa plc for USD 940 million. Commenting on the acquisition, Stephen Carter, the CEO of Informa, was quoted as saying: “We have long admired the Tarsus business, which, like Informa, has been built around major brands in attractive, specialist B2B markets in the growing regions of Asia, China, the Middle East and the Americas.” It would appear that the Group’s position in the global tyre industry exhibition scene, is set for some growth in the coming years.
In terms of the retreading industry, the show maintained its core support from the main South-East Asian suppliers to the sector, with Eversafe, Kartindo, Kayel, Liew Koon, Maxrubber and Sun Rubber all attending, as well as Elgi Rubber from India. The show also seemed to be well attended by regional retreaders as well as a few from further afield. The organisers key task now will be to draw in those South-East Asian suppliers who stayed away and well as exhibitors from further afield.
At Commercial Tyre Business, we had been keen to support the new owners of the exhibition, and we were therefore delighted to be able to organise a retreading conference on day one of the show, featuring in-depth analyses of retreading markets around the world as well as a look at specific topics such as how to improve the cost-efficiency of retreading plants, and the benefits of including retreading as an integral part of a fleet management strategy. Speakers were Chris Bloor from Giti Tire, Karun Sanghi (Tyresoles), Edmund Wong (First Unitex and TRMAM), David Stevens (TRIB), Brian Barron (Vaculug), and Michael Hutt (who until recently was General Manager – Group Marketing at Kit Loong Commercial Tyre Group).
Also featured during the show was the official launch of the 2023 Recircle Awards, with two awards being presented live – the Circular Economy Award to the German AZUR Network, and the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Retreading Sector to Chen Jet How, the ex-CEO of the Kit Loong Group.
