The AEO International Dinner: Southeast Asia edition

The AEO International Dinner has become a key fixture of our international working group calendar, offering a dedicated space for organisers to share knowledge, debate challenges, and uncover opportunities in global markets. Our latest dinner focused on Southeast Asia (ASEAN) - a region rich with potential, pace and nuance. With insights from Ian Roberts, Informa, and contributions from attendees around the table, we explored how to enter, scale and sustain events across ASEAN’s most active markets.

Understanding ASEAN: the fundamentals

ASEAN is often spoken about as one region, but it’s not one market. Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines each have distinct regulatory frameworks, cost profiles, venue realities and buyer behaviours. Treating ASEAN as “one launch, many countries” is the fastest route to frustration; localisation and sequencing are essential.

A common misstep is assuming a successful UK/EU playbook will translate directly. For example, regional shows in Singapore need a strong cross-border proposition to justify costs; mass-market verticals such as mining or foodservice often find natural scale first in Indonesia; and manufacturing can pull strongly in Thailand and Vietnam. The winning approach is to pick the right “home” market for edition one, then regionalise.

Venues, contracts and cost considerations

Venue capacity varies sharply. Thailand and Singapore are well served (IMPACT, BITEC, QSNCC; MBS/Singapore Expo); Malaysia has KLCC/MITEC; Vietnam and the Philippines remain tighter, though pipelines are improving. Right-size your first edition - small shows in giant halls (or the reverse) undermine positioning and economics.

Set-up models and labour also differ. Singapore is operationally smooth but expensive; Thailand and Malaysia are cost-friendlier; Indonesia and Vietnam can require more work on licensing, legalities and payment flows. Build in time and budget for local entity requirements, banking/remittance practicalities and tax. As several members noted, good local counsel early is cheaper than fixes later.

Cultural differences in execution

Relationship-building is strategy, not soft skill. In ASEAN, trusted local partners, senior on-the-ground leadership and time invested with associations, venues and ministries accelerate everything - from dates and space to buyer programmes. Fly-in/fly-out models struggle; being present pays.

Visitor expectations also vary. In Singapore and Bangkok, regional buyer programmes and high-quality content are decisive differentiators. In Jakarta and Manila, scale and serviceability matter as much as gloss; frictionless operations, traffic planning and hosted meeting logistics were cited as key to satisfaction and re-book.

Government and bureau support

Convention bureaus in Singapore (STB) and Thailand (TCEB) are proactive connectors and co-marketers; Malaysia is stepping up. In Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, support tends to be situational rather than systemic. Consensus: treat subsidies as nice-to-have; the business case must stand on its own.

Economic and political climate

While headlines can feel noisy (elections, policy shifts, venue pipelines), the operating reality is pragmatic: shows largely go on. The bigger macro consideration is the interplay with China - a vital source of exhibitors and buyers - balanced by the region’s strong domestic demand and youthful demographics. The room’s view: positive but practical, with contingency plans for currency, logistics and cross-border movement.

Opportunities and future outlook

• Launch local, scale regional. Prove product–market fit where the sector naturally lives, then add regional draw through co-locations, hosted buyers or alternating host cities.
• Engineer buyer value early. Hosted programmes, serious content and year-round community are the moat in crowded categories such as food, beauty and manufacturing.
• Differentiate on mix and quality. In busy verticals, an international exhibitor profile and credible ROI programmes justify premium pricing.
• Talent and teams. Singapore is talent-tight; KL, Bangkok, Jakarta and HCMC offer larger pools. Regardless of passport, senior local leadership with government/venue access is a force multiplier.

Final thoughts

From licensing and remittance realities to venue pipelines and buyer maths, the key message that echoed was: ASEAN rewards adaptation, patience and presence. Choose your entry point wisely, build relationships deliberately, and design for regional scale from day one.

A huge thank you to Ian Roberts for sharing deep, practical insight, and to all attendees for an honest, high-signal discussion. Finally, our thanks to Fusion for sponsoring the evening and contributing organiser-side perspectives from 25 years of registration and data know-how. Your support made the conversation (and the dinner) possible.