HONG KONG--Aug 29--PRNewswire Asia/AsiaNet CMP Asia, formerly known as Miller Freeman Asia, recently announced good performance results by its major trade fairs and publications for the half year ended June 30, 2001. It also has generally strong forward bookings for the trade fairs that it will hold in the second half of the year. Key results include: * CMP Asia's mid-year jewellery trade fairs in Hong Kong were the biggest ever, with over 850 exhibitors taking 12% more exhibit space than last year, while visitor attendance increased by 14%, including a 43% increase in foreign trade buyers. First-half forward bookings for CMP Asia's September jewellery fair, the biggest in Asia and in the top three globally, are 10% up compared to the same period last year, a strong indication that the fair will be bigger than ever before. * CMP Asia's dominant jewellery trade publications increased total advertising revenues by 7% in the first half, reaching a new record high, partly by making its Chinese edition a monthly publication from bi-monthly last year. * CMP Asia operates on a global basis in selected markets such as the cruise shipping industry, where its 2001 cruise shipping convention in Miami, the world's biggest trade event for this fast-growing industry, had its largest ever exhibition. Booked exhibit space was up 15% on the 2000 event. Over 11,000 cruise trade executives attended to meet more than 1,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries. * As part of its global portfolio of events serving the beauty and cosmetics trade, CMP Asia's premier US event, the HBA Global Expo held every June in New York, was at its biggest ever with over 500 exhibitors and booked space up 16% from the last event. Forward bookings gathered in the first half for its joint-venture Asian beauty trade fair, Cosmoprof Asia, to be held in Hong Kong this November, are also well above that recorded during the same period last year. This is the biggest such fair in Asia. * CMP Sinoexpo, the largest international trade fair organiser in China, created the biggest event for the building and interior fittings trade in China in co-operation with another local organiser. Using three venues in Shanghai, they brought together four fairs, each serving a targeted sector of this fast-growing industry. All were held on the same dates in April, with free linking transport for visitors. Total gross exhibit space was over 50,000 sq metres, with 750 exhibitors, both local and foreign, attracting over 77,000 visitors. * CMP Asia's Computer Expo, the biggest IT fair in Hong Kong, had the highest number of exhibitors in its 17 years of operation. Despite the absence of many of the dot-com companies that exhibited in 2000, the 2001 total reached 407, a new record. Over 79,000 visitors came to the fair. Outlook Peter Sutton, President and Chief Executive for CMP Asia, said: "Our strong performance in the first half as well as our recent change of company name make CMP Asia well poised to sustain continued growth in the second half of the year. Certainly the forward bookings that we already have for the large trade fairs that we hold in Hong Kong and Shanghai towards the end of the year give every reason for confidence. This will be further enhanced by the greater customer recognition we expect globally from our new name and logo, coupled with our being part of a very large, very international and very professional media company. "CMP Asia will continue to offer the same professional services under our new name, as we have done as Miller Freeman Asia. The same managers and staff of over 330 people in 11 major cities in Asia and in the USA will continue to provide 68 trade events and publications and we have ambitious plans for the future growth of our business." Notes: CMP Asia was formerly known as Miller Freeman Asia. It is now taking the same name as its sister media companies, all of which are owned by United Business Media plc (UBM). The new name signifies the integral part that CMP Asia plays in the CMP Group, one of the world's leading and most respected professional media companies. Globally, CMP owns over 400 media products, including more than 170 trade events and 220 publications and on-line products. CMP Asia is the largest independent trade fair organiser in the region and a leading provider of business-to-business information, through its publications and websites. CMP Asia operates in 11 market sectors through its headquarters in Hong Kong with over 330 staff in 11 major cities in Asia and the USA. It has 68 media products comprising 60 trade shows held in eight countries/regions and eight publications with associated B2B websites. The key industries covered by CMP Asia are: jewellery and gift, leather, information technology, industrial technology, cruise and maritime, furniture, beauty, paper and packaging, health and food ingredients, and building trades. Every year 15,000 exhibitors and over 670,000 visitors come to CMP Asia's trade fairs. To accompany the new name, the business also unveiled a single distinctive new visual identity which will appear on all of CMP Asia's products. Downloadable format of the press release is available at CMP Asia's website at http://www.cmpasia.com SOURCE CMP Asia CONTACT: Jennifer Law Regional Corporate Communications Manager CMP Asia Ltd Tel: +852-2516-1691 Fax: +852-2511-0615 E-mail: [email protected]