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Ben Wong: Staying relevant in international trade events
Photos: JP/Arief SuhardimanBen Wong, president director of PT Pamerindo Indonesia, believes that constantly engaging different stakeholders is instrumental in organizing market-driven trade events amid an ever-changing global environment
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Photos: JP/Arief Suhardiman
Ben Wong, president director of PT Pamerindo Indonesia, believes that constantly engaging different stakeholders is instrumental in organizing market-driven trade events amid an ever-changing global environment.
Staying connected to the pulse of market developments and entrenched in the industry are key ingredients for success in running trade shows, according to a top executive of an event organizer.
'The essence of delivering successful events is relevance,' said Ben Wong, president director of PT Pamerindo Indonesia, a long-established event organizer with large international networks.
Market and industry developments, he said, are highly dynamic. 'What was relevant for the market or industry 10 years ago may no longer be relevant today. What will be relevant for the market or industry in another five years can be vastly different from what is presently pertinent,' said the Singaporean.
Disruptive technology changes the whole industry landscape. '[The] new consumption lifestyle changes product demands. Changes in regulatory frameworks carry implications on how the market or industry will evolve,' the 49-year-old said in an interview.
Therefore, he said, 'It is important to be constantly engaging with industry stakeholders. Feedback and opinions from our exhibitors, visitors and buyers, trade associations and government agencies are vital for us in crafting our exhibition values and meeting the needs or expectations of the respective stakeholders from the exhibitions that we stage in Indonesia,' said Wong, who started to lead the event company in 2013.
With over 20 years of experience in organizing trade shows and events in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, he understands the A to Z of running an international exhibition, from initial planning to preparation and problem-prone implementation, which, he said, was 'never a boring activity as there is always something new, there is always a new circumstance that requires you to think and create a solution'.
Wong acknowledged that after graduating from university, he had a keen interest in advertising but then decided to turn to the exhibition industry because, apart from having elements of advertising, marketing and promotions, 'it allowed me to have a lot of room to interact with people,' he said, recollecting how he ended up building a career in the exhibition industry.
Prior to his stint in Indonesia, Wong held managerial position at several event organizers in different Asian countries. Previously, he was chief representatives for the Allworld Exhibitions Alliance'Vietnam operations and, prior to 2005, he was a project director for the lifestyle division at Singapore Exhibition Services.
Each country he worked in, he said, had its own exhibition lifecycle, situation and landscape. Indonesia, for example, is starting to look to the international marketplace. 'The mining industry is the focal point that Indonesia has and we used to focus on Indonesia [the local market] but now it has changed. We have to look at bringing in the international market,' he said.
Package of event experience
When asked how attractive Indonesia was among overseas exhibitors, he said, 'Indonesia has emerged over the years as an important market for foreign exhibitors and buyers.'
'Besides being a massive market with growing middle-class consumers, foreign and domestic investments have significantly changed the industrial landscape in Indonesia.'
He disclosed that the appetite and aspirations of Indonesian enterprises in advancing their product and service quality to meet evolving market requirements had been notable. 'To sustain competitiveness, capacity and capability building has also become prevalent among business enterprises.'
These have set the stage for commitment from both foreign exhibitors and buyers to progress in extending relationships and fostering business partnerships with Indonesian enterprises. 'With that our exhibitions have enjoyed increasing participation and attendance from the international community.'
'Central to our efforts in attracting foreign companies or exhibitors' participation at our exhibitions is more than just organizing an exhibition, but building on an entire package of event experience.'
Building on such experience starts from the point of contact with prospective exhibitors, to the services rendered by both his company and appointed event partners, to activities during the exhibition and the eventual delivery of intended outcomes from the exhibition, Wong said.
'Perhaps a crucial tipping factor is the core value that we place on building an effective outreach program involving close and direct relationships with our exhibitors.'
Being a member of Allworld Exhibitions, he said, enabled the organizer to have access to over 50 representative offices worldwide and leverage on expertise as well as relationships in five continents across all major industry sectors and professional disciplines. 'These allow us to stay constantly connected with foreign exhibitors,' he said enthusiastically.
'It must be equally recognized that there are many more foreign new-to-market SMEs [small and medium enterprises] that are aspiring to gain market access in Indonesia. For these foreign SMEs it is necessary for our network of representatives to be able to facilitate them in understanding the market and be well supported in preparing for their participation at the exhibition.'
According to Wong, equally important was creating a program of activities such as features, seminars, workshops, conferences, demonstrations and competitions during the exhibitions 'to connect with what is trending in the market and what is relevant to the interests of visitors or buyers for both our foreign and domestic exhibitors'.
'Beyond being a driver to converge the stakeholder community, these activities serve to enable and empower businesses, providing for an elevated experience at the exhibition for foreign exhibitors' prospects.'
At every trade show event that serves as a platform to bridge market needs, there is always a mix of local and foreign buyers, with none of the foreign participating countries dominating the show.
'The essence is balance. We try to attract more foreign companies to the show but we need to make sure that there is a balance between local and foreign exhibitors. There should also be a balance between foreign exhibitors from different countries and we get diversity to represent different segments of the market,' he says.
Wong also cited establishing a competent ecosystem of exhibition partners to support the varying needs and expectations of exhibitors as another fundamental element in running an event. 'Besides, it is also important to develop a credible marketing promotions program that is effective in assembling a critical mass of quality visitors or buyers for the exhibitors during an exhibition.'
'The breadth and depth of exhibits on the show floor has to be well engineered to keep visitors or buyers interested in wanting to attend exhibitions staged,' he says.
Global exhibition calendar
To optimize success, event organizers should also pay close attention to the global calendar, especially when it comes to determining event dates. 'It is also necessary to avoid having exhibition dates clash with other international events on the global exhibition calendar.'
'Ultimately, it is an entire package of event experience that differentiates one exhibition from another. For that, giving attention to detail on all aspects of an exhibition is crucial and essential,' he said.
Wong was also aware of the challenges arising from the increasing number of international and domestic exhibition organizers now staging exhibitions on various themes in Indonesia.
'It has become increasingly difficult to secure suitable tenancy slots at exhibition venues to avoid clashing with other exhibitions on the global exhibition calendar. This has constrained exhibition in optimizing growth potential,' he said.
Wong has his own embedded leadership philosophy, saying, 'I believe in three words: engage, enable and enrich.'
'I believe in engaging people within and outside the company to understand the core issues and how you find a solution to the issues.
'Enabling your staff or colleagues will lead them to exceed the expectations; while enriching them will drive them to be knowledgeable and get ready for new challenges.'
For Wong, the completion of a successful show does not mean the real end as he then performs a private 'ritual' that other people might not know unless he tells them.
'Every time after an exhibition ends, I take a bird eye's view. I reflect much on the show ['¦] the process, the four-day show and on the final day [...] There is a flood of memories.'
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Place/Date of Birth
Singapore, May 13, 1967
Career Highlights
* President director of PT Pamerindo Indonesia (2013 to present)
* Chief representative for the Allworld Exhibitions Alliance'Vietnam operations (2005 to 2013)
* Project director of lifestyle division at Singapore Exhibition Services, in charge of five successive series of
Food & Hotel Asia (FHA)
Education
Holds a Masters in Business Administration
At Ease
Staying in shape
To keep myself fit and in great shape, I do some exercises like playing tennis and swimming. I exercise at least twice a week.
Spending time with children
I spend my weekends with my family, handling my two kids. Handling my two children uses up my energy, running and chasing after them. They want me to do this and that. I believe in spending time with children while they are growing up. It is very important for me.
I believe in a balance of life and it is important to have private time ['¦] I spend time with friends but what is important is I put a lot of emphasis on my family.
Loves to cook
I also like to do a bit of cooking for my children. I still make some experiments but you know what the satisfaction is when I am with my kids? I can serve them when they ask, 'Can you cook this for me?'
No favorite holiday destination
I like traveling but I do not really have a favorite destination. Each destination is interesting and offers uniqueness. But I must admit that I never get bored of going to Thailand. I enjoy the food and I also love shopping there.
