Millionaire Fair Shanghai changes its name into ¡°The Fair¡±
Millionaire Fair Shanghai, China¡¯s leading luxury lifestyle fair, has announced it will change its fair name into ¡°The Fair¡±. Millionaire Magazine will also undergo a name facelift; starting from the next edition in October, the lifestyle magazine will also be published as The Fair. The Chinese names of both the magazine and the fair (¡°fu shi¡±) will remain unchanged. The next edition of The Fair will take place in the Shanghai Exhibition Center on 10-12 October 2008.
The name ¡°The Fair¡± was chosen for being distinctive yet simple and therefore easy to remember. ¡°The new name can also be associated with a certain prestige, as we feel proud of the success of our previous editions¡±, says David Zhong, CEO of VNU Exhibitions Asia, the organizer of the Millionaire Fair Shanghai. ¡°We aim at bringing the finest and most stylish brands from all over the world in touch with an audience of China elite: the ¡°cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me¡± all gathered in one single event.¡±
Cultural difference
Zhong continues: ¡°It goes without saying that changing our brand name after 3 years of building on strong brand awareness and preference has not been an easy decision. Millionaire Fair and Millionaire Magazine are well know throughout China, and of course we also benefit from the strong international network of Millionaire Fairs in major cities such as Moscow (Russia), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Munich (Germany) and Kortrijk (Belgium). China is a highly potential, but different market however. Ever since we have introduced the names Millionaire Fair and Millionaire Magazine in China, we have received frequent feedback from the market that our name would be too strongly connected with money rather than an elegant lifestyle. The cultural background causes the Chinese wealthy to be more low profile and less extravagant than for example the Russians, where the name ¡°Millionaire Fair¡± in fact work very well. In China, the current name makes some people decide not to visit our fair, whereas they could potentially be very interesting clients for our participants and sponsors
In order to keep our international ties, however, we will still be part of the Millionaire Fair network. ¡°In marketing communications to the luxury market, we will add the tagline ¡°in association with Millionaire Fair¡±, in order to emphasize the ties with the successful international network of luxury fairs. Our Chinese audience will only be targeted under our new name however. We are convinced that The Fair 2008 will attract a new group of visiting high net worth consumers that our returning participants have not yet seen before.¡±
Zhong quickly adds that the name change does not mean the concept of the event will change. ¡°In the past year we have already communicated frequently about the importance we attach to conveying the message that with abundant wealth comes social responsibility. We see it as our responsibility to communicate that rich people¡¯s life should be about elegance and acting socially responsible rather than just living an extravagant lifestyle. We have therefore organized a wide range of charity events for good causes such as the Special Olympics and the Shanghai Charity Foundation. A name with a strong connotation to abundant wealth does not match this message, which is why we have chosen to change our name. The Fair will be the same concept as Millionaire Fair Shanghai, and will be organized by the same team. In fact, we will work with an even stronger passion for bringing our clients in touch with China¡¯s premier consumers during the next edition, to be held again in the Shanghai Exhibition Center from 10-12 October, 2008.¡±
Magazine
Not only the name of the Millionaire Fair will be changed. Also the printed sister of the fair - Millionaire magazine - will be renamed to ¡°The Fair¡±. The Fair magazine under its new name will continue to write on people passionate about the finer things in life, and to publish stories covering brands that excel by their exclusivity and style.
The Chinese name of both the Millionaire Fair and Millionaire Magazine, ¡°fu shi¡±, will remain unchanged.
For more information, please contact us:
VNU Exhibitions Asia
