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BEIJING, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the magnitude 7.0 earthquake on 20 April that hit Lushan County in Ya'an city, Sichuan Province in China, UBM plc and its major divisions in China, UBM Asia and UBM Asia's JV company, UBM Sinoexpo, took immediate action to help aid the people affected by this tragic event: donating two large tents (equivalent to RMB150,000 or USD24,300) as emergency relief efforts.
The devastating earthquake impacted at least 2.31 million people in Sichuan Province. The China Earthquake Administration reported 196 dead, 21 missing and 11,470 injured (as of 24 April 2:30pm). Many houses have collapsed and electricity has been cut off. With thousands of aftershocks and blockage of roads to the disaster areas, the number of casualties is expected to rise.
Tens of thousands of people lost their homes after the earthquake and have been compelled to live on the streets. As a major exhibition organiser who uses tents for various exhibitions, UBM saw a way to use its business expertise to offer immediate and direct help. UBM and UBM Sinoexpo arranged contractors to set up two 180 square metres tents in the disaster areas. The first tent was built near the Temporary Emergency Center in Tian Quan County on 24 April; another one will be built today (25 April) near the PLA No.37 Hospital in Ya'an County. The tents serve as temporary shelters for the homeless people, an important step in helping them get back to set their lives in order.
UBM has over 1,000 personnel working in China in all of its divisions and joint ventures, with offices throughout China -- including one in Chengdu -- and is relieved to confirm that all its employees are safe.
"UBM's employees in China and throughout the world send our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the earthquake and our hopes that the people in the affected areas can have a quick recovery," says Philip Chapnick, UBM's Group Chief Representative for China. In addition to the direct assistance in the form of tents, UBM's main operating division in China, UBM Asia together with its subsidiaries and JV companies in China are also making it easy for employees to donate to a fund that will be distributed to various local and international non-profit organisations to further extend assistance to earthquake victims.
Notes to Editors
1. About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com)
Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia's leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global presence in 25 major cities with 30 offices and over 1,200 staff.
With a track record spanning over 30 years, UBM Asia operates in 19 market sectors with 160 dynamic face-to-face exhibitions, 75 high-level professional conferences, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock vertical portals and virtual event services for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a one-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks.
UBM Asia has extensive office networks in China, Southeast Asia and India, three of the world's fastest growing B2B events markets. UBM China has 11 offices in the major cities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen, where we organise more than 60 exhibitions and conferences. In ASEAN, UBM Asia operates from its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines with over 50 events in this region. UBM India teams in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad organise 20 exhibitions and 60 conferences every year across the country.
2. About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)
UBM plc is a leading, events-led, global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.
For more information, go to www.ubm.com; follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM news.
For press enquiries, please contact:
Jennifer Law, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications, UBM Asia
Tel: +852 2516 1691
Fax: +852 3749 7342
Email: Jennifer.Law@ubm.com
Elsie Hui, Corporate Marketing & Communications Executive, UBM Asia
Tel: +852 2516 1679
Fax: +852 3749 7342
Email: Elsie.Hui@ubm.com
