Update 6/1/15 – Self Storage Expo Asia 2015 drew about 200 attendees from around the world, giving show organizers confidence the Asian market is drawing strong interest from investors, operators and vendors. “While we were prepared for 200 people, it was above the number we expected with a week to go before the kickoff, which is a great thing,” said La Tona. “As a startup industry association in a relatively new region for the industry, it fills us with great confidence that proactive investors, suppliers, and industry executives are taking the region very seriously and are attending the most important functions.”
The event featured 32 speakers and attracted 15 sponsors, according to a press release. The expo was also used as a platform for the release of two market reports, including the SSAA’s inaugural “Self Storage Asia Annual Survey,” conducted by global market-research firm Ipsos Business Consulting.
“We are thrilled to be part of the creation of Asia's very first self-storage survey in partnership with the SSAA,” said Markus Scherer, associate director of the Ipsos Hong Kong office. “Our research covering the three core markets of Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and the emerging markets of China, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand, [shows] that the self-storage industry in these countries is just starting to establish itself and has exciting growth prospects ranging from high single-digit growth to upwards of 20 percent, depending on the country and the market.”
CBRE Inc., a real estate services company that specializes in self-storage acquisitions, dispositions and financing, also released a special report on the region. “As a result of favorable demographic and economic trends in the region, investor interest in the alternative sector of self-storage has picked up strongly in recent years,” said Darren Benson, executive director of CBRE’s Industrial & Logistics Brokerage Services Asia. “[Self-storage] operators are looking to expand aggressively, particularly in the more mature markets of Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.”
Both reports are available for free to SSAA members, according to the release. Self Storage Expo Asia 2016 will be held in Singapore.
4/8/15 – Self Storage Association Asia (SSAA) will host Self Storage Expo Asia 2015 in Tokyo, May 13-15. Topics will be focused on the Asia market, examine lessons learned about self-storage growth in other parts of the world and discuss obstacles emerging Asian markets may face, according to a press release.
The event will include a panel discussion on “The Future of Self-Storage in Asia.” “This expo is positive for healthy and strong growth of the industry and community, helping both in tandem,” said panelist Jon Perrins, executive chairman of Steel Storage Sdn. Bhd. in Malaysia. “There is a lot of green-field in Asia, and there is no bigger event to get information, opportunity and networking in one place than the expo.”
Industry growth will also be a common theme of the event, officials said. “The numbers speak for themselves, and yes, the industry is teeming with opportunity for suppliers and facility owners,” added Luigi La Tona, executive director of SSAA. “While countries in Asia may not reach 7.8 square feet per person of self-storage like in the U.S., to double the size of the current industry in most Asian countries is perfectly plausible in the next two to five years.”
Self Storage Asia 2015 will be held at the Grand Hall in the Tokyo ward of Shinagawa.
Launched last year, SSAA is a trade association dedicated to assisting self-storage operators and industry suppliers working in emerging markets along the Pacific Rim.
