Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

Hong Kong to host 7 trade fairs simultaneously via hybrid platform

Hong Kong to host 7 trade fairs simultaneously via hybrid platform

The events will take place both online and in person, and are intended to help the city’s pandemic-battered small and medium-sized enterprises.

Seven autumn trade fairs will be held simultaneously for the first time ever on a single hybrid platform offering both online and offline events later this month, as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) seeks to tap into “peak sourcing season”, when buyers typically vet and select their suppliers.

The fairs have so far attracted 1,700 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions, and more than 20,000 visitors have registered to attend – whethttps://new.globalreports.com/manage/article?ref=fnbevk#her virtually or in person – the overlapping showcases of electronic, medical, lighting and technology-related products and services.

“Given that October is traditionally the peak sourcing season, the adoption of a hybrid exhibition format will enable buyers and suppliers to continue their meetings and seize business opportunities in the face of the pandemic,” Benjamin Chau Kai-leung, the HKTDC’s deputy executive director, said on Tuesday.

Benjamin Chau, deputy executive director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.


The plan was also a nod to city leader Carrie Lam’s latest policy address, in which she pledged to develop Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub, said government spokesman Tony Wong Chi-kwong.

Wong said the government would participate in two pavilions promoting the development of a “smart city”.

“The fairs will create huge potential for innovative new products from local manufacturers,” he added.

The pandemic has dealt a serious blow to local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and put a major damper on the city’s once-robust convention and expo offerings.

Hong Kong’s export industry has been bouncing back of late, data from HKTDC shows. In the first eight months of 2021, the electronics industry took in HK$2.3 trillion, a 30 per cent year on year rise. The information technology sector saw a 25 per cent bump, while the lighting products and medical industries also saw modest rises.

“Now, as the pandemic eases in the city but the border is still closed, demand for new products has spiked,” said Chau. “About 40 per cent of their deals come from exhibitions and fairs, so we have to help SMEs.”

The HKTDC plans to invite buyers from hospitals, public transport, hotels, electronics companies, retailers, chain stores and the local offices of foreign brands to visit the physical fairs running from 27 to 30 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Chau said.

Deep Health, a small social enterprise backed by Chinese University, is among the exhibitors slated to take part.

The company invented “HealthCap”, a medical app for recording blood pressure, to help the elderly self-monitor their health in 2018. It has since collaborated with over 100 elderly day care centres, and even Queen Elizabeth Hospital, adding 500 to 800 new users every month.

“We want to expose ourselves to more investors, and look for new clients and organisations to collaborate with at the fair,” said Deep Health spokeswoman Christine Lam Wing-si.

For the online fairs, running from October 27 to November 6, the HKTDC will leverage its network of 50 offices worldwide to invite overseas buyers to conduct business discussions with exhibitors via video conferencing.

The offline events would cap attendance at less than 50 per cent of the venue’s capacity, Chau said, and the safety of exhibitors and visitors would be the “top priority”, with various anti-pandemic measures being put in place.

The seven concurrent fairs are the Hong Kong Electronics Fair, the International ICT Expo, the Hong Kong International Medical and Healthcare Fair, the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair, the Hong Kong International Outdoor and Tech Light Expo, Eco Expo Asia and electronicAsia.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×