HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s exhibition industry needs to foster better dialogue with the country’s government and form more solidity among organisers, according to the chairman of the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association (HKECIA), Daniel Cheung.
In his annual statement, Cheung also summarised the 2010 growth of Hong Kong’s exhibition industry.
Last year the country hosted 118 major exhibitions, of which 94 were tradeshows. Tradeshow visitors from outside Hong Kong reached 648,000, up 13 per cent on 2009. According to Cheung, this leap was fueled by a significant increase in overall international visitor numbers, which grew by 18 per cent in 2010.
Also, although the total number of companies exhibiting grew by only a modest two per cent to 56,800, total space sold grew by 10 per cent.
“Our international business partners have returned after a short-lived dent, demonstrating the time-proven effectiveness of Hong Kong trade exhibitions as their business platforms,” said Cheung. “With such positive indicators, HKECIA has full confidence that trade exhibitions in Hong Kong will continue to flourish and the city’s leading role in the industry will remain.
“To sustain Hong Kong’s leading position in the region, we need better cooperation within the industry and more supportfrom the Government, I would like to appeal for the solidarity of Hong Kong’s exhibition and convention industry, especially in the time of challenges, to work together on maintaining our position in the region and for a better future.”
Last month, organiser Single Market Events' Hong Kong-based joint venture Asian Art Fairs sold a majority stake in its Art Hong Kong exhibition to a Swiss-based organising company.
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