The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is reconfiguring its industry tradefairs and conferences in the first half of 2021 as part of its ongoing efforts to find ways to help Hong Kong companies continue doing business during the pandemic.
In addition to enhancing its hybrid model that combines online fairs with physical fairs and symposiums, the HKTDC will also organise new local exhibitions and hold a number of its key international conferences online, including those targeting the finance, creative and marketing sectors.
New online-to-offline exhibition - International Sourcing Show
Exhibitions are a vital component of the business of SMEs, helping to secure an average of 40% of orders for such companies. The fact that it will still be difficult to stage local tradeshows in a physical form in the first half of 2021 will have a significant impact on SMEs. The HKTDC is reacting to this new situation by launching a new sourcing event, the HKTDC International Sourcing Show, that will consolidate seven HKTDC tradefairs originally scheduled to be held in spring. The new event will run from March to July 2021 and will be held in online and physical formats, exploring business opportunities across a range of industries.
The seven exhibitions include the HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair, HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week, HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, and the Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair (co-organised with CIEC Exhibition Company (HK) Limited).
Several of the HKTDC’s physical fairs have migrated online since the onset of the pandemic, with a new artificial-intelligence-driven business matching platform - Click2Match, helping to bring buyers and exhibitors together.
The International Sourcing Show is the first hybrid fair in both online and offline formats to be launched by the HKTDC, with participating buyers and exhibitors able to use an exclusive online exhibition platform for business matching and video conferencing beginning from March 2021.
The physical fair will be held in Hong Kong in July.
In addition to the seven above-mentioned fairs, the HKTDC Hong Kong International Jewellery Show and the HKTDC Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show have been rescheduled to run at AsiaWorld-Expo, 2-6 July 2021.
In addition to organising physical and online exhibitions, the HKTDC will launch a year-round business promotion through its hktdc.com Sourcing platform to connect local SMEs with global buyers. The theme for the promotion in the first quarter will be ‘Everything from Home’, focusing on popular products such as computers and peripherals, fitness supplies, video games and kitchen appliances associated with the rapid rise of the stay-at-home economy.
In addition, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will provide additional resources to expand the scope of the SME Export Marketing Fund (EMF) - support that will help local SMEs explore more business opportunities through O2O promotional platforms.
New public fair
To assist trading companies in getting a foot in the retail market, the HKTDC will launch a new public exhibition, HKTDC Lifestyle ShoppingFest, 28 April-2 May 2021 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with full details to be announced in the New Year.
Food Expo and concurrent fairs postponed
The HKTDC Food Expo and three concurrent public fairs are to be postponed to the second half of 2021. Moreover, the HKTDC Education & Careers Expo, rescheduled to run 15-18 July 2021, will now be held concurrently with the HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair and HKTDC Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo (14-20 July 2021) at the HKCEC. Full details: http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/en/pressrelease/detail/20239/
The HKTDC will also migrate a number of its key international events online to enable industries to overcome pandemic-related restrictions and keep the city connected with business leaders from around the world. These events include the Asian Licensing Conference and HKTDC Hong Kong International Licensing Show (running 11-15 January 2021), the Asian Financial Forum (18-19 January 2021), HKTDC Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) (15-18 January 2021) and MarketingPulse (March 2021).
The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub.
