The Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair and inaugural DeLuxe PrintPack Hong Kong concluded successfully on April 30, while the Hong Kong International Licensing Show (HKILS), ended on April 29.
The four trade fairs collectively attracted more than 60,000 buyers from 127 countries and regions. The Gifts & Premium Fair welcomed some 35,000 buyers, while the Printing & Packaging Fair and DeLuxe PrintPack fair drew over 10,000 buyers, and the HKILS had over 15,000.
Buyers from outside Hong Kong were mainly from Mainland China, Taiwan, the United States, Japan and Korea, demonstrating active global participation in the April trade events.
Concurrent with the HKILS, the Asian Licensing Conference (ALC) invited nearly 30 international industry experts to share insights on global licensing trends and growth drivers. The four trade fairs, along with the ALC, contribute to the promotion of Hong Kong’s cultural and creative industries and development of intellectual property trade.
Sophia Chong, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “The Gifts & Premium Fair, Printing & Packaging Fair, inaugural DeLuxe PrintPack Hong Kong, and HKILS bring together creative industry professionals and licensing industry players, providing a platform for exchange and connecting potential partners.
“Under the national 14th Five Year Plan, Hong Kong serves as a centre for cultural promotion and exchange, with the goal of promoting Chinese culture overseas. This year’s Gifts & Premium Fair and HKILS featured rich cultural and creative content, with the participation of numerous cultural and creative communities from Mainland China, which were well-received by buyers. Additionally, with the recent implementation of the plastic-free policy in Hong Kong, the Printing & Packaging Fair and inaugural DeLuxe PrintPack attracted many local buyers seeking eco-friendly packaging, creating more business opportunities for the industry.”
She further emphasised that Hong Kong is a renowned global sourcing hub, and the April trade shows gather industry people from traditional markets such as Europe and the US, as well as those from emerging markets such as Mainland China, ASEAN and the Middle East.
60% anticipate increase in sales
During the Gifts & Premium Fair, the HKTDC commissioned an independent research agency to interview some 870 exhibitors and buyers. Of the respondents, 60% believed their overall sales figures would rise in the next 12 to 24 months while 38% consider rising demand from emerging markets as the biggest business opportunity this year, followed by recovering purchasing power from customers (33%) and business leads from e-tailing (30%). The greatest challenges identified were fluctuations of the global economy (49%), impact of inflation (34%) and exchange rate volatility (33%).
In terms of market expansion, the popular choices among respondents included Northern and Western Europe (27%), North America (27%), ASEAN (22%) and Japan (14%).
Respondents identified green, environmentally friendly (60%), chic and fashionable (40%) and high-tech (31%) as the three major gifts and premium market product-feature trends. The gift and premium items with the most growth potential were considered to be sustainable gifts (16%), figurines & decorations (16%) and toys & baby products (16%).
Market trends usher in cultural creative and eco-friendly products
Hong Kong is a leading sourcing hub for gifts, and exhibitors at the Gifts & Premium Fair are closely attuned to trends, incorporating cultural and creative designs. Marushin Sun Heart (HK) Limited introduced uniquely designed small bags and pouches in the shape of food items which are popular in Europe and the US. The exhibitor joined the Gifts & Premium Fair in order to bring these popular bags into Asian markets and the result exceeded expectations. Shoko Kodama, Board Director of Marushin Co., Ltd. said: “At the fair, we transformed our booth into a supermarket and attracted a lot of new buyers, 70% of whom come from Europe and the US and the remainder from Southeast Asia. Their responses are very positive. So far, we have found 20 to 30 potential distributors. Some of our existing distributors placed on-the-spot orders worth a total of US$50,000 on the first day. We expect our on-site orders will amount to US$200,000.”
In addition, a Jingdezhen porcelain manufacturer joined the Gifts & Premium Fair for the first time to promote handcrafted and unique porcelain artworks. Its products garnered appreciation among collectors from Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore.
One-stop trade platform enhances synergy
On the buyer side, Pierre Lombard, Marketing Executive of Verimark (Pty) Ltd, a direct marketing company in South Africa, said: “At Gifts Fair I found 14 potential suppliers which have their own factories, and I’ll close deals valued at US$150,000 with two toy factories. I’m happy to see new and innovative designs for smart watches, body massage guns, home fitness equipment and microfibre bath towels. I will place orders later.” Another buyer from the US, Connie Tsang from Time Products International, highlighted that the product sustainability and practicality are key market trends. Through Click2Match, she connected with several eco-friendly product suppliers and will be finalising a deal with an Indian supplier to purchase environmentally friendly bags worth US$10,000.
Under the EXHIBITION+ model, the four trade fairs integrate offline and online elements. Apart from taking part in the physical fairs, buyers can continue networking through the Click2Match smart business-matching platform.
The Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, organised by the HKTDC, took place from April 27 to April 30 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Concurrently, the HKTDC and CIEC Exhibition Company (Hong Kong) Limited held the Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair and the inaugural DeLuxe PrintPack Hong Kong at the AsiaWorld-Expo. Additionally, the HKILS and ALC were held from April 27 to April 29 at the HKCEC.