The HKTDC says the three trade fairs concluded successfully and had an enthusiastic industry response following border reopenings.
The latest trade fairs organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) recorded encouraging traffic and exhibitor participation, with buyers placing orders at the events. The organisers said the recent reopening of the Hong Kong-Mainland China border and resumption of international travel helped drive the response from buyers and exhibitors.
Across four days, the 49th Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, the 14th Hong Kong Baby Products Fair and the 21st Hong Kong International Stationery & School Supplies Fair welcomed over 21,000 buyers from 100 countries and regions, who participated physically and online. More than 12,200 buyers attended the three fairs in-person.
The organisers said buyers travelled from Mainland China, ASEAN, India, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. European buyers came from countries including the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, while buyers from the Middle East and Brazil, Chile and the United States also took part.
Following the three in-person fairs, exhibitors and buyers can continue to connect online until 19th January, thanks to the HKTDC’s new EXHIBITION+ model, which includes physical shows as well as virtual access facilitated by its smart business matching platform Click2Match.
HKTDC deputy executive director, Sophia Chong, said: “Following the resumption of quarantine-free travel between the mainland and Hong Kong, business travel in Hong Kong is gradually returning to normal, with industry being more optimistic about the future. This is welcome news for our upcoming fairs.”
A one-day Hong Kong Toys Industry Conference, held on 10th January, was co-organised by the HKTDC, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Hong Kong Toys Council and the Toy Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong Limited, running concurrently with the three trade fairs.
At the flagship conference, key toy industry trends were unveiled by speaker Clifton Chiu, research analyst Toys and Games at Euromonitor International, who noted the rise of scientific, educational and kidult toys and the impact of sustainability.
The Toys & Games Fair has various themed zones, such as Smart-Tech Toys and Kidult World, together with a special Green Toys label introduced this year, to help buyers identify and source the most popular product categories in the industry.
At the conference, further speakers and panels shared their expertise and explored topics such as ‘The Key to Success – Things You Need to Know’ and ‘eCommerce – Shaping the Way for the Toy Industry.’
