Hong Kong back on the radar of Thai businesses looking for opportunities
Thai companies returned to Hong Kong, sensing business opportunities, as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) hosted its comprehensive lifestyle event, the April Lifestyle Fairs, after an almost three-year hiatus owing to the pandemic.
The lifestyle fairs, held at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from April 19-22, were among the largest fairs that the HKTDC has ever organised. This was the first time the fair had up to seven sub-events. They included: Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, Home InStyle, the Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair, Fashion InStyle, Hong Kong International Printing and Packaging Fair, and Hong Kong International Licensing Show as well as Asian Licensing Conference.
More than 4,100 exhibitors were present at the fair from 23 countries and different regions of the world, including, China, the United States, Turkey, Hungary, Bangladesh, Italy, and Thailand.
The Home InStyle section saw the most number of Thai exhibitors with 15 companies participating.
One of the Thai exhibitors in the Home InStyle section, Narumon Tongthawornkul, who is the export sales executive of the Reangwa Standard Industry Co, told The Nation that "typically, there are two major [lifestyle products] fairs in Hong Kong — one about household products in April, and the other about gift products at the end of the year.”
“However, as the pandemic threat has passed, they were held together,” she said.
She added that Thai companies could tap more opportunities as Hong Kong has fully reopened, enabling buyers and distributors to do business again after a nearly three-year freeze.
Another Thai exhibitor Surachai Thiamchivasin, who is a member of Picnic Plast Industrial Company's board of directors, said that Hong Kong, as a product exhibition hub in Asia, facilitates the interaction between Thai businesspeople and customers from throughout the world.
“Thai companies can reach a variety of customer groups thanks to Hong Kong’s proximity to China,” he said.
Both companies manufacture plastic container products.
As per HKTDC’s data, the April Lifestyle Fairs, which also featured seminars by executives of organisations from Hong Kong and outside, drew more than 56,000 visitors from more than 130 countries globally, 60% of them coming from the United States and other parts of Asia.
Thailand Textiles Institute from Chiang Mai was one of the buyers at the event. The institute comprised representatives from 31 companies from the northern region of Thailand. They came specifically to visit the Fashion InStyle section.
Sophia Chong, deputy executive director of the HKTDC, said: “The development of a creative and knowledge-based economy has become a major driving force for global economic growth.”
“We are happy to see that many exhibitors were able to secure on-site orders, which is very encouraging,” she said, adding that over 2,600 business meetings between exhibitors and buyers have been scheduled so far, as a result of this event.
HKTDC is planning to organise more international exhibitions, including Centrestage and the Hong Kong Watch & amp.
Even though the in-person event finished last Saturday, it will continue online through the Click2Match business platform until this Saturday (April 29).
