Hong Kong Reports a Good Year

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 6/20/2005

Hong Kong saw increases in the number of exhibitors and attendees visiting the city over the last two years, according to the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Assn.'s most recent annual survey.

Last year, 39,517 companies exhibited at trade fairs in Hong Kong, almost a third more than the 30,000 in 2002 and double the number in 2000. The survey indicated that companies from mainland China drove this growth: a 95-percent increase, from 3,257 in 2002 to 6,350 last year. HKECA Chairman Stanley Chiu said this indicates that, despite a number of similar exhibitions in mainland cities, many businesses are willing to pay for the attendee base available in Hong Kong.

The number of local Hong Kong-based exhibiting companies rose from 16,000 two years ago to over 20,000 in 2004. Meanwhile, the number of exhibiting companies from other countries remained steady.

Total Hong Kong visitors in 2004 reached just under 3.6 million, a 29-percent rise over the 2.8 million of two years earlier. Mainland China sent 128,000 attendees to exhibitions in Hong Kong in 2004, compared with 49,000 in 2000 and 85,000 in 2002.

The number of attendees from elsewhere in East Asia grew 13 percent since 2002, and total overseas visitors 34 percent. That, according to Chiu, disproves what he called a popular myth that Hong Kong is being bypassed by international buyers.

Chiu did admit that growth in exhibition space sold was minimal, up from 515,000 square meters (1.6 million square feet) two years ago to just 548,000 sq. m. (1.8 million sq. ft.) in 2004. Chiu said the lackluster sales were due to space constraints at current facilities, most notably at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. He noted that the impending opening of AsiaWorld-Expo and expansion at HKCEC should rectify that.