2006 Show Report

Kenfair's HK October Mega Show
concludes with added sourcing appeal

On the last 2 weeks of October 2006, the world-renowned Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) again became the gala venue for tens of thousands essential traders and buyers in the toys, gifts and houseware industries to converge at the city's annual mega event. The 2006 twin-fair, "15 th Hong Kong International Toys & Gifts Show" and "14 th Asian Gifts Premium & Household Products Show" attracted 5,500 exhibitors and over 70,000 buyers. Coinciding with the 15 th anniversary of the organiser Kenfair, the mega sourcing extravaganza once again lived up to its claim being the most effective sourcing platforms in Asia.

Since its debut in 1992, Kenfair's "Mega Show Part 1" has grown on exponential rate to become one of the largest and most important trade events in Hong Kong. Industry and sourcing heavyweights around the world congregate every October to grab the latest products and business opportunities at this bumper fair. The event marked a significant milestone in 2002 when it received the prestigious "UFI-Approved Event" recognition from the Global Association of the Exhibitions Industry.

Entering into its 15 th year, the first part of the bumper fair again occupied the full capacity of the HKCEC to house the 3,400-plus exhibitors from 34 international countries and regions in 5,300 booths. For the first time, the "Mega Show Part 1" was extended to the newly-added Expo Drive Hall to cater for the overflowing demand for exhibition space.

Introducing the Expo Drive Hall, Kenfair's chairman, Mr. Herbert Ip, said, "This new exhibition hall, converted from the existing car park, solely for large-scale fairs like the ‘Mega Show Part 1', saw a total of 400 booths, rendering a lot more variety of products for the buyers to choose from."

All the 3,400 exhibitors put into full gears to market their new supplies of quality toys, gifts, premium and household products to the keen buyers during the four-day show. They were ecstatic with the great response from buyers at the show.

Representing a Hong Kong-based exhibitor, Out of the Blue (H.K.) Ltd., Miss Jennifer Shiu, commented, "We specialise in gifts, premium, toys and novelties. Time after time, ‘Mega Show Part 1’ has helped expand our business and put us in touch with buyers of great quality from different regions. No doubt, we will come back next year."

Miss Aisika Apuntho of the Thai Handicrafts Export Center echoed the positive sentiment. "As a Thai manufacturer of stationery, photo and picture frames as well as paper products, we are happy to meet so many buyers from our target markets, namely Europe and North America. They show strong interests in our products. We will bring even more new exhibits for the show next year," Miss Apuntho remarked.

The huge presence of European and American buyers made up approximately 40% of the attendance figure of 60,551. The top 10 non-local visiting countries and regions are: the United States, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Australia and Spain. These buyers were highly impressed by the Mega Show Part 1's scale and scope. They could find the right products they're looking for.

Many buyers, like Mr. Fred Ebert of the U.S., are loyal fans of the show. "I have been here every year since its first edition. As an importer, I am looking for gifts made in Asia at this show. What delights me most is that I can always find some good stuff here. The huge number of exhibitors and the great myriad of products are just so fascinating," stated Mr. Ebert.

Kenfair also organised a number of buying groups from major importing countries for Asian products. Representative of an Italian mission, Miss Jale Hillel, said, "When stepping into the venue, we're all just so impressed by the huge scale of the fair with so many products to see. Sure, we met a lot of potential suppliers. I hope to bring even more business associates from Italy to this ‘Mega Show' next year."

Despite taking up the full capacity of the HKCEC, the demand for toys, gifts, premium and houseware exhibition space was still so great that the ‘Mega Show' has seen a long waiting list for several years. To accommodate this, Kenfair launched the "Mega Show Part 2" since 2003. Scheduled just a few days after the bumper "Mega Show Part 1", this sister-event is positioned as the perfect last stop for the buyers' to conclude their sourcing trip in the Asia-Pacific region. The expanded session rose to a proven success when it gained the "UFI-Approved Event" status in October 2005.

"Mega Show Part 2", held at the HKCEC on 28 – 30 October 2006, hosted 885 suppliers from 18 countries and regions to set up 1,015 booths. We could see group pavilions from the strongly-represented countries and regions, like Mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand, India, the Philippines and Vietnam, etc.

A new product zone was introduced to this year's Part 2 session. "Based on our survey results, we saw a strong demand from international buyers for more tableware sources. We decided to launch a special theme-zone, dubbed ‘Table Object Asia', which is exclusively reserved for Asian tableware manufacturers to showcase their top-notch products to buyers. The result of this theme zone has exceeded our expectation," said Mr. Ip.

The three-day Part 2 session drew 13,765 international buyers, with a two-thirds majority from foreign territories. Significant increase in visitor numbers was recorded for some already well-established markets, like France, Italy, Belgium, Russia, Poland and Canada, etc. Many buyers rated favourably on the Part 2 show.

"I represent a huge chain of fabric, crafts and home interiors superstore in Australia, coming here to look for gifts and tableware items. Overall speaking, the quality of the exhibitors is very good. They offer great product quality and prices. What's more, the on-site services are excellent," said Mr. Kellie Struth, an Australian buyer.

Some new faces expressed satisfaction with the show too. Speaking about her experience at the show, Miss Steph Burge, a U.K. buyer, said, "This is my first visit to the ‘Mega Show Part 2'. It has already impressed me with the well-organised layout. I see quite a lot of new and interesting items. I'm sure I could source my desired gifts and premium products for my company here."

"We have received lots of upbeat feedback from both exhibitors and buyers who generated great results at this mega fair series hosted by Kenfair. The next edition of Mega Show will be held again at the magnificent venue, HKCEC on 21 – 24 October (Part 1) and 28 – 30 October (Part 2) 2007. Buyers should stay tuned to our website: www.kenfair.com for updated details," concluded Mr. Ip.