Over 48,000 buyers from 111 countries and regions paid visit to 32nd Hong Kong Houseware Fair and 8th Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair concluded recently. The events were organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). This time the international trade shows noted an increase of approximately 2 per cent in footfall compared to last year.
More than 29,000 buyers visited the Houseware Fair, while close to 19,000 buyers attended the Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair. Attendance among mature markets such as Australia and Korea, as well as emerging markets including the Chinese mainland, Brazil, Russia, Malaysia and the Philippines saw double-digit percentage growth.
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“The central theme of this year’s event was ‘L.I.F.E.’, which stands for four themed zones: Lifestyle, Interior, Feast and Enrich. Products and zones were organised according to relevant themes to facilitate buyer sourcing,” said Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, adding, ““To highlight these themes, HKTDC collaborated for the first time with A+A Design Studio, a well-known Italian trend forecasting agency, to set up four trend forecast displays to unveil the 2018 Spring/Summer design trends, illustrating upcoming business opportunities for exhibitors and buyers.”
Also, to provide a more effective trading experience, HKTDC held 128 buying missions comprising more than 7,100 buyers to help exhibitors tap onto more markets. Buyers from the ASEAN markets considered promising by the respondents such as Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore participated in the buying missions, creating more business opportunities for the industry.
