Hong Kong International Tea Fair
13-15 August 2009

Just Their Cup of Tea!

A new show that took advantage of Hong Kong's blend of Eastern and Western cultures made its debut in August. The first Hong Kong International Tea Fair, organised by HKTDC and Chinese Tea Culture International Exchange Association, featured teas from all over the world, including Chinese-style teas popular in Asia, and the black teas that are prominent in the West.

The convenient downtown location of HKCEC helped to bring in about 80,000 general visitors, as the fair was open to the public on its last day - this gave exhibitors a great opportunity to test their products on the market and obtain instant feedback from consumers. The trade-only portion attracted more than 9,500 buyers, 40% of them from 68 countries and regions outside Hong Kong.?

The fair's Tea Gallery featured more than 50 activities, including tea-brewing demonstrations, seminars and a series of Tea Forums, attracting over 4,600 people. During the fair period, a KamCha Competition (Hong Kong-style milk tea) and The Most Beloved Tea voting game were held.

Asia Fruit Logistica 2009
2-4 September 2009

Fresh Opportunities Bear Fruit

Hong Kong isn't known for growing fresh produce - but it is nevertheless a major trading hub for the fresh fruit and vegetable business in Asia. The organisers of the event capitalised on this when they staged Asia Fruit Logistica at HKCEC from 2-4 September.

More than 3,400 trade visitors from 52 countries - 60 percent of them from Asia - visited the exhibition, drawn by the 224 exhibitors from 31 countries. In addition, 500 delegates from 40 countries registered at the related Asiafruit Congress.

While Australia, the Netherlands, France and the US all beefed up their presence at Asia Fruit Logistica, major South American supplying nations such as Chile and Brazil exhibited for the first time. There was also strong showing from Peru, Argentina and South Africa - all key producers in this global business. The exhibitors themselves were impressed with the high quality of the visitors, with leading buyers, many of them key decision makers, from Asian's major fruit and vegetable companies making up the majority.

Sibos 2009 Hong Kong
(14-18 September 2009)

Banking on Success

"Creating opportunities" is the name of the game for Sibos - and HKCEC certainly played its part in helping delegates achieve their goals during this four-day forum, which ran from 14-18 September.

This annual event brings together the financial industry to meet, discuss, learn, do business and keep in touch with the latest developments. Sibos meets in a different city every year, and this was Hong Kong's second time at hosting the event - it was first staged here at the Centre in 1991. The 2009 event attracted 5,782 attendees, of whom 42% from Asia Pacific and 40% from Europe.

There's no doubt that there was plenty to talk about, given recent events in the financial industry worldwide. The rich and diversified conference programme featured leading experts who come to debate, share their knowledge and insights and discuss the issues that are at the top of financial industry's agenda. It is in times of crisis that dialogue is most important and Sibos is the one time in the year when the SWIFT community comes together to discuss those topics that matter most, across business areas, across functions, and across regions. It is a tribute to Hong Kong that the city was the focus of the attention for the financial industry during this event.

Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair
21-27 September 2009

Emerging Markets' Sparkling Performance

The emergence of China and India as significant markets for jewellery was evident in the visitor figures of the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair in September. The total number of visitors from the mainland increased 14% over 2008 to 6,868, while there was a 12% growth in Indian visitors, to 2,213, over the same period. Overall, visitor numbers were up 5% - an encouraging sign in difficult times.

The fair organiser, UBM, was able to take full advantage of the Centre's new expansion by introducing product sectorisation to house finished jewellery exhibitors at the HKCEC, and as a result claimed the number one slot as the world's largest jewellery event. The new arrangement was well received by exhibitors and visitors alike, who found it extremely convenient and efficient.