Special Supplement: Fair offers lucrative opportunities

In the last two weeks of October, the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center (HKCEC) will once again see tens of thousands of suppliers and buyers come together for the city's annual mega toys, gifts and houseware trade fair - the 16th Hong Kong International Toys & Gifts Show and 15th Asian Gifts Premium & Household Products Show (collectively known as the Mega Show).

This year's event, expected to attract over 70,000 buyers from all over the world to source products from more than 5,500 exhibitors, will again serve as one of the most effective sourcing platforms in Asia.

Since its debut in 1992, Kenfair's Mega Show has become one of the largest and most important trade events in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"First introduced with just 200 booths over an exhibition area of 2,000 sq m, the Mega Show has now grown into a super-size trade fair in Asia. Industry and sourcing heavyweights from around the world gather every October in Hong Kong for the event to grab the latest products and business opportunities," says Herbert Ip, chairman of Kenfair International Limited.

The event created a milestone in 2002 when it was recognized as a UFI-Approved Event by the Global Association of the Exhibitions Industry.

The first part of the fair - Mega Show Part 1, to be held from October 21 to 24, will again take up all exhibition areas in the HKCEC to house more than 3,400 exhibitors from 34 countries and regions in 5,300 booths.

The growing demand for exhibition space from participants has created a long waiting list for the Mega Show since 2000. To accommodate as many participants as possible, Kenfair launched an expanded session -Mega Show Part 2 - in 2003. Taking place just a few days after Mega Show Part 1, this event makes the perfect final stop for buyers on sourcing trips to the Asia-Pacific region after visiting the Canton Fair. The event proved its worth when it gained the UFI-Approved Event status in October 2005.

This year's Mega Show Part 2 will be held from October 28 to 30 and will host 900 quality exhibitors from 18 countries and regions in 1,000 booths.

A new product zone - Table Object Asia - has been added to Mega Show Part 2 since last year. "Addressing the strong demand of international buyers for more tableware sources, we decided to create the special theme zone for Asian tableware manufacturers to exclusively showcase their top-notch products to buyers. The response to the theme zone last year totally exceeded our expectation," says Ip.

Kenfair, as the organizer of the Mega Show Series, is confident that the 2007 edition of the trade show in Hong Kong - the Asian exhibition capital - will continue to present endless business opportunities to exhibitors and buyers alike.

(China Daily 10/16/2007 page15)