Special Supplement: Entrepreneurs get second shot at hot deals

Continuing the momentum created by the Part 1 of the 16th Hong Kong International Toys & Gifts Show and 15th Asian Gifts Premium & Household Products Show (Mega Show Part 1) held last week at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center (HKCEC), Mega Show Part 2 is set to open its doors this Sunday to more keen buyers and traders from all over the world.

Mega Show Part 2, to be held from October 28 to 30, will play host to 900 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions who will occupy 1,000 booths.

There will be group pavilions set up by major participating countries and regions, like the Chinese mainland, China's Taiwan Province, Thailand, India, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Kenfair launched Mega Show Part 2 in 2003 to accommodate the increasing demand of participants that exceeded the capacity of Part 1 of the event.

Since 2000, all available space in the HKCEC is taken up each year by Mega Show Part 1, necessitating an extension of the event and ultimately the birth of Mega Show Part 2 in 2003.

Taking place just a few days after Part 1, the event makes the perfect final stop for buyers on sourcing trips to the Asia-Pacific region after they visit the Canton Fair.

The event proved its value when it gained UFI-Approved Event status in October 2005.

Mega Show Part 2, though smaller in scale than Part 1, will continue to feature a wide spectrum of toys, stationery, arts and crafts, kitchenware, premium products and gifts, clocks and watches, Christmas and festive accessories, as well as consumer electronics, to name just a few of the product choices on offer.

Heeding growing demand among buyers for tableware, a new specialized product zone - Table Object Asia - was added to the event last year.

Quality and exquisite tableware is a must-have for today's hotels, restaurants, clubs and households.

"In this special zone exclusively featuring products of Asian tableware manufacturers, international buyers will find top-notch products of exceptional designs. The response to the theme zone last year totally exceeded our expectation," says Herbert Ip, chairman of Kenfair International Limited.

The three-day event in 2006 drew 13,765 international buyers, two-third of whom were from outside Hong Kong. There was also a significant increase in the number of visitors from well-established markets like France, Italy, Belgium, Russia, Poland and Canada.

The event has been rated favorably by many buyers for helping them find the products they need and meet target suppliers.

"I represent a huge fabrics, crafts and home interiors superstore chain in Australia, and I am here to look for gifts and tableware items. Generally speaking, exhibitors at the event offer products of very good quality. What's more, the on-site services offered by the organizer are excellent," said Kellie Struth, an Australian buyer and regular visitor to the event.

The event has also impressed first time visitors. Speaking about her experience at the show, Steph Burge, a UK buyer, said, "'Mega Show Part 2' is very well laid out and has on display many new and interesting items. I'm sure I can find the right gifts and premium products here for my company."

Mega Show organizer Kenfair is confident that the fair will again be able to present ample business opportunities to exhibitors and buyers alike.

(China Daily 10/25/2007 page15)