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Stuart Biggs

Two large-scale events on the same weekend risk creating a conflict for the same buyers and putting a strain on their budgets

Visitors in town this weekend for the Hong Kong Electronics Fair held biennially at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai may be forgiven for thinking the event has had a late change of venue.

Advertisements plastered over the Airport Express will be drawing buyers at Chek Lap Kok towards the China Sourcing Electronics & Components Fair at the newly-opened AsiaWorld-Expo, an event organised by Global Sources from April 15 to 18 and not to be confused with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's  (TDC) spring shindig at HKCEC from April 14 to 17.

'The timing was absolutely intentional,' said Global Sources director Sarah Benecke of the exhibition's move from Shanghai to Hong Kong for the first time this year.

'Hong Kong is a better place [for the fair] because all the buyers are already accustomed to coming here in spring and autumn for the [TDC's] electronics fair.'

Global Sources' event will fill the 70,000 square metres of space at AsiaWorld-Expo with 1,700 suppliers - most of whom are from the mainland.

The TDC's electronics fair will take up 61,732 square metres of space at HKCEC, with 2,700 exhibitors.

But surely holding two large-scale, similarly-themed events on the same weekend risks creating a tug of war for the same buyers and their budgets.

Not according to Ms Benecke. 'On the buyer side, the decision to stay for a few extra days to see a whole other show is a no-brainer and good for both exhibitors and for Hong Kong,' she said.

'While we expect to leverage some of the buyers visiting the TDC show, we will also be bringing other buyers that would not otherwise have come to Hong Kong.'

Similar overlaps will occur more frequently following the opening of AsiaWorld-Expo last December. This year, both AsiaWorld-Expo and the HKCEC will host major fashion and jewellery as well as auto parts shows within weeks of each other.

Global Sources' and the TDC's autumn electronics shows will again overlap, as will ITU's Telecom World and Beacon Events' 3G World Congress in December. Beacon Events expects to reap the benefit of overlapping with the ITU event, which is being held outside Geneva for the first time.

'The 3G World Congress usually attracts 1,500 to 2,000 delegates,' Beacon Events chief executive Daniel Kirwan said.

'Co-ordinating with the ITU in Hong Kong this year [means] we can expect an increase. As far as the conference itself is concerned, we see very little crossover because our customers are  mobile focused and will not be so interested in the other components of the ITU such as fixed-line or regulatory changes.'

But the company has had to abandon its usual exhibitor space in favour of a 'Mobility Marketplace' for executives to meet and network.

'ITU has the scale and reach that will attract the exhibitors,' Mr Kirwan acknowledged.

All of this leads to the question of just how many events Hong Kong - as well as southern China - can sustain. Venues such as AsiaWorld Expo and the HKCEC can hold an impressive number of buyers, but those buyers have a finite amount to spend each year. And how much they spend ultimately will determine whether the suppliers will  exhibit.

AsiaWorld-Expo was built on the premise of an increasing demand for exhibition space, especially from mainland-based manufacturers and suppliers.

'We believe Hong Kong has a special role to play,' said AsiaWorld-Expo Management deputy chief executive Allen Ha.

'This is very much a city vision - the pie is growing, not only for AsiaWorld-Expo but for the industry.'

A recent survey commissioned by the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association found that the sector's economic impact was the equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the city's GDP in 2004.

That percentage looks set to come under increasing pressure from cities in China. Hong Kong will see a rise in visitors this weekend, but both electronics events take place in the same two weeks as the 99th Canton Fair in Guangzhou and the China Electronics Fair in Shenzhen.

Ensuring competitiveness against rival shows depends on the quality of suppliers on show, according to Ms Benecke. 'The most important thing is to make the fair worth the visit,' she said. 'Ultimately, buyers want to find products that they haven't seen before at a cheap price.'

Overlapping themes

AsiaWorld-Expo

April 8-11 International Auto Parts Fair ( Hong Kong Trade Development Council)

April 15-18 China Sourcing Fair - Electronics & Components (Global Sources)

October 11 -14 China Sourcing Fair - Electronics & Components (Global Sources)

December 4-8 ITU Telecom World (ITU)

HKCEC

May 15-17 International Auto Parts & Accessories Fair and Conference (Digi-International Exhibitions)

April 14-17 Hong Kong Electronics Fair Spring Edition (Hong Kong Trade Development Council)

October 13-16 Hong Kong Electronics Fair Autumn Edition and electronicAsia 2006 (TDC)

December 4-7 3G World Congress and Mobility Marketplace (Beacon Events)



Fair play in rival exhibitions