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Tom Shuai

The Hong Kong Computer and Communications Festival is only charging an admission fee of HK$1 (12 US cents) for mainland Chinese visitors under a limited offer, while exhibitors from belt and road countries are set to join for the first time.
The four-day festival will begin on August 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and is expected to draw 300 exhibitors – the most since 2009.
Among those joining would be 120 software companies drawn from the mainland and countries in the Belt and Road Initiative, the festival organiser said on Wednesday.
The initiative refers to Beijing’s plan to link economies in Asia, Europe and Africa into a China-centred trade network.
To help attract attendees, the festival is offering a limited number of tickets to mainland visitors through Alipay for HK$1 from Wednesday to Sunday. Hongkongers can pick up the tickets for HK$5 over the same period.
Alipay is a payment app owned by Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post.
Standard tickets are priced at HK$35. Admission is free for children no taller than one metre (3 feet 4 inches), people older than 65 and holders of a Registration Card for People with Disabilities.
Hui Kin-sang, a former chairman of festival organiser The Chamber of Hong Kong Computer Industry (CHKCI), said it also hoped to use such offers to attract more Hongkongers amid a trend of many residents heading north to spend.
He estimated the number of visitors would be “similar” to last year, but believed the promotion could contribute to a 5 per cent increase this year.
The festival is also offering tickets to tourists with valid travel documents for HK$10 each if they buy them at the host site’s visitors centre. The first 1,000 tourists to register will each receive a HK$100 voucher.
Those paying full price may be in line to receive a coupon ranging in value from HK$10 to HK$500.
The first 300 Hong Kong residents through the venue door on the day of the festival’s launch can also qualify for discounts of over HK$2,000 off selected products if they make a first purchase of HK$200 or more.
Cheung Yiu-sing, the chamber’s founder chairman, said it was possible more tourists would join this year’s event.
“The number of tourists coming to Hong Kong has increased a lot after the pandemic, therefore we want to seize the opportunity to attract more of them, as most of the tourists coming to the festival will make purchases,” he said.

But a change in slogan for the festival will mark a shift away from emphasising the low prices of products.
“Consumption is lukewarm in Hong Kong right now, therefore, we will not focus on the prices of products but on new technologies and activities,” Cheung said. “Hopefully, these new things will stimulate consumption.”
Hui said the aim of this year’s festival was not just about encouraging people to spend but to “let them have fun and learn more about the industry”.
“The festival is a good platform for residents to get to know some innovative technologies,” he said.
“We want the youth to see that there are so many technology companies in Hong Kong, and [hopefully] choose to engage in this industry in their future careers.”
The festival will also debut its artificial intelligence-themed zone, which will showcase some of the latest in software in areas such as computer vision, machine learning and new applications for gaming.
Other attendees include tech giants Microsoft, Lenovo and Samsung, which are all expected to exhibit their latest AI products at the event.
Non-profit organisation Hong Kong Technology Advancement Group will also hold the festival’s first cybersecurity competition to educate the public on how to protect their personal data online.
The event will also feature a zone that showcases 10 innovative technologies covering health monitoring, home automation and entertainment for elderly people.


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