Buyers Visit HKTDC Spring Electronics Fair & ICT Expo
Mainland, North America and Western Europe
(ACN Newswire) – Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC),
the 14th Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and the concurrent 14th
International ICT Expo drew to a successful close yesterday (16 April). The
four-day fairs (13 to 16 April) welcomed more than 94,000 buyers from 138
countries and regions, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the previous year. The
number of buyers from mature markets such as Japan and Korea recorded growth,
while buyers from emerging markets including the Chinese mainland, Brazil,
India and Russia recorded a double-digit percentage increase.
The HKTDC commissioned an independent research
agency to conduct surveys on-site, interviewing over 850 buyers and exhibitors
to gauge their views on industry prospects. According to the results, more than
80 per cent of respondents expect overall sales to increase or remain steady in
2017. The respondents view North America, Western Europe and Hong Kong to be
the most promising traditional markets, while the mainland, ASEAN markets,
India and Middle East are seen as having the best prospects among emerging
markets.
“In this digital age led by smart
technology, electronics is widely used in all aspects of life, ranging from
business to home living. The industry is constantly seeking innovative and
futuristic products and technology. These trends were reflected in this year’s
Spring Electronics Fair and ICT Expo. Together they formed an important marketplace
for exhibitors to showcase their innovative products and ICT solutions to
global buyers, creating tremendous business opportunities,” said HKTDC
Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau. “We saw brisk sourcing at the
fairground. Buyers were keenly looking for the latest products and
technologies, especially high-tech products with virtual reality (VR) elements
or smart-home applications.”
“The fairs featured an inaugural Startup
zone to provide start-ups with an ideal trading and networking platform to meet
potential investors and partners from around the world and showcase their
unique concepts. We saw vibrant business at the zone,” Mr Chau added.
– Inaugural Startup zone presents innovative
solutions to global buyers –
Supporting the development of start-ups, the
HKTDC introduced the Startup zone at the Spring Electronics Fair and ICT Expo
this year to showcase the innovative technologies, products and services of
more than 100 start-ups from Hong Kong, the mainland, India, Japan, the US and
Taiwan. There were also a series of start-up themed events, including sharing
sessions featuring representatives from Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, the
crowdfunding platform FringeBacker and angel investors. Pitching, mentoring and
“Startup, Smart Launch” sessions were also organised to help
start-ups connect with and pitch their ideas to potential partners or
investors, showcasing their outstanding creativity to overseas buyers.
At the Startup zone, Hong Kong start-up QIUB
Group Ltd presented a multifunction power bank with integrated data/charging
cable and USB memory card reader, for which crowdfunding was received from
Indiegogo last October. “The Startup zone provides a perfect opportunity
for start-ups to showcase their latest innovations, and start-ups only need to
pay a small participation fee,” said company founder and Director Kresimir
Secak. “The pitching session is very useful as our product has attracted a
lot of attention from buyers.” He added that at least 20 potential
investors from Europe and Hong Kong had bought samples and subsequent orders
were expected.
Indian start-up HAL Robotics Private Ltd, a
first-time exhibitor at the fair, featured its latest product RoboTrack, an
Internet of Things (IoT) item developed for the supply chain industry to manage
freight logistics. “We are showcasing RoboTrack at the debut Startup zone
because we are keen to look for strategic investors and buyers to take this
product to different markets in the world,” said company director
Prabhakar K Chaudhary. “Two quality buyers from Australia and South Africa
in the shipment tracking business have expressed their intention to become our
strategic investors and they have taken our samples for testing the
applications. We have also talked to some European buyers. The fair opens up
new business opportunities.”
Czech buyer Jan Jirout, Managing Director of
Enrecotrade, was looking for various electronics items such as wireless
chargers for smart phones, electronic components for producing security systems
and 3D printers. He found his visit to the Startup zone useful. “I am
planning to buy US$50,000 worth of 3D printers offered by a start-up. I like
the Startup zone because it provides a good opportunity for start-ups to
showcase new technology and products. It’s good to be here because I can find
what I want, see and touch new products, and have face-to-face meetings with
suppliers,” he said.
Samson Tam, Chairman of the Hong Kong Business
Angel Network, said that the start-up ecosystem in Hong Kong has been growing
vigorously over the years. The Startup zone was “an excellent place to
bring start-ups and investors together to explore growth through a win-win
strategy.” He noted the Startup zone featured plenty of activities.
“This is a very encouraging development,” said Mr Tam. “On the
first day of the fairs, we invited more than 20 angel investors to attend a
tech start-up pitching and matching session. The session got some strong
responses. It showed that many start-ups used the zone’s networking activities
to gain exposure. The prospect of start-up ecosystem in Hong Kong is very
positive and those specialising in Fintech, smart city and health-related
solutions are likely to draw keener interest from investors.”
– Inaugural Tech Hall, smart technology in focus
–
The Spring Electronics Fair is the largest
spring electronics trading event in Asia. Together with the ICT Expo, the two
fairs attracted more than 3,500 exhibitors from 23 countries and regions. This
year’s Spring Electronics Fair featured a Tech Hall with four themed zones: the
new Virtual Reality zone and the returning Connected Home, Robotics &
Unmanned Tech and Wearable Electronics zones, showcasing an assortment of
high-tech electronics products. With the growing prevalence of IoT technology
and smart homes, smart products that incorporate IoT technology continued to be
highly sought after.
In terms of product trends, respondents expect
electrical and electronic accessories (20%), audio-visual products (12%), home
appliances (9%), electronic gaming products (9%) and digital imaging products
(9%) to have the best sales growth this year. Among wearable electronics, smart
watches (40%) and smart wristbands (29%) are considered to have the biggest
growth potential in the next two years, while good prospects are also seen for
3D goggles for playing 3D video games or watching wide-screen 3D films. Among
electronics products with smart home applications, system items for wireless
and Wi-Fi Internet/mobile connection (70%), wireless charging devices for smart
appliances (70%) and audio-visual items with smart functions (68%) are seen to
have the best prospects. On average, respondents expect consumers are willing
to pay around 18 per cent premium for electronics products and household
appliances that are compatible with smart home application.
Hong Kong exhibitor Binatone Electronics
International Ltd, an official licensee for Motorola Mobility products,
showcased a series of new products at the Spring Electronics Fair, including
the HUGO Smart Camera home monitor and the IVO Smart Viewer that performs many
household functions. “Buyers are very excited because our new products are
unique in the market and their pricing is affordable. We expect good responses
from buyers. In fact, in the first two hours of the show, we have met with more
than 20 serious buyers from the mainland, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast
Asia,” said Sat Murthi, the company’s Managing Director for Latin America.
Another Hong Kong exhibitor, Dragon Creative
Enterprise Solution Limited, presented its second-generation MADGAZE AR smart
glasses, related apps and AR Cloud platform at the fair. Company CEO Jordan
Cheng said the results were “encouraging”. “During the first two
days of the fair, we have received some 1,000 enquiries and around 300 buyers
from Asia, Europe and the US have expressed great interest in our AR smart
glasses. We have already signed cooperation agreement with a Spanish buyer to
become our sole agent for the Spanish market and bought 200 pieces of AR smart
glasses, while the other six buyers from the mainland, Singapore and Taiwan are
now our distributors in the markets,” he said.
Brazilian buyer Sergio Nunes, Director of JT
International, had attended the Spring and Autumn electronics fairs for more
than 10 years. He said close to 90 per cent of his company’s existing suppliers
come from the Electronics Fairs. This year, he found potential suppliers of
Bluetooth speakers and headphones. After testing their samples and factories,
he planned to buy US$1.5 million worth of Bluetooth speakers and US$300,000
worth of headphones.
Catch of The Day, an e-commerce company in
Australia, sells all kinds of consumer products. Technology Buyer Bill Katis, a
first-time visitor to the fair, said the company hoped to expand its
electronics products business, which currently account for 20 per cent of the
company’s e-tailing business. “I plan to buy US$500,000 worth of tech
products through the Spring Electronics Fair,” he said. “I have
identified some potential suppliers of VR gadgets, Bluetooth speakers and
headphones, DAB radios and security cameras.”
– Diverse ICT solutions connect global business
opportunities –
In this digital age, apt applications of ICT can
enhance corporate efficiency, productivity and profitability. The ICT Expo,
held in parallel with the Spring Electronics Fair, is a leading event for the
Asian ICT sector. The expo is an excellent platform that showcases a wide
spectrum of ICT solutions and relevant services under one roof, including
cybersecurity systems, e-commerce platforms, electronic payment, logistics
management and online-to-offline (O2O) business solutions.
Hong Kong company Acesobee Ltd unveiled its
electronic healthcare record platform at this year’s expo. The product helps
patients and their families consolidate relevant medical records and
information. Founder Albert Au said some local non-governmental organisations
and care centres had enquired about their products and technologies while other
exhibitors had also shown keen interest in collaboration. “This is really
a good place to raise our profile. The results are very encouraging,” he
remarked.
The expo attracted many buyers from emerging
markets with vibrant economic growth, including ITQAN Global for Digital Cloud
Systems from the UAE, one of the largest IT service providers in the region. It
supplies a wide range of system integration and technology solutions, including
cloud-based projects and cybersecurity initiatives. General Manager Feras
Al-Jabi said that at the expo he had identified potential partners from the
mainland, Taiwan and India providing such services as 3D printing,
cybersecurity, mobile applications and healthcare solutions. “Subject to
successful negotiation, the total value of potential projects we anticipate to
undertake in the coming year will be up to US$3 million,” said Mr Al-Jabi.
To cater to buyers’ growing need to source in
small orders, the Spring Electronics Fair once again featured the hktdc.com Small Orders zone,
where about 300 showcases featured nearly 3,000 products available in minimum
order quantities ranging from five to 1,000 pieces. Over the four-day fair
period, around 30,000 buyers visited the zone, generating more than 20,000
business connections.
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