Hong Kong Food Expo 2011, China
The 22nd Hong Kong Food Expo, held together with the Hong Kong International Tea Fair and the International Conference & Exhibition of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products (ICMCM), open simultaneously on August 11, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Some 1,340 exhibitors are showcasing a wide range of gourmet and health foods, along with tea and products and services related to traditional Chinese medicine.
Renowned as a gourmet paradise, Hong Kong boasts a wide variety of culinary delights ranging from local snacks, international cuisines to expensive and rare food ingredients. The Food Expo as a pre-eminent gourmet event is growing from strength to strength. Food companies from around the world also flock to the event to explore business opportunities.
Food Expo, a signature Hong Kong summer event, has been well-received by residents for years. This year, given rising inflation, the special discounts offered by exhibitors helped attract visitors. Many exhibitors made use of the Food Expo to test consumer response to their new products and to demonstrate their products’ marketability to local and overseas retailers and distributors.
In addition, the concurrently held Hong Kong International Tea Fair and the ICMCM, organised by the HKTDC and the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association, also helped attract buyers and visitors.
The three fairs taking place at the same time, there was abundant opportunities for crossover business activities among the various participants. As well as showcasing new products and services, leading experts and celebrities share their ideas at various cooking demonstrations, industry forums and seminars during the fairs.
Hong Kong Food Expo 2011
Food Expo is the annual signature event in Hong Kong, a feast for foodies, by featuring a wide range of international and local delicacies, providing an ideal trading platform for exhibitors to showcase their latest products to international buyers, as well as featuring a wide variety of products for public visitors to choose from.
Hong Kong is a convenient and ideal place to trade and do business while the expo is effective in drawing buyers every year. The Food Expo attracted a large number of visitors, including distributors, chefs and consumers all in one place to explore opportunities.
The Food Expo spotlight Hong Kong’s reputation as a business hub and lifestyle trendsetter in Asia. By bringing high-quality products and lifestyle solutions to consumers and trade buyers, each striving to help consumers enjoy a better and healthier lifestyle.
The Food Expo is hugely popular with the general public and has proved highly rewarding for trade buyers. The fair provide a platform for sourcing and networking, creating business opportunities among different sectors. In addition to bringing an international gourmet feast to visitors, to enhance the cultural exchange between Hong Kong and other regions as well.
The HKTDC organised a number of business-matching sessions between local retailers and exhibitors and overseas buyers during the fair. Exhibitors received a lot of sincere inquiries, purchases and cooperation agency intentions. The Expo provides a good stage to showcase products and raise the profile of regional local flavours, fine food and snacks.
The 22nd Hong Kong Food Expo, welcoming nearly 900 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions, Food Expo offers a full menu of cooking demonstrations and workshops, while buyers at the Trade Hall can savour a wide selection of products from around the world. Another highlight is the Premium Food Zone for brand products, which spotlights nearly 40 brands.
Japanese food has always been popular among consumers in Hong Kong, Asia and the rest of the world. The expo offer an excellent platform for promoting Japan’s premium food to buyers from all around the world.
Food Expo features 27 group pavilions from six countries and regions. More than 160 Japanese exhibitors, the largest Japanese participation ever at Food Expo, are located in the Grand Hall. Japanese food promotion programmes and events are being presented by the Consulate General of Japan in Hong Kong, Japan External Trade Organization, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the Hong Kong Food Council.
The Chinese mainland, Iran, Korea, Mexico and the Philippines are also presenting pavilions at the fair. The Trade Hall was open exclusively to trade visitors for the first two days. It open to the public on the third day, allowing companies to reach consumers, building brand awareness and gathering feedback about their latest food offerings.
The 22nd edition of the Food Expo, features a new Gourmet Zone. More than 40 exhibitors are on hand offering products organised under the themes Sweet Delight, LOHAS, European Delicacies and Fine Dining. Noted local chefs are also holding cooking demonstrations at the fair.
The expo also features Aroma Street, organised by Hong Kong’s Coffee DeAmour, where baristas are working with a variety of coffee beans and machines and serving up the results for fairgoers. Blind tasting sessions of the luxury Kopi Luwak coffee will take place there, August 12-14.
Buyers visiting the Trade Hall was able to savour a wide selection of products from around the world, while evaluating opportunities to expand their distribution networks.
The Public Hall allow companies to reach consumers and build brand awareness as well as gather on-the-spot feedback about their latest food offerings. One highlight was the Premium Food Zone for branded products, which feature more than 30 brands. Public visitors can enjoy cooking demonstrations of international dishes, industry seminars and lucky draws.
From August 11 through 14, a Night Bazaar (7pm-10pm) feature more than 60 exhibitors offering items discounted by at least 50 per cent.
Hong Kong Tea Fair 2011
The 3rd Hong Kong International Tea Fair heat up the city’s reputation as a premier tea-trading hub. This year’s tea fair counts more than 310 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions, including major tea-producing regions from the mainland as well as India, Japan and Sri Lanka. South Africa and the United Kingdom are participating for the first time.
Apart from tea trading, the fair feature two new zones. The Friends of Tea and Tea Ware zone feature bakery products, confectionary and tea utensils, while the Branding and Design Services zone provide brand building and design services. Exhibitors include Hong Kong designers Alan Chan, Angus Wong, Charles Ng, Francis Lee, Kan Tai Keung and Tommy Li. Four of them speak at a Symposium on Successful Tea Branding and Packaging.
The International Tea Industry Conference on the first day, include representatives from the United Kingdom’s Twinings and Starbucks’ Tazo Tea from the United States. These and other tea experts speak on prevailing market trends and brand-building strategies. Forums, tea-tasting sessions and other activities showcasing tea art and culture was also held throughout the fair.
In addition, exhibitors were invited to compete in the International Tea Competition. The International KamCha Competition 2011 (Hong Kong-style milk tea) Hong Kong Final was held on the second day, with the winner competing on Friday against winners from Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Toronto and Melbourne for the international championship. The competition has also launched a new category – Yuanyang, a celebrated local drink created by blending Hong Kong-style milk tea with coffee.
ICMCM 2011
Celebrating its first decade, the ICMCM has attracted close to 140 exhibitors from eight countries and regions. Jointly organised by the HKTDC and the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association (MCMIA), the event is restricted to trade visitors for its first two days, opening to the public August 13-15.
The fair is divided into specialised zones, with an educational display organised by the University of Hong Kong. Other highlights include the two-day ICMCM conference, under the theme “Milestones in Chinese Medicine Development,” and featuring a panel of global experts. The International Postgraduate Symposium on Chinese Medicine takes place on the first day, followed by a public forum, August 13-14.
HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room.