Hong Kong Food Expo 2012, China
The 23rd Hong Kong Food Expo, as the city’s signature event for the food industry that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, 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 16 August, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 1,000 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions was showcasing a wide range of food, tea and traditional Chinese medicine products.
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.
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 2012
The 23rd edition of Food Expo host more than 1,000 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions, a new fair record. Japan, the fair’s first Partner Country, organise the largest-ever pavilion, featuring more than 220 exhibitors. Special events such as a cocktail reception, gala dinner, cooking demonstrations, sake seminars and Japanese food presentations promote Japan’s food trade and encourage cultural exchanges between the country and Hong Kong.
Apart from Japan, there was pavilions representing Brunei, the Chinese mainland, Iran, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States. First-time participants include France, Greece and Lithuania.
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 expo is divided into the Trade Hall and the Public Hall. Located at Hall 5, the Trade Hall is a dedicated business platform for food suppliers to connect with buyers, thereby promoting food trading between Hong Kong and other regions.
The Public Hall located at Hall 1 and 3C-E helps exhibitors build brand awareness and collect market feedback on their new products. The Premium Food Zone, a major highlight of the Public Hall, featured about 40 exhibitors promoting branded food and beverage products.
These brands included Chewy, Comvita, Hoi Tin Tong, Hsin Tung Yang, Kee Wah, KOFCO, Lee Kum Kee, Maxim’s, Meyer, NINJIOM, Nissin, Sau Tao, Tai Pan, Tao Ti Tea Series, Tung Chun, Wing Wah, Vita Green, and more.
Gourmet Zone feature the finest food from different countries and regions under different themes. With overwhelming responses, the Gourmet Zone makes a welcome return this year to showcase a fine selection of delicacies. This year’s expanded area feature more than 70 exhibitors under four themes: Sweet Delight, Chic & More, World Cuisine and Fine Dining.
The Gourmet Zone was staged from 17-19 August at Hall 3B-C. This dedicated zone highlights high-end food such as dessert, yogurt, chocolate, wine, coffee, seafood and so on, which are grouped under different themes, bringing a completely new experience to visitors who have a flair for fine dining as they have a chance to taste a wide choice of fine delicacies there.
A wide array of activities including cooking demonstrations, discussions with well-known food columnists, games, lucky draws, and seminars on nutrition and food safety was arranged during the Food Expo, making it a fun and interesting event for all visitors.
In addition, interesting programmes such as cooking demonstrations by star chefs, special events hosted by exhibitors and prize-winning games was held to attract visitor traffic to the Gourmet Zone.
Another consumers must do is the Night Bazaar, 16-19 August, where price discounts of 50 per cent or more was offered each evening.
Other events to be held at the Public Hall include the presentation of a new Wan Chai food map, a junior chef competition, a “Yuan Yang” Competition, food safety and nutrition seminars, and lucky draws.
Hong Kong Tea Fair 2012
The 4th Hong Kong International Tea Fair attracted close to 300 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions, including first-time exhibitors from Iran. Dedicated zones this year are Friends of Tea, offering bakery products and confectionery items, Tea Ware, and Branding and Design Services.
The International KamCha Competition, with regional winners from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Shenzhen and Toronto competing to brew the best version of the unique, Hong Kong-style milk tea drink. The winning tea was available to patrons for free tasting at select hotels and restaurants after the fair.
The Tea Industry Conference, global experts share the latest trends in the Chinese and Western tea markets and offer brand-building success stories. A seminar on innovative marketing of tea is also scheduled.
Other highlights include tea-tasting sessions, a workshop on pairing tea with food, and activities and performances showcasing tea art and culture.
ICMCM 2012
The International Conference & Exhibition of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products (ICMCM), features more than 110 exhibitors from eight countries and regions. Fair highlights include a two-day ICMCM conference under the theme “Chinese Herbal Medicine for Major Disease Burden and Health Promotion,” and the International Postgraduate Symposium on Chinese Medicine.
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.