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| Thursday, 3 December 2015, 20:00 HKT/SGT | |
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Source: HKTDC | |
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| World SME Expo & Inaugural Franchising Show Focus on Belt and Road |
HONG KONG, Dec 3, 2015 - (ACN Newswire) - The HKTDC World SME Expo and the inaugural Hong Kong International Franchising Show opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The concurrent fairs, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), continue through 5 December, offering tailor-made support services for SMEs to enhance their competitiveness.
 | | Business Opportunities Abound as Twin HKTDC Events Open |
The two events feature a total of nearly 440 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions, showcasing a wide range of SME support services and spotlighting market opportunities.
Debut of International Franchising Show
"As branded products and services on the Chinese mainland develop rapidly, the number of brands franchising their business on the mainland and across Asia rises continuously," HKTDC Product Promotion Director Stephen Liang said. "Hong Kong, as a business centre in Asia, is equipped to be a franchising hub and an ideal springboard for overseas brands and international franchisees to enter the Asian and Chinese market."
In 2014, the total value of the global franchising market amounted to about US$3.79 trillion. The United States currently leads the global franchising market, accounting for 63 per cent of the total market value, compared to Asia's 16 per cent contribution to the total value. However, in the next five years, Asia is expected to see double-digit percentage annual growth. By 2019, the number of franchised brands in Asia is expected to exceed that of the US, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand combined.
In view of this trend, the HKTDC has launched a full-fledged Hong Kong International Franchising Show this year, featuring Catering, Non-catering, and International zones. More than 100 well-known brands from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Europe, and North America are showcasing franchising business opportunities in different sectors. These sectors include food and beverage, retail, education, fitness and beauty, and other personal and commercial services. Exhibitors include American pizza chain Papa John's Pizza, Korean BBQ chain BBQ Premium Chicken, and 24-hour fitness centre Anytime Fitness.
The largest overseas delegation comes from Singapore, comprising 12 exhibitors including such brands as education group KRTC and one of the largest professional cleaning services providers Sureclean. Meanwhile, local Hong Kong exhibitors include Italian coffee and ice-cream franchise Holly Brown, KamCha, Daniel's Restaurant, and Dessert Kitchen. In addition to brands, exhibitors also include franchising agencies, accountants and legal consultants, and companies that provide support services such as shared kitchens and catering management. Among them is Bright Services under The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, which is introducing its central kitchen services at the show.
During the Franchising Show, a series of summits as well as workshops, and business-matching activities will explore opportunities and strategies for successful franchising in the region. Representatives from franchises in North America, Australia, Taiwan and ASEAN countries will speak at Friday's thematic session on franchising strategies and global trends.
World SME Expo spotlights Belt and Road opportunities
The World SME Expo is celebrating its 15th edition, with the Opportunities Hall and Solutions Hall bringing a wide range of SME services and market opportunities to the fair. The Opportunities Hall spotlights benefits that are likely to emerge from China's Belt and Road Initiative. Taking part are more than 150 exhibitors from 20 countries along the Belt and Road routes, including India, Indonesia, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates, all showcasing their latest innovations and exploring business opportunities. The Indian delegation includes more than 90 exhibitors including importers and exporters, distributors, marketing professionals, agricultural product representatives and traders. The fair also provides free business advisory services and business matching to encourage networking and create new partnership opportunities.
Today's Belt and Road Forum gathered experts from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Africa, Turkey and the UAE to share insights on emerging business opportunities for SMEs under the Initiative as well as Hong Kong's role in facilitating business among Belt and Road countries. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Small and Medium Business invited Regina Lau, Co-chair, Maritime Silk Road Society, and Dr Joe Fang, Chief Research Officer, One Country Two Systems Research Institute, to talk about Belt and Road business opportunities for SMEs.
New e-Business Zone
The online shopping trend has been gaining momentum in recent years, prompting the inclusion of E-tailing and Cross-border E-commerce in the Solutions Hall. An E-tailing zone has also been added this year with a wide range of online retailing and business solutions specifically for SMEs. Displays include online shopping and e-commerce platforms, including Hongkong Suning Commerce Co Ltd., JD.com, Alibaba.com, Hong Kong General Chamber of Cross-border E-commerce Limited, and Sweet Light International Limited. Also, a seminar series on "Branding: Embracing the E-tailing Era" is organised with the Hong Kong government's Trade & Industry Department, providing tips on building up and optimising e-business, and identifying new opportunities for cross-border e-commerce. Speakers include Rex Cheuk, Head of Tmall Global - HK & Macau; Natalia Kojoukhova, Director of Buying and Marketplace, Zalora Hong Kong; and Kevin Deng, Deputy General Manager, Hongkong Suning Commerce Co., Ltd.
More than 30 seminars as well as a series of CEO Dialogues, forums and workshops provide a platform for regional industry leaders and experts to exchange ideas. The knowledge-sharing events are centred around the topics of Industry 4.0, Internet of Things, online media and mobile commerce, and opportunities in the mainland and emerging markets. This afternoon's seminar "Alternative Production Bases for SMEs" analysed key issues of setting up productions bases in Southeast Asia. Speakers included Stanley Lau, Honorary President, Federation of Hong Kong Industries; HE Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary for Ministry of Economy, UAE; David Yeung, Co-founder, Green Monday and Winnie Young, Founder, Golden Gate International Kindergarten and Nursery.
HKTDC signs cooperation agreement with Suning
During the seminar on "The New Opportunities of Cross-border E-commerce in China" the HKTDC signed a framework agreement for strategic cooperation with the Suning Group. The HKTDC plans to set up "HKTDC Design Gallery" on the online shopping platform hk.suning.com, with the aim of expanding channels for domestic sales and strengthening the popularity of Hong Kong brands on the mainland through cross-border e-commerce. The agreement will be extended to include in-store promotions and expand the HKTDC Design Gallery's sales network on the mainland through O2O (online-to-offline) offerings.
The World SME Expo and Hong Kong International Franchising Show are held concurrently with the HKTDC InnoDesignTech Expo and the Business of Intellectual Property Asia (BIP Asia) Forum to offer a one-stop solution for SMEs to enhance their competitiveness.
Fair Websites
World SME Expo: http://www.hktdc.com/worldsmeexpo
Hong Kong International Franchising Show: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkifs-en/
Concurrent Events
BIP Asia Forum (3-4 December): http://www.bipasiaforum.com
IDT Expo (3-5 December): http://www.hktdc.com/innodesigntechexpo
Photo Download: http://bit.ly/1laOrFB
Media Registration: Media representatives wishing to cover the event may register on-site with their business cards and/or media identification.
To view press releases in Chinese, please visit http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tc
Contact:
HKTDC
Communication and Public Affairs Department
Joe Kainz
Tel: +852 2584 4216
Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org
Topic: Trade Show or Conference
Source: HKTDC
Sectors: Trade Shows, Retail & eCommerce
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From the Asia Corporate News Network
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