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| Monday, 17 April 2017, 13:00 HKT/SGT | |
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Source: HKTDC | |
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| Survey Shows Good Prospects for the Chinese Mainland, North America and Western Europe |
HONG KONG, Apr 17, 2017 - (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.
 | | More than 94,000 Buyers Visit Spring Electronics Fair & ICT Expo |
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.
Photo download: http://bit.ly/2p7BO3R
Fair Websites:
Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition): www.hktdc.com/fair/hkelectronicsfairse-en
International ICT Expo: www.hktdc.com/ictexpo/
Startup zone: http://hkelectronicsfairse.hktdc.com/dm/2017/Startup/index.html
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, Electronics
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From the Asia Corporate News Network
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