Hong Kong resumed physical trade shows with the first received record-breaking attendance

Proven city-wide hygiene strategy and Government anti-epidemic subsidies  support the gradual resumption of MICE events in the pipeline

As an indicator signalling the city is ready to welcome back MICE business, physical exhibitions are rolling again in the International Trade Fair Capital of Asia. With collaborative efforts across the city, the Lohas Expo 2020 and Vegetarian Food Asia 2020 were successfully held last month at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), attracting a record-breaking physical attendance, as the city sets to welcome even bigger shows in the pipeline.

“We are truly grateful business events resumed with a strong momentum and set a powerful case study for industry partners and organisers to collaborate when applying stringent health best practices,” said Mr Kenneth Wong, General Manager, MICE & Cruise of the Hong Kong Tourism Board. “Especially with the recent launch of the Hong Kong-Singapore Air Travel Bubble, we are confident and very much look forward to the gradual resumption of business events of all sizes in the near future.”

The two-in-one exhibition drew a record-breaking result of over 32,000 visitors throughout three show days (up 8 per cent year-on-year) and more than 12,000 online pre-registered visitors, showing the tremendous desire for physical exhibitions that were stalled for a couple of months due to the pandemic.

Healthy lifestyle and hygiene-first practices shaping the new world

The record-setting numbers were overwhelming to Baobab Tree Event, organiser of the Lohas Expo 2020 and Vegetarian Food Asia 2020, as it shows well-being and healthy eating are without doubt the latest trend.

“Staged annually since 2012 to showcase natural, organic and green living products, we saw mounting demand for such products from corporate buyers and end-users, especially with the emerging green living trend that rose under the global pandemic. Exhibitors were also happy with the visitor traffic and their sales results were good,” said Ms Culsin Li, Managing Director of Baobab Tree Event. “Hygiene is a top priority for our event planning. We had a great collaboration with the HKCEC to offer a safe and hygienic environment for our exhibitors and buyers so that they could come and explore healthy lifestyle business trends with peace of mind.”

Industry eager to resume exhibitions applying stringent health best practices

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML) has implemented comprehensive COVID preventive measures in response to the pandemic to ensure the venue is ready and safe to welcome back events. “The safety of event exhibitors, visitors and staff members is paramount,” said Mr Thomas Tong, Deputy Managing Director of HML. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have adopted stringent procedures and worked closely with event organisers to integrate preventive measures in event arrangements — be it in floor plan design, access control, queuing logistics or F&B provision — in compliance with regulatory requirements and industry guidelines and best practices.”

HKCEC Video: https://www.hkcec.com/en/preventive-measures-response-covid-19]

Exhibition industry given a boost with a 100 per cent venue rental subsidy from the Government

As business events are integral to the city’s tourism industry, the Hong Kong SAR Government has recently rolled out the anti-epidemic convention and exhibition subsidies, waiving 100 per cent of venue rental costs to support the gradual resumption of events. Baobab Tree Event was one of the first organisers to enjoy the free venue rental subsidy, which allows organisers to have greater flexibility in resources allocation.

For a quick snapshot of the programme, check out the infographic attached and contact MEHK for one-stop support at Send email.