"The 32nd HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair and the 8th HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair drew to a close on April 23 with marked visitor attendance. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the two four-day brought together together more than 2,500 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions to showcase the latest housewares, home textiles and furnishing products. The fairs welcomed more than 48,000 buyers from 111 countries, up approximately 2 per cent over last year."

The 32nd HKTDC Hong Kong Houseware Fair and the 8th HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair drew to a close on April 23 with marked visitor attendance. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the two four-day brought together together more than 2,500 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions to showcase the latest housewares, home textiles and furnishing products. The fairs welcomed more than 48,000 buyers from 111 countries, up approximately 2 per cent over last year. More than 29,000 buyers visited the Houseware Fair, while ua close to 19,000 buyers attended the Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair. Attendance from Australia and Korea and emerging markets like Chinese mainland, Brazil, Russia, Malaysia and the Philippines saw double-digit percentage growth

LIFE theme highlights the latest design trends

The largest event of its kind in Asia, the Hong Kong Houseware Fair welcomed nearly 2,280 exhibitors from 27 countries and regions. This year’s main theme was LIFE, which stands for four themed zones: Lifestyle, Interior, Feast and Enrich. To highlight these themes, the HKTDC is collaborating for the first time with A+A Design Studio, a well-known Italian trend forecasting agency, set up four trend forecast displays under the themes: ‘Count on Copper’, ‘Own Jungle’, ‘Visual Illusion’ and ‘Bamboology’. These 2018 Spring/Summer design trends were illustrated with a wide spectrum of houseware and interior design elements. New zones introduced at the Houseware Fair include: Coffee Alley under Lifestyle, HORECA under Feast, as well as World of Building & Hardware under Enrich, which brought together 60 exhibitors to showcase quality building materials, hardware & DIY tools and sanitary ware. To create more opportunities for the industry, the HKTDC organised 128 buying missions comprising more than 7,100 buyers to visit the fairs.

Startup zone debuts

In line with the Hong Kong SAR government’s policy to nurture start-up companies and move towards high value-added production, the Houseware Fair launched a Startup zone this year, allowing start-ups to exhibit at the fair at lower costs and connecting them with buyers and potential business partners. Ten start-up companies participated, showcasing products such as Fun & Fair’s Scooter table lamp and Harmonia Life’s natural skin care products.

“Start-ups need support and advice in a number of areas, such as the fine-tuning of product prototypes, brand promotion or positioning, and capital needs. The Houseware Fair and Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair attracted more than 47,000 international buyers last year. Start-ups can use the opportunity to seek support and advice for their business at the fair. Start-ups can also present their business ideas at the ‘Startup. Smart Launch’ session and explore more business opportunities,” said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau.

Concurrent events

Held concurrently with the Houseware Fair, the Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair attracted 300 exhibitors from eight countries. This year’s event featured new exhibitors from Belgium and Vietnam. Nantong in the Chinese mainland province of Jiangsu – a city dubbed ‘the Hometown of Textiles’ – as well as a number of Indian textile associations returned to set up group pavilions to showcase their quality textiles. Similar to the Houseware Fair, the Home Textiles and Furnishings events adopted the ‘Interior’ theme to showcase a variety of home textiles, upholstery and furnishing products. The premium ‘Hall of Glamour’ features quality brands and designer collections, covering products such as bedding, curtains, carpets and towels.

Knowledge Seminars added attraction

The HKTDC also organized a series of seminars and networking events to help stakeholders keep abreast with latest trends in the houseware and home textiles space. Highlights include: ‘WGSN Trendtalk: Houseware & Home Textiles 2018 Forecast’ led by expert trend forecaster WGSN. Other seminars include pet supplies industry trends in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, houseware product testing, certification and inspection services as well as building inspection.

A number of product demo & launch pad sessions were organised. The ‘International Kitchenette’ featured chefs preparing Turkish, Korean and Chinese dishes using latest kitchenware. A number of baristas also participated in ‘Latte Art Performance’ events to make delicious coffees for participants.

As per an onsite survey by HKTDC at the fair eco-friendly products, furniture, kitchenware and gadgets are the product categories with the highest growth potential; while simple designs (45 per cent), trendy designs (30 per cent) and multi-function products (29 per cent) are seen as the most outstanding product styles this year. The survey done on 550 buyers and exhibitors, found the industry cautiously optimistic about market prospects, with 36 per cent respondents expecting overall sales to grow and 51 per cent expecting sales to remain steady. More than 40 per cent of respondents said the major challenges facing the industry in 2017 are increased operating costs (42 per cent) and price fluctuations of raw materials (40 per cent).

Gifts and premium fair

Next the world’s largest gifts fair, the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair will welcome more than 4,300 exhibitors from 31 countries. The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association set up ‘Smart Design Village’, ‘Brand Oasis’ and ‘Isle of Originality’ zones to showcase quality products from Hong Kong companies. Winning pieces selected in the Hong Kong Smart Design Awards will be on display to present exquisite local designs to buyers.

The Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair takes place from April 27-30 at the HKCEC, while the concurrent Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair, jointly organised with CIEC Exhibition Company (HK), will be held at AsiaWorld-Expo. The four fairs will welcome more than 7,300 exhibitors from 36 countries and regions. The HKTDC has organised about 300 buying missions comprising more than 14,000 companies from around the world to visit the four fairs.

The Printing & Packaging Fair will take place alongside the Gifts & Premium Fair, and is expecting more than 430 exhibitors from seven countries and regions. Two new zones will be introduced this year – ‘Innovative Retail Display Solutions’ will feature creative eye-catching display solutions, while ‘Printing and Packaging Solutions for Fashion & Accessories’ will present printing and packaging technologies and services catering to the fashion industry’s distinctive needs. Other highlight zones include the ‘De Luxe Zone’ for high-end packaging products and ‘Green Printing & Packaging Solutions’, which will encompass eco-friendly printing and packaging solutions.