Holiday weekend the wrong time for fair
I was appalled to learn that this year's Electronic Asia Trade Fair is to be held on October 11-14, which falls on a weekend and a public holiday.
The fair is aimed at professionals working in the electronics sector of business and other related sectors. So why was it moved to a weekend and a Monday public holiday? Is the intention to attract more members of the public to a fair which is not designed for them? This is not a toy show or a cyber expo, where every Tom, Dick and Harry can turn up.
A large crowd of curious visitors will only frustrate our foreign guests.
They will not appreciate having travelled half way around the world to do business, only to find they are pestered by amateurs and children at their booths.
I doubt if local dealers will be keen to attend the fair during a long weekend. They expressed a lack of enthusiasm last year and it was held, as it always has been, during the week.
I would appeal to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to change the dates. There is no need for it to be held before the Chinese Export Commodities Fair in Guangzhou. Instead, it could be held in the middle of the Guangzhou event.
This would give foreign visitors the chance to come to Hong Kong before or after they had been to Guangzhou.
Surely it is not too late to make the necessary changes?
STUART TSANG
Western
