Steady revival of Hong Kong shown by exhibitions
- Expos that moved to Dubai and Singapore have returned to city after a hiatus driven by pandemic controls
- The events calendar is filling back up, but more work needed to reach pre-pandemic levels
That Hong Kong is still lagging behind on many fronts after the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic is a reality to be reckoned with. Thankfully, there have been growing signs of a steady recovery, the latest being a packed calendar of international exhibitions and conferences over the year.
While hopes are high that industries will eventually return to pre-Covid levels, the city must go beyond just playing catch-up and explore new opportunities and growth in an increasingly competitive global environment.
It is a relief to learn that the city has recovered some lost ground since reopening early last year, hosting 61 exhibitions in the second half of 2023. In another encouraging move, no fewer than 160 exhibitions and 150 convention meetings have been scheduled at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and AsiaWorld-Expo near the airport this year.
While some brands have moved elsewhere as a result of the city’s once stringent health controls and the slow pace of opening up, others are returning. This includes the APLF Leather Show that had gone to Dubai, and the Vinexpo Asia, which is set to open in May following a stint in Singapore.
There also are newcomers, such as the world’s largest Korean cultural convention KCON, US street culture festival ComplexCon and the first transport and logistics Super Terminal Expo. The shows and meetings will complement the already scheduled mega events and enhance the city’s international profile.
They also are evidence of efforts to win back overseas confidence and business. This is especially important since more overseas players have dived into the competitive exhibition and conference sectors in recent years.
The economic benefits of the two sectors are worth more than HK$58.6 billion (US$7.49 billion), according to a survey. The road ahead remains challenging, though. More than a year has passed since the health curbs for visitors were dropped, but exhibition and conference events are not expected to return to, or exceed, their pre-pandemic levels until the end of the year.
The city can expect growing competition and has to work harder to reinforce its position as the regional capital for trade fairs and conferences.
