Visitors to the Toys and Games Fair should also stroll over to the Grand Hall to check out the latest products at the Hong Kong International Stationery Fair. The two events have been scheduled to run simultaneously to facilitate the sourcing of products across different categories.
Anne Chick, deputy senior manager of exhibitions with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said organisers scheduled the two events at the same time on realising there was tremendous interest from buyers.
Both trade fairs begin today and run until Friday, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Stationery Fair, formerly known as the Pen & Paper Fair, was rescheduled from its October time slot as organisers felt it could draw a significant proportion of the 26,000 buyers due to visit the Convention Centre this week. The fair was re-launched to reflect an enhanced exhibit range developed for targeted buyers.
Taking up more than 6,000 square metres of exhibition space, the fair will feature 165 exhibitors from 13 countries, a 130 per cent increase in exhibitor turnout from last year.
Looking at the trade figures, the surge in interest is easy to understand. In the first nine months of 2000, total Hong Kong exports of stationery and printed matter jumped 22 per cent to $8.66 billion.
The single largest export market was the United States with 34 per cent, followed by the mainland with 17.9 per cent, and Britain with 7.56 per cent.