The defining feature of business in the 21st century just might come to be the handshake. In an age of mobile phones and mass communication devices the value of personal contact appears to be on the rise But does actually being there really count?
Certainly, says Allen Ha Wing-on, director of business development for the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a private management body that oversees the daily operations of the exhibition centre.
Mr Ha points to the rising number of participants at international trade exhibitions as proof that personal networking is increasingly in fashion. Many of the annual shows hosted at the HKCEC are sold out months in advance, leaving organisers scrambling to find new space to accommodate demand.
According to some studies, as much as 70 per cent of corporate marketing budgets are allocated to trade exhibitions, and the number one reason visitors give for attending these sales shows is to build relationships through face-to-face contact.
'Trade exhibitions are effectively a form of marketing media,' Mr Ha says. 'Corporations use trade exhibitions to do marketing, and there is a huge budget for that each year. It is the most cost-effective use of the marketing dollar.'
Doubters should consider the alternatives. Only 5 per cent of individuals polled in a survey cited print media as an effective way to build personal bridges. The Internet ranked even lower, despite its much touted interactivity, with only 3 per cent responding favourably to its use as a tool to build personal contact.
