Billy Leung Wing-shing, sales manager for Bright International Group, said his company was showing a variety of chandeliers, wall lamps, table lamps and floor lamps at the fair. The company supplies large lighting projects for hotels throughout Asia, the United States and Dubai.

Mr Leung said that lighting fixtures for hotels had to be even more safety-conscious than those used in the home. 'In the home, the user might have the lights on for an average of 10 hours a day, but lighting fixtures in hotels need to be much more robust, in terms of safety, and be able to operate safely 24 hours a day.'

Bright International is a regular exhibitor at the lighting fair. Mr Leung said it was a useful meeting place 'for designers, and also sometimes the hotel-fittings departments will send people to pick up information from suppliers'.

'Designers will also be looking for new suppliers. This is a good opportunity for suppliers and buyers. It's a way of finding new customers and looking at products,' he said.

Bright International has 3,000 employees on the mainland and offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan and sales offices in Canada and the US.

Daniel Petersson, sales manager, Far East at Markslojd Lighting Group (HK), said his company was showing a line of chandeliers in a neo-classic design.

'We think neo-classic will be the next big thing. Crystal-based items haven't been too popular over the past 10 years but, over the past two years, there has been emphasis on black and white, very much modern designs mixed with classical.' But, he said, chandeliers were making a comeback. The Swedish company is known for clean design and quality. While its selling base has been more in Europe, with the rise of young professionals and a middle class in Asia - and therefore more people with a disposable income - the company is expanding throughout the region, particularly in India, Japan, Indonesia and Australia.

The company works with agents and distributors who often source for large projects such as hotels.

Markslojd has about 300 employees and has original equipment manufacturing factories in the mainland. After five years with a presence in Asia, Mr Petersson said that the firm was developing a foothold in the Asian market, and this was where the lighting fair also helped in getting contacts.

The fair provides seven zones for exhibitors and buyers encompassing green lighting, decorative lighting and outdoor lighting among other areas. The fair offers a series of seminars and hopes to repeat the success of its Hong Kong Lighting Design Competition, which was launched last year.

The intention of the competition is to foster new talent in the industry by rewarding innovative product designs and promoting Hong Kong's lighting products to international buyers. The competition also attracts younger designers to the lighting industry.

Among the more innovative products on show, Philips Consumer Luminaires Export offers a lighting scheme which allows the consumer to modify the lighting in a room or office. Instead of being stuck with the same lighting or even a dimmer switch, there are many colours to choose from to change the atmosphere of a room instantly. People can personalise their immediate surroundings as often as they like.

Philips LivingColors is easy to use and technologically advanced, using LED technology which is more energy efficient than conventional light sources and, according to the company, also lasts longer.

While many lighting fixtures are purely functional, there are many innovative designs on show that take light beyond simple illumination. Owindo designer Max Lam Tsz-hong is showcasing some signature products and his latest designs at the fair. One of these in three versions is Coil. 'Coil symbolises a life cycle. I want to bring a very positive message to society,' he said.

Another of Mr Lam's designs is pendant lamp C-C-C- - Chinese Copper Coins - which comprises many round metal pieces which form a cube symbolising the integration of round and square, the Chinese concept of the universe - a round sky and square ground.