Hong Kong's Trade Development Council seeks to host world's second-largest licensing show

The Trade Development Council hopes its licensing show will become the second largest in the world "in the near future" after seeing a 30 per cent increase in exhibitors for the event, which opens today.

More than 310 exhibitors from 18 countries representing over 800 brands - including Warner Brothers, local cartoon illustrators and mobile phone game Candy Crush - are taking part in the three-day fair at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Ivan Chan Wah-chun of Promotional Partners Group, a licensing agent for Candy Crush in Hong Kong and on the mainland, said he was expecting to see 30 per cent growth in business this year.

Chan anticipated more buyers from the mainland this year, and he was looking forward to introducing more products with new partners. But he was not too concerned about fakes being available on the mainland.

"Counterfeit products are unavoidable if we do business in China. But if we want to sell Candy Crush products in shopping malls we will have to present an authorisation certificate," he said. "I think the [counterfeit products] problem is under control; even President Xi Jinping advocates the protection of intellectual property."

On top of about 30 companies from the mainland, the Ministry of Culture is for the first time leading another 40 cultural and creative firms in joining the fair, including the Palace Museum, in a bid to commercialise their products.