The HKTDC has organised more than 180 buying missions, comprising over 13,000 representatives from 9,500 companies to visit the two fairs. They include major global importers, distributors and retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart from the United States, Canadian Tire from Canada, and Carrefour from France.

With innovation and technology driving social development and economic growth, as well as improving quality of life, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau said there is keen demand for new high-end technologies and products in the global market.

"The Spring Electronics Fair and ICT Expo are both must-go annual exhibitions for the industry, which help foster many business cooperation. Since last year, the HKTDC launched a dedicated Startup zone to provide a platform for new start-ups to present ideas to global buyers and potential investors, grasping business opportunities and exploring overseas markets," said Mr Chau.

Startup zone helps start-ups go overseas --

Located at Halls 3FG concourse, the Startup zone gathers 110 start-ups from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and the United States to present innovative technologies to global buyers. Some of the creative products include: a smart eyeshade with special sensors that capture the user's brainwaves during sleep and selects music to play via a mobile app based on the user's mood (Booth: 3CON-B15); a smart LED lamp with a patented air-purification technology (Booth: 3CON-B16); equipped with a 360 degrees 3D scanning feature, a printer that uses light emitted from smart devices to print 3D designs in open air, allowing users to see the printing process (Booth: 3CON-B23); and electronic socks made for babies to monitor the infant's vital signs such as blood oxygen level, heart rate and body temperature (Booth: 3CON-B18) (Zone details: https://goo.gl/1YH5iz^[1]).

To help start-ups gain exposure and meet potential investors, a series of start-up themed events, including Smart Launch sessions, pitching sessions, media pitch day and investment matchmaking sessions have been organised in collaboration with start-up accelerators and incubators, including Angel Investment Foundation, Backer, Hello Reporter, Hong Kong Business Angel Network, HSBC, Incu-Lab, Jumpstart magazine, Qianhai International Liaison Services, StartHub and Techstars. Sharing sessions and mentoring sessions are also being staged, where successful entrepreneurs, angel investors, start-up accelerators and incubators share entrepreneurial insights on market promotion, finding manufacturing partners, and crowdfunding.

Asia's largest spring electronics trade fair --

As Asia's largest spring electronics event, the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) this year features some 2,950 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions, with new exhibitors from Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland and the United Arab Emirates. Key electronics production centres, including the Chinese mainland, Korea and Taiwan, have set up group pavilions. One of the highlight zones, the Hall of Fame, is showcasing more than 605 internationally renowned brands, including Bourgini, Desay, Greatwall, HKC, Latitude, Roadrover, SKROSS and Polaroid.

Back by popular demand, the Tech Hall returns this year at Halls 5FG with four thematic zones: Connected Home, Robotics & Unmanned Tech, Virtual Reality, and Wearable Electronics. Some of the latest electronic products on show include: a low temperature robot capable of operating at -40 degrees that was showcased at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games (Booth: 5G-B27); a smart switch from a Hungarian exhibitor that can be attached to wires of electronic products, allowing users to turn off the electric supply via a mobile app (Booth:5F-F07); and Tesla (Booth: 5F-G02), which is participating in the fair for the first time to showcase their latest electric vehicles. Visitors can learn about Tesla's all-electric powertrain, Autopilot system and sustainable energy solutions. Tesla also offers test drives on a special route starting from the HKCEC.

The Spring Electronics Fair once again is featuring the hktdc.com Small Orders zone, where more than 200 showcases offering about 2,000 products, are available in minimum order quantities of between five and 1,000 pieces. The zone works in synergy with the online transaction platform (http://smallorders.hktdc.com^[2]) to provide a comprehensive sourcing experience for buyers.

The HKTDC has organised a series of events during the fair period featuring industry experts discussing the latest industry development and product trends. At the "2018 Tech Trends Symposium," held on the first three days of the fair (13-15 April), representatives from renowned brands such as Microsoft, Intel, HTC, Philips Lighting, iFlytek and professors from local tertiary institutions, will examine hot topics such as applications of artificial intelligence and robotics, smart home, wearable electronics, and virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) (Event details: https://bit.ly/2HeI7Jc^[3]).

Smart City: The Way of the Future --

Running concurrently with the Spring Electronics Fair, the ICT Expo features more than 600 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions showcasing solutions in information, communication and technologies that help enterprises to optimise operations, reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Under the theme "Smart City: The Way of the Future," this year's Expo debuts a Smart City zone to showcase solutions for smart mobility and logistics, smart living and intelligent control system. Exhibitors include Alicloud, Cisco, Microsoft, NEC, ZTE, Hong Kong Airport Authority, members of the Smart City Consortium, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Hong Kong R&D Centre for LSCM Enabling Technologies (LSCM), Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Centre (APAS) and Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI). The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) is also presenting the Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint at the zone, mapping out Hong Kong's development plans for the next five years (Zone details: https://bit.ly/2EoFukK^[4]).

Exhibitors are showing a wide range of the latest technologies and solutions, including a social robot designed for the elderly with dementia or requiring companionship (Booth: 3G-B20), a smart street lamp (Booth: 3G-A08), a robotic effector system for label affixing (Booth: 3F-G08), and a palm fusion biometric access control system (Booth: 3G-B08).

The Smart City Seminar Series features industry experts exploring such topics as Internet security, Fintech, developing smart business through IoT applications, how disruptive technology is driving smart city development, smart mobility and logistics, smart home trends and electronic ID (Event details: https://bit.ly/2HdShtl^[5]).

The SME IT Clinic continues to provide complimentary professional consultation services on ICT solutions to help SMEs enhance business efficiency. The winners of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2018, organised by the OGCIO, are also showcasing their products and solutions at the fair.

Enhanced fair websites to facilitate year-round sourcing --

To encourage suppliers to use online-to-offline (O2O) promotion, the HKTDC has enhanced the sourcing function of its trade fair websites by launching the year-round "Exhibition Online" platform. Apart from featuring fair updates and the latest industry sourcing information, the platform allows suppliers to connect with worldwide buyers anytime, while buyers can source industry-specific products from dedicated fair websites. The Exhibition Online platform is an online extension of the physical exhibition to facilitate business discussions between suppliers and buyers beyond the fair period.

The HKTDC's e-Badge initiative, which was well-received when launched last November, has been introduced at the Spring Electronics Fair and ICT Expo, and will gradually be introduced to most of the HKTDC trade fairs this year.

Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition)Edition: 15thFair Period: 13-16 AprilVenue: HKCECNo of Exhibitors: Some 2,950 exhibitors from 24 countries and regionsExhibition Online Websites: http://hkelectronicsfairse.hktdc.comStartup Zone Website: https://goo.gl/1YH5izHighlighted Products and Solutions: https://goo.gl/LNwp78^[6][7][8]

International ICT ExpoEdition: 15thFair Period: 13-16 AprilVenue: HKCECNo of Exhibitors: More than 600 exhibitors from 10 countries and regionsExhibition Online Websites: http://ictexpo.hktdc.com Smart City zone: https://bit.ly/2EoFukKStartup Zone Website: https://goo.gl/1YH5izHighlighted Products and Solutions: https://goo.gl/STgHRp^{[9][10][11][12]}

Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2va43Te^[13]

About HKTDC

Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus^[14]. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc, LinkedIn.- Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdc^[15]- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdc^[16]- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-council^[17]

Contact:

HKTDC Communications & Public Affairs Department -
Joshua Cheng, Tel: +852 2584 4395, Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.

References

1. ^{^} https://goo.gl/1YH5iz (goo.gl)
2. ^{^} http://smallorders.hktdc.com (smallorders.hktdc.com)
3. ^{^} https://bit.ly/2HeI7Jc (bit.ly)
4. ^{^} https://bit.ly/2EoFukK (bit.ly)
5. ^{^} https://bit.ly/2HdShtl (bit.ly)
6. ^{^} http://hkelectronicsfairse.hktdc.com (hkelectronicsfairse.hktdc.com)
7. ^{^} https://goo.gl/1YH5iz (goo.gl)
8. ^{^} https://goo.gl/LNwp78 (goo.gl)
9. ^{^} http://ictexpo.hktdc.com (ictexpo.hktdc.com)
10. ^{^} https://bit.ly/2EoFukK (bit.ly)
11. ^{^} https://goo.gl/1YH5iz (goo.gl)
12. ^{^} https://goo.gl/STgHRp (goo.gl)
13. ^{^} https://bit.ly/2va43Te (bit.ly)
14. ^{^} www.hktdc.com/aboutus (www.hktdc.com)
15. ^{^} https://plus.google.com/+hktdc (plus.google.com)
16. ^{^} http://www.twitter.com/hktdc (www.twitter.com)
17. ^{^} http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-council (www.linkedin.com)
18. ^{^} [email protected] (www.acnnewswire.com)
19. ^{^} [email protected] (www.acnnewswire.com)
20. ^{^} HKTDC (www.hktdc.com)
21. ^{^} Trade Shows (www.acnnewswire.com)
22. ^{^} Electronics (www.acnnewswire.com)