8 December, 2009 – Hundreds of exhibitors and buyers from around the world gathered for a pair of innovative fairs organised 3-5 December by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. The World SME Expo and Inno Design Tech Expo (IDT Expo) provided a wealth of market information, creative ideas, networking sessions and business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and throughout Asia. 

Organised under the theme "New Insights and New Opportunity," the World SME Expo attracted more than 320 exhibitors to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Solutions Hall and Opportunities Hall at the Expo provided practical information and one-stop value-added services and solutions for SMEs through exhibitions, seminars and networking programs. 

Among the events was a business matching session for Hubei Intime Department Store, the HKTDC invited eight Hong Kong companies from the garment and fashion, jewellery and cosmetics industries. Fang Haiyan, merchandising manager from the store said, "The product quality of Hong Kong companies is guaranteed. We should be able to find our suitable business partners here." 

Also at the Expo was Global LT – a translation and cultural training company which offers language courses in more than 600 cities worldwide. The company aims to find more business in Asia for its services to help expatriate employees of multinational companies actively integrate into new work and living environments. 

"We have met representatives from a research institute in Guangzhou, who want us to offer support services for their series of academic exchange projects and help their teachers and students improve language proficiency and understanding of the cultures in exchange countries," said Ruby Mak, Global LT's Asia regional manager. "Also, a company from Malaysia intends to open an English-medium school, and they would like us to provide advice and assistance on curriculum arrangement." 

Complementing the event was the concurrent IDT Expo, which brought 345 design, brand- management, marketing strategy and applied technology companies together to showcase practical technologies and commercial designs. Hong Kong company Happening Design touched base with customers from the Chinese mainland at last year's Expo, and the fashion design consultancy was back again this year hoping to explore more businesses in Asia. Happening Design's creative director Canson Lau said that in just three days, the company met representatives from many different types of enterprises and received many inquiries. 

"A large-scale down jacket manufacturer on the mainland and a children's clothing company from Fujian showed interests in our services," said Mr Lau. "They have been using their own design team, and now wish to invite Hong Kong designers to develop a new series, in order to bring freshness to their brands." Mr Lau said there was also strong demand for design and branding services from mainland enterprises, and existing customers on the mainland account for 30 to 40 per cent of his company's business. 

Another exhibitor at IDT Expo was iMusic Tech Limited with its iPhone karaoke station. Buyers from Europe and the United States showed strong interest in the item, according to Keith Cheung, technical manager of the company. Mr Cheung says the product is the world's first karaoke station to be recognized by iPhone's manufacturers. "In Europe and the United States, there is a large high-income group, and iPhone usage is high, and we found that British and American buyers were those who were most interested in this product." 

The next World SME Expo and Inno Design Tech Expo will be held in 2-4 December 2010.

Fair Websites
HKTDC World SME Expo: www.hktdc.com/worldsmeexpo
Inno Design Tech Expo: www.hktdc.com/innodesigntechexpo 

Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Corporate Communication Department:

Joe Kainz
Tel: (852) 2584 4216
Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org