The Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) 32nd annual Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair concluded Sunday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Also wrapping up on April 30 was the concurrent 12th annual Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair, held at the AsiaWorld-Expo. Together, the two shows attracted 62,000 attendees from 138 countries and regions—nearly 47,000 people attended the Gifts & Premium Fair, while more than 15,000 visited the Printing & Packaging Fair.

“The Hong Kong Gifts and Premium Fair is the largest fair of its kind in the world, making it a benchmarking event for both product and market trends,” says HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau. “On-site surveys showed a more optimistic outlook on the market compared to last year. The economy of the Chinese mainland has maintained a higher growth rate this year and the number of Chinese mainland buyers recorded a considerable increase. The number of buyers from Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Russia, Spain and Brazil recorded double-digit growth.”

As part of an on-site survey during the Gifts & Premium Fair, the HKTDC interviewed more than 950 exhibitors and attendees about their views on the market and its product trends. They found them generally optimistic, with more than 90 percent expecting overall sales to increase or remain steady this year, up 22 percentage points from 2016, and nearly 95 percent expect prices to increase or remain the same. Challenges to the industry identified during the survey include increasing operating costs (41 percent), fluctuations in the global economy (36 percent) and fluctuations in the price of raw materials (34 percent). Asked about the market with the highest growth potential, respondents identified mainland China (60 percent), followed by North America (58 percent), Hong Kong (53 percent) and Western Europe (52 percent).

The Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair featured more than 4,300 local and overseas exhibitors from 31 countries and regions. The Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair featured more than 440 exhibitors from eight countries and regions. Catering to the printing and packaging needs of different industries, the fair comprised the De Luxe Zone, the Green Printing & Packaging Solutions zone, the Food & Beverage Packaging Solutions zone and two new zones: Printing and Packaging Solutions for Fashion & Accessories and Innovative Retail Display Solutions.