- The seven lifestyle and licensing events organised by the HKTDC concluded successfully today, with buyer numbers increasing across all exhibitions and some 100,000 buyers from 131 countries and regions attending in total

- Non-local buyers came primarily from Mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia, underscoring Hong Kong’s influence as an international trade platform

- On-site surveys conducted at the events indicated that nearly half of respondents (49.2%) expected overall sales to rise in the next one to two years

The seven large-scale trade events organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), covering lifestyle products and licensing opportunities, concluded successfully today, with buyer numbers increasing across all exhibitions and some 100,000 buyers from 131 countries and regions attending for on-site purchasing and business negotiations. Among the lifestyle fairs, the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair recorded some 36,000 buyers, Home InStyle attracted over 20,000 buyers, Fashion InStyle drew over 11,000 buyers, while the Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair and DeLuxe PrintPack Hong Kong saw over 11,000 buyers attend the concurrent events. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong International Licensing Show (HKILS) attracted over 20,000 buyers, and the Asian Licensing Conference (ALC) featured nearly 20 international licensing industry leaders as speakers. Non-local buyers at the six fairs came primarily from Mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia, highlighting Hong Kong’s influence as an international trade platform.

Sophia Chong, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director, said: “The seven major events held by the HKTDC in late April brought together some 6,000 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions. Despite the current challenges in the global economic and trade environment, we actively attracted buyers to our fairs to enhance trade resilience and assist exhibitors in gaining a foothold in new markets such as the Middle East and ASEAN regions. The HKTDC remains committed to promoting cross-sector and international trade cooperation among exhibitors, reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as an international trade hub and showcasing its unique advantage in building connections regionally and globally.”

Nearly half of respondents forecast sales growth

To gain deeper insights into current trends in the lifestyle products industry, the HKTDC conducted a survey of 1,583 exhibitors and buyers at the Gifts & Premium Fair, Home InStyle, and Fashion InStyle. Key market overview and product trends include:

- Nearly half of respondents (49.2%) expected their overall sales would rise in the next one to two years, while 44.5% foresaw that sales will remain stable. The greatest challenges identified were growing protectionist measures (45.7%), fluctuations in the global economy (43.3%) and the impact of inflation (32.0%).

- Respondents believed sales prospects are promising or very promising over the next two years in Mainland China (77.3%), India (74.2%), Taiwan (67.6%), Republic of Korea (66.4%) and ASEAN countries (65.8%).

- The following are the markets that the respondents are actively exploring: Europe (30.5%), ASEAN countries (17.2%), Japan (13.1%), North America (12.3%) and Republic of Korea (9.5%).

- In the gifts and premium market, respondents believed cultural gifts (17.6%), tech gifts (17.0%) and fashion accessories (16.9%) had the most growth potential.

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