(ACN Newswire) - Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 18th edition of the HKTDC Hong Kong International Licensing Show, Asia's flagship licensing event, drew to a successful close today. The three-day fair (6-8 January) attracted a record attendance of more than 20,000 visitors. The ninth Asian Licensing Conference, which ran concurrently with the Licensing Show and concluded on 7 January, featured some 30 speakers from renowned brands and global licensing experts, attracting over 1,200 industry practitioners.Licensing adds value to businesses amid challenges
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Monday, HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong said: "Despite the current global economic sentiment and the impact of the Sino-US trade conflict, the licensing industry continues to flourish." She added that licensing adds value to businesses, helping to boost their competitiveness during challenging times. With its rigorous intellectual property protection regime, robust legal system, professional expertise and proximity to Mainland China and other key Asian economies, Hong Kong "provides the ideal platform for global brands and top licensors to access markets across the region," Ms Fong said.
Hong Kong an effective platform for entering the international market
Exhibitors at this year's show came with the intention of exchanging ideas with industry players from around the world. Joining the Licensing Show for the second time, an exhibitor at the DLab Hong Kong Pavilion, Shawn Chiu, Founder of Pixel Fairy, said that buyers were of high quality and had a strong desire for business collaboration this year. "We will follow up with a number of potential buyers, including a Wenzhou-based shoe manufacturer that invited us to Wenzhou for further discussions; a Korean lifestyle chain store that sought our quotation for an intellectual property (IP); and a Malaysian boutique store looking for suitable IPs for their premium items."
Dave Jo, Product Director for a young Korean brand, Pound Cake Cat, came to the show expecting that his company would only appeal to the Asian market and was set to meet licensing agencies from Mainland China and the Asian region. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find licensing agencies from Europe and the United States expressing an interest in the company's characters. He found the Licensing Show to be an "international arena" that gave him greater confidence about promoting the brand worldwide.
Kamonrose Mahattanasomboon, Co-founder and Designer at a Thailand cartoon company called Scoo Pup, shared that the Licensing Show provides opportunities to small enterprises such as hers, enabling her to learn more about the global market as well as network with business agents from the mainland. "During the show, many agents expressed an interest in our characters and we will arrange meetings with mainland manufacturers on a range of products they are going to produce," she said. Meanwhile, Taiwan exhibitor Brilliant International Group & BIG Impression grabbed the attention of a Sichuan shopping mall, which company Chairman & CEO Charlie Han said is now thinking of using its IP to organise a thematic exhibition. Various Taiwanese retail chain stores also showed an interest in collaborating with his company.
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