Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Asia’ s‘ superconnector’ working hard to maintain regional‘ Trade Fair Capital’ status
As Hong Kong prepares to welcome the 92nd UFI Global Congress, EW examines, with the help of local industry experts, trends in the city’ s exhibition market
ong Kong remains one
H of the most desirable international exhibition and convention cities in Asia. Its proximity to the economic powerhouse of mainland China, combined with its international character, has established the city as a key meeting place between East and West in the region for many decades.
While Hong Kong, like the rest of the region, is still recovering to prepandemic levels, last year saw the number of trade exhibitions in Hong Kong increase by 9.6 %, with the number of exhibiting companies rising by 13.9 % year-on-year. Hong Kong hosted 121 large-scale exhibitions( i. e. those occupying over 2,000 sqm of floor space).
Of the 121 large-scale exhibitions, 80 were‘ Trade’ and‘ Trade and Consumer’ exhibitions, up on the 73 recorded in 2023.
Visitor numbers from the Chinese Mainland were particularly strong last year, soaring by 21 %.
Where the figures were not so impressive were in the space taken for exhibiting – down last year 6.8 % to nearly 830,000 sqm.
Stuart Bailey
Left: Skytopia
The signs for the 2025 figures show grounds for optimism with Hong Kong hosting 93 mega events in the first half of 2025.
Driven by innovation and strong government support, the MICE industry has rebounded well, believes Stuart Bailey, chairman Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association( HKECIA), who acknowledged both success and challenges.
“ The growth in exhibiting companies and visitors in 2024 reflected the resilience of Hong Kong’ s exhibition industry and the effectiveness of proactive and aggressive exhibitor and visitor recruitment in the face of a difficult economic outlook. Despite the progress made, challenges remain. The decline in exhibitor space rented was a sign that companies scaled back spending due to global economic uncertainty.”
EW asked Bailey to share more insights into the special administrative region’ s( SAR) enduring attractiveness as a key regional and global player in the events industry. He identified the following key points: 1. World’ s freest economy Hong Kong has been recognised as the world’ s freest economy according to a leading report surveying 165 global economies, moving up one place from last year. This status, highlighted in the Economic Freedom of the World report 2024, reflects its commitment to free trade, minimal government intervention, and a transparent regulatory environment. 2. Top 3 global financial centres Hong Kong ranks among the top three global financial centres, underscoring its robust financial services sector supported by a transparent regulatory framework and a diverse range of financial products. Notably, Hong Kong ' s ranking for investment management rose to first globally in 2024.
42 Issue 5 2025 www. exhibitionworld. co. uk