By Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association
The Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) wishes to assure all participants, buyers and exhibitors attending trade exhibitions and conferences in Hong Kong that events are running smoothly and without interruption. Hong Kong is a welcoming city for investors and visitors.
Although there have been road closures during several public activities, up until the time of this announcement, both of the two major venues for trade exhibitions and international conferences, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), are accessible by foot, private cars / freight trucks and public transportation including subway, and are fully operational.
HKECIA Chairman Mr Stuart Bailey stated, “Business is as usual in Hong Kong. At this time we are seeing that major exhibitions and conferences in Hong Kong are running without incident or interruption. Exhibition and conference events were not targeted for disruption. Hong Kong is definitely still open for business and safe to travel.
“Of course visitors should take extra care and be mindful of areas in which protests might be taking place and take note of any special traffic arrangements such as temporary road closures and disruptions on public transport. But it’s worth remembering that Hong Kong is consistently ranked one of the safest cities in the world.”
June to August are peak months for mega consumer exhibitions in Hong Kong while a few public processions took place in different locations. All those exhibitions ran smoothly without interruption. The annual Hong Kong Book Fair was attended by nearly 1 million visitors over seven show days.
The annual trade and consumer exhibition, the Food Expo, and three concurrent exhibitions which utilize all the exhibition halls at the HKCEC was held as scheduled August 15-19 with no interruption despite there was the large scale peaceful rally on August 18. The four exhibitions brought together more than 2,100 exhibitors and welcomed a total of nearly 450,000 visitors.
There were cancellations of flights departing and arriving Hong Kong on August 12-13 due to operation disruption of the Hong Kong International Airport. Smooth operations of the airport terminals and normal flight movements have been resumed since August 14. Currently, the Airport Authority Hong Kong has obtained an interim injunction to restrain persons from unlawfully obstructing the airport’s operation. At the same time, access control at the airport terminal buildings has been implemented. Passengers are reminded to arrive early for the relevant checks.
As of today, the Seafood Expo Asia (SEA), originally scheduled for 3-5 September at the HKCEC, is the only one international exhibition that has been cancelled. Other international trade exhibitions scheduled for early September will go on as planned. They are: Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong X Gourmet Asia 2019 (September 3-5), Natural Organic Asia 2019 (September 3-5), Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair (September 3-7), Asia Fruit Logistica (September 4-6) with Asiafruit Congress on September 3, and CENTRESTAGE (September 4-7).
Further statements updating international participants will be issued by the HKECIA should the current situation changes.
About the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association: The Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) was established in 1990 to promote Hong Kong as a world-class exhibition and conference destination and the trade fair capital of Asia Pacific. It works to represent the interests of all members involved in the exhibition and convention industries, and provides a unified voice in dealing with the government, legislative and statutory bodies, the media and public organisations, on all matters associate with the role of the exhibition and convention industry in Hong Kong’s economy. In addition, it offers training and educational programmes, and collects, analyses and distributes information and statistics relating to the industry. Currently, HKECIA has over 100 members including exhibition organisers, venue managers and operators, contractors, hotels, and travel agents.
HKECIA is a member of UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and AFECA – The Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations.
