Japan: 2017 Food Expo Partner Country
HONG KONG — Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), four concurrent fairs opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC): the 28th Food Expo, the fourth Home Delights Expo, the second Beauty & Wellness Expo, and the ninth Hong Kong International Tea Fair. The two-day International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products (ICMCM), which is jointly organised with the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association Ltd (MCMIA), also opened today. Together, the fairs gather a record of more than 2,000 exhibitors from 29 countries and regions, showcasing quality and new products to buyers and public visitors.
At the opening ceremony, HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong said that, in its 28th year, the Food Expo proves that Hong Kong is a gourmet capital of Asia. With more than 2,000 exhibitors taking part in the concurrent fairs, they further strengthen Hong Kong’s status as Asia’s central business hub and lifestyle trendsetter. The fairs are also among the city’s most popular summer events.
More than 100 buying missions from 25 countries and regions will visit this year’s Food Expo and Tea Fair to source quality products and discover new business opportunities. A selection of local retailers and agents, including 759 Store, Sun Wah Japanese Food Ltd, City’Super and China Resources Ng Fung International Distribution, have set up buyers’ booths for pre-arranged business-matching meetings with exhibitors. This gives exhibitors the chance to connect with high-quality buyers and increase product exposure, while allowing buyers to source products more efficiently.
Food Expo (17-21 August)
Welcoming a record of over 1,500 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions, the Food Expo comprises three dedicated areas: the Trade Hall, Gourmet Zone and Public Hall.
Japan is the Partner Country of this year’s Food Expo, bringing 331 Japanese exhibitors from 36 prefectures, including Tokyo, Gifu, Mie, Osaka and Hyogo. An array of Japanese local delicacies and haute cuisine are being featured, such as cereal made from 100 per cent Japanese rice; and a plum vinegar drink from Hyogo Prefecture. There will also be several cooking demonstrations and product introductions to help visitors experience Japanese culinary culture.
From 17-21 August, the Public Hall is featuring more than 570 exhibitors and five group pavilions, including the Chinese mainland, Canada, Japan, Korea and Taiwan to promote local flavours from those countries and regions. Another highlight at the Public Hall, the Premium Food Zone features 30 famous food and beverage brands, including Kee Wah Bakery, On Kee Dry Seafood, Tai Pan, Maxim’s Caterers, as well as the newcomer Yu Kwen Yick, a famous local sauce brand with a history of over 100 years.
Open until 20 August, the Gourmet Zone at Hall 3B spotlights exquisite flavours from around the globe. Seventy-seven exhibitors are presenting top-quality food and beverage items. This year, the zone is adopting four main themes to showcase Asian and Western haute cuisine, as well as specialty desserts and organic and green food. Featured products include premium Japanese bottled rice, Spanish wines, New Zealand Ale, citrus lavender cheese and plant-based burger patties.
Set up for industry buyers, the Trade Hall gathers more than 900 exhibitors. Fifteen group pavilions have been set up to promote global food trading, including Chinese mainland provinces Hubei, Jilin, Sichuan and Ningxia; and newcomers from Belarus, Canada, the Czech Republic, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Thailand. The Trade Hall is open to industry representatives on 17-18 August for global exhibitors and buyers to explore business opportunities at the fairground, before opening to public ticket-holders on 19 August.
A series of exciting events will be staged, including star chef cooking demonstrations featuring 20 celebrity chefs, such as the popular cooking show hosts Steve Lee and Helen Tam; Chan Hon Cheong, the Chef de Cuisine of One Harbour Road, Grand Hyatt; and Jeffery Koo, founder and Executive Pastry Chef of Patisseries Jeffery Koo. Several star chefs, including Ricky Cheung, Head Chef of Bistro Bon; Sandy Keung, Executive Chef of Table; as well as Bonnie Yves, founder of Yves Kitchen; will demonstrate “less salt, less sugar” recipes in cooking demonstrations organised jointly by the HKTDC, the Food and Health Bureau and the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food. Other events include product demonstrations, the launch of the 2017-2018 Wan Chai a la Carte, which focuses on introducing new restaurants, as well as seminars exploring hot-button industry issues.
Home Delights Expo (17-21 August)
The fourth edition of the Home Delights Expo features more than 160 exhibitors presenting a range of quality electrical and kitchen appliances as well as household products. The Avenue of Delights, a fair highlight, gathers over 40 lifestyle brands, including STAUB, CLP, Kenwood, Meyer, OTO, Panasonic, Philips and Towngas.
The HKTDC and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups are jointly launching the “Home” for Youth Start-ups: the Exhibition Experience Taster campaign to set up a Start-up Square at the expo, providing a platform for selected start-ups to promote their products and services.
Beauty & Wellness Expo (17-21 August)
Launched last year, the Beauty & Wellness Expo returns with more than 80 exhibitors featuring a wide selection of skincare, hair care, spa massage and nail products. For the first time, the Cosmetic & Perfumery Association of Hong Kong has brought 15 local enterprises to present their latest beauty products, as well as organised the inaugural Cosmetics KOL Competition. New pavilions from Korea and Taiwan are showcasing their local quality products. In addition, the Beauty Salon zone, organised by the Federation of Beauty Industry (H.K.), also returns to provide a promotion platform for award-winning entrepreneurs and beauty salons.
A series of events, including cooking demonstrations conducted by star chefs and famous food bloggers using popular kitchenware will be held during the expos. They include celebrity chef Owenmama from Cook1Cook, famous beauty and dietary therapy columnist Yoko Tsang, Solemate’s Executive Chefs Vito Chan and Celina Ling, as well as the co-founder of Journesis, Audrey Chan. Lucky draws and a “Vegan x Fitness” sharing session will also be on stage. Several beauty experts will share simple hairstyle and makeup tips, including advice for summer oily skin and party looks. The crowd-pleasing “Smart Bidding” event also returns, where visitors can bid on selected household appliances and products.
Hong Kong International Tea Fair (17-19 August)
The ninth Hong Kong International Tea Fair features more than 220 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions to present tea products, packaging and equipment. The fair also welcomes an exhibitor from Mauritius for the first time.
The three-day fair runs from 17-19 August, opening exclusively to trade buyers on the first two days, before welcoming public visitors on the last day. Featured products include a Pu’er Tea King, known as one of the best Pu’er teas; a rose and cornflower green tea for cocktail-mixing; and a Songpin Pu-er tea made by Songpin Hao teahouse in late Qing Dynasty. To promote tea culture, the fair also features a series of collectors’ teaware, including an “Oil droplet” Jian Teacup, one of the eight famed kilns in the Song Dynasty, which is fired and finished at high temperature. Its iron content can absorb chloride ions in water, making for smoother-tasting tea.
Among the spotlight events is the International KamCha Competition 2017 Hong Kong Style-Milk Tea – Returning Special International Final, which will be held on the public day (19 August). Representatives from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland’s Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, as well as Melbourne and Toronto will compete for the winning title. The International Yuan Yang Final will be staged alongside as well. On the same day, public visitors can taste the award-winning teas from the Hong Kong International Tea Competition for free and join a series of Tea Forums to learn about tea therapy, tea and zen, as well as tea and food pairing. Events catering to trade buyers include the International Tea Tasting Sessions, tea art performance, a seminar on marketing strategy for tea brands, and a buyer forum for industry players to exchange information.
ICMCM (17-18 August)
Organised by the HKTDC and the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association Ltd (MCMIA), the International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products (ICMCM) takes place 17-18 August to keep practitioners abreast of the latest trends and developments. The conference features 14 distinguished speakers from renowned institutions in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Korea and Macau, including the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University and the School of Chinese Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. These experts will share their views on quality-control of Chinese medicine products, pharmacology, internationalisation and successful cases. On 19 August, public visitors can join Public Forum sessions by professional Chinese medicine practitioners, who will discuss various prevalent urban diseases, such as shoulder and back pain, gout, adolescent scoliosis, lumbar pain, diabetes, and foot and knee joint pain.
Fair Websites
– Food Expo: http://www.hktdc.com/hkfoodexpo
– Hong Kong International Tea Fair: http://www.hktdc.com/hkteafair
– Home Delights Expo: http://www.hktdc.com/homedelights
– Beauty & Wellness Expo: http://www.hktdc.com/hkbeautyexpo
– ICMCM: http://www.hktdc.com/icmcm
Photo Download: http://bit.ly/2vLat83
Ticketing details: www.hktdc.com/ex/hkfoodexpo/57
To view press releases in Chinese, please visit http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tc