With quarantine and covid restrictions fully eliminated, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), has announces the return of in-person tech fairs and have confirmed that over 2,600 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions will participate in this year’s three main spring trade fairs. Taking place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC) from April 12 to 15, 2023, will be the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Spring Edition), under the theme of “Connecting the World with Innovations for Better Living” to highlight Hong Kong’s growing strength as a center for technology and innovation, while also reflecting further normalization of international trade after Hong Kong’s full re-opening. The HKTDC is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub.
Leveraging Hong Kong’s role as an innovation and technology hub, the first ever InnoEX, jointly organized by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the HKTDC, will bring together international exhibitors and buyers, officials from mainland China and ASEAN tech experts, research centers and thought leaders to promote cross-regional, cross-industry and cross-sector cooperation through an information and technology exchange.
At a press conference held today to introduce this year’s technology exhibitions, Ms Sophia Chong, Deputy Executive Director of HKTDC said “HKTDC is committed to promoting innovation and technology, fostering start-ups and promoting Hong Kong’s development in the digital economy and smart city, through a series of events themed on IT, and promoting the strength of local IT to the mainland and overseas markers. The inaugural InnoEX is the flagship event of Business of Innovation and Technology Week (BITWeek), driven by the government of HKSAR and HKTDC.
BITWeek also features the HKTDC’s Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and the Digital Economy Summit co-organised by the HKSAR Government and Cyberport. Alongside the 2023 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival that will be help concurrently, the series of events reflects Hong Kong’s leading position as an international trade exhibition center.
The Central Government has pledged to support Hong Kong’s development as an international IT center, with the aim to promoting the development of IT. As a key highlight of the three technology fairs, the inaugural InnoEX will build on the HKTDC’s International ICT Expo by showcasing a range of IT solutions focused on smart living and inviting reputable international experts and opinion leaders to discuss some of the most important issues in the area of technological development.
The first ever InnoEX focuses on several themes, including the Smart City, Smart Economy, Smart Environment, Smart Government, Smart Living and Smart Mobility that will form the “Smart Hong Kong Pavilion” featuring more than 100 innovative solutions for driving the smart city development in Hong Kong, including technology adopted by government departments and winning exhibits from local innovators. The Innovation and Technology Commission, meanwhile, will present AI & Robotics projects undertaken by 14 research laboratories in collaboration with world-renowned universities in under InnoHK.
Twelve pavilions from mainland China will join the exhibition and promote technological exchange and cooperation. The pavilions include Zhongguancun Beijing, Hong Kong Alumni Association of Beijing Universities, pavilions from Zhejiang and Hanzhou, pavilions from Jiangsu and Nanjing, Qingdao Qilu Software Park, G60 Shanghai Songjiang Science and Technology Innovation Corridor, the Hong Kong / Shanghai Data Cooperation Pavilion, Shenzhen Pavilion and pavilions from Xiamen and Chengdu respectively.
Other exhibitors include local universities and research institutions, leading technology companies such as Huawei and Hikvision, and multiple local and overseas pavilions, including B2B Challenge, Cyberport, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks, Smart City Consortium, the French “So French So Innovative” pavilion and a Canadian pavilion.
At the same time, representatives from government, relevant industry sectors, academia and research sectors from around the world, including industry giants such as Tencent, Samsung Electronics and Alibaba, will also be in attendance. Over 60 government officials from ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, who are responsible for promoting smart city development will visit InnoEX.
Named by Forbes as a ground-breaking female entrepreneur in Southeast Asia, Fr. Ayesha Khanna, CEO of Addo AI and a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence, smart cities, and the metaverse to leading corporations and governments worldwide will be a keynote speaker. Dr. Khanna will share her insights on how companies can utilize artificial intelligence and automation to stay ahead of the competition.
Mr. Matthew Griffin, a futurist and foresight expert with clients including Accenture, BGC, Microsoft and Samsung, will also be presenting a keynote where he will discuss how technology is expected to impact different industries in the future.
Another highlight of BITWeek is the HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), with special theme zones including the Hall of Fame, the Startup Zone and Tech Hall. A series of activities will be held as part of the fair including the “Under 30 – Tech Trends Symposium for the Next Generation”. Respected industry leaders such as Ms. Maria Tang, Corporate Vice President, AMD; Mr. Bruce Huang, Vice President of Research and Development, CloudMinds; and Mr. Billy Siu, Business Development Director – HK and Taiwan, Geek Plus International, will share their insights on the impact of robotics and automation in technological development, smart manufacturing and people’s daily lives.
This year’s HKTDC International Lighting Fair (Spring Edition) will feature the Hall of Aurora, where leading brands and innovative lighting designs are on display, while the Connected and Smart Lighting Zone will present an array of innovative solutions that promote energy conservation and unlock the potential for smart homes and offices, and the Innobuild zone will bring exhibitors of building technologies, safety, security and electrical systems for buildings, building materials and hardware all under one roof. The exhibition will also cover other areas such as commercial lighting, decorative lighting, residential lighting and technical lighting.
The Asian Lighting Forum, co-organized by the Hong Kong Electronics & Technologies Association and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, under the theme “Illuminating a Connected World”, is a must-attend event for those looking to stay ahead of the curve in the lighting industry. Distinguished speakers will delve deep into the latest industry issues ranging from human-centric and smart lighting solutions to sustainability developments and world-class lighting designs that transform ambience.
The three tech fairs will continue to adopt the HKTDC’s EXHIBITION + model that integrates online and offline elements. It includes physical exhibitions, the Click2Match smart business matching platform, online and offline seminars and forums (Intelligence Hub), and the HKTDC.com sourcing platform. The integrated approach aims to extend face-to-face interactions and promotional activities from in-person events to online platforms. The Click2Match intelligent business matching platform will be open to participants from April 12 to April 22nd.
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