The Hong Kong Exhibition & Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) issued a statement yesterday, emphasising continued event capability in Hong Kong, with major exhibitions and conferences “running without incident or interruption” despite demonstrations.
The statement sought to assure event participants, buyers and exhibitors that events in the destination are unaffected.
It noted that despite road closures resulting from “several public activities”, the destination’s two major venues for trade exhibitions and international conferences – the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and AsiaWorld-Expo – remain accessible by foot, private cars, freight trucks and public transportation, and are fully operational.
HKECIA’s chairman Stuart Bailey said: “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. Exhibitions and conferences 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.”
The statement pointed that June, July and August were being peak months for mega consumer exhibitions in Hong Kong, and noted that all scheduled shows were held as planned.
The annual Hong Kong Book Fair was attended by nearly one million visitors over seven show days. Meanwhile, the annual trade and consumer exhibition, Food Expo, and three concurrent exhibitions, which utilised all exhibition halls at the HKCEC, went ahead as planned from August 15-19, despite a large-scale but peaceful rally on August 18. The four exhibitions brought together more than 2,100 exhibitors and welcomed nearly 450,000 visitors.
International trade exhibitions scheduled for early September will also 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).
