Thanut Vihakapirom (back) and Wimonwan Pattanapreechakul (left)
Business Development Managers
Middle Path Co., Ltd.
Thailand
As the largest fair of its kind in the world, the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair provides a good occasion for us to announce the launch of our Opod refillable coffee capsules. Each capsule is made of 304 stainless steel and comes with a food-grade silicone ring. This product is eco-friendly and reusable and helps to reduce garbage. It is designed for use with Nespresso coffee machines which are popular all over the world. Since our refillable coffee capsule is simple, affordable and sustainable, it has attracted a lot of interest from international buyers. We see lots of potential for this product in the EU market because EU member states have agreed to ban single-use plastic products. Just in several hours after the opening of the fair, we have answered a lot of enquiries from more than 20 buyers from Australia, Bahrain, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Turkey and the US. Buyers from Australia and Germany are likely to place orders for our refillable coffee capsules.
Tracy Murphy
Creative Director
JOI LTD
the UK
Launched last October, W10 is a collapsible double-walled cup with a stainless steel outer shell and a BPA-free plastic liner. Suitable for hot and cold drinks, each cup is sold with a pouch and can be carried in a bag or jacket pocket. To save the planet, it can be reusable. We are exhibiting at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair for the first time to introduce this new brand and find new customers. Our innovative and patented design has attracted a lot of interest from international buyers. We have talked to more than 100 new buyers from different parts of the world including Hong Kong, India, Mainland China, Taiwan, Spain, Switzerland and the US. More than 10% of these new buyers are expected to place orders with us after the fair. The Hong Kong fair provides a good opportunity for us to increase our exposure in the Asian market. It’s a good show.
Jamie Basheer (left) and Adèle Basheer (right)
Co-owners
Intrinsic Enterprises Pty Ltd
Australia
We started our business in 1996 by using A$30 worth of recycled cardboard to produce greeting cards on a kitchen table. After years of development, we offer beautifully-designed greeting cards, stationery, mugs, travel accessories and hand cream that can make a difference in people’s lives. A message of hope, love or encouragement is added to each product. Our main markets are Australia and New Zealand. We are exhibiting at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair for the first time to develop new markets. We are very happy with the fair because we have met with so many buyers from many places such as Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Lebanon, Mainland China, Mongolia, New Zealand, Russia, the UAE, the UK and the US. Buyers are very interested in our products which are very unique. We have found potential distributors from India, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Buyers’ responses exceed our expectations. We’ll come back next year.
Wachira Kaewkor
Department Director of SME Service Provider Coordination and Acting Unit Director of Data and Situation
Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP)
Thailand
Under the supervision of the Thai Prime Minister, OSMEP is a major policymaker that supports SMEs in Thailand and also incubates and trains startups and SMEs. We also help SMEs to develop international business networks by providing financial support and advice to them. Thailand SMEs received orders worth US$5 million through last year’s Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. As buyers like Thai products, we have set up the Thailand Pavilion at the Hong Kong fair for the second consecutive year. This year a total of 20 SMEs from Thailand are showcasing a great variety of gift items such as spa and beauty products, healthcare products, refillable coffee capsules, decorative items and cow leather wallets. OSMEP will definitely organise the Thailand Pavilion again next year because Thai SMEs can take this good opportunity to do business, collect buyers’ feedback and learn more about the future trends.
Sujuani Rana (right), Consul, Consulate General of Nepal in Hong Kong
Pun T. Prakash (left), President, The Hong Kong-Nepalese Business Association Limited
Nepal
Established in December 2016, the Hong Kong-Nepalese Business Association Limited (HKNBA) encourages the Nepalese youths to start their new business in Hong Kong and Nepal and facilitates Nepalese businessmen to promote Nepal’s products. As Hong Kong is a business hub, the HKNBA and the Consulate General of Nepal in Hong Kong have joined hands to organise a group pavilion at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair for the first time. The fair provides a good place for Nepalese SMEs to reach out to buyers not only from Hong Kong but also from many other countries. Nepalese youths living in Hong Kong will also meet with Nepalese exhibitors and look for new business opportunities. A total of nine Nepalese companies are showcasing handicraft products and herbal products at the fair. Our handicraft products reflect the Nepalese culture and our herbal products like organic tea and caterpillars are good to health. We are optimistic about the fair’s results because Nepalese products are so unique that they cannot be found in other countries. The fair can help to promote trade between Nepal and overseas countries.
Li Qiubo
Deputy Director
Cangnan County Bureau of Commerce
Mainland China
The Cangnan County Bureau of Commerce has been organising the Cangnan Pavilion at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair since 2014. Supported by a strong industry cluster covering design, sales and marketing, R&D and printing sectors, Cangnan companies are able to produce innovative and high-quality products. We support Cangnan companies to take part in the fair because they can take this good opportunity to promote their excellent products to buyers from all over the world. Cangnan exhibitors can also exchange ideas with buyers and collect updated market intelligence, helping them to update their products and make innovative products. The number of exhibitors in the Cangnan Pavilion has increased to 59 this year from 56 last year. They are showcasing a wide range of high-quality products such as non-woven bags, badges, cultural and educational gifts, home decorations and baby products. Buyers’ responses have been encouraging. Business atmosphere at the fair has been quite good. We’ll continue to organise the Cangnan Pavilion at this important gifts and premium fair next year.
Ms Sun Li
Director General
Bureau of Commerce of Anji County Zhejiang Province
Mainland China
As the largest bamboo producer in Mainland China, Anji County in Zhejiang Province has a long history in the production of bamboo handicrafts. Anji’s handicraft companies sell their products mainly in the domestic market. Since the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair provides an ideal platform for them to look for overseas buyers and open up new markets, the Bureau of Commerce of Anji County Zhejiang Province has set up a group pavilion here for the first time. We have come with eight companies to showcase a wide range of bamboo handicrafts such as tableware, handbags, hand fans and garments. Since the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair attracts a large number of buyers, we have decided to set up the Anji Pavilion again next year with more exhibitors in order to promote Anji’s products to more international buyers.
Benson Pau
Chairman of The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association (HKEA) and Project Convener of The Hong Kong Smart Design Awards (HKSDA)
Hong Kong
Celebrating its eighth anniversary this year, the Hong Kong Smart Design Awards (HKSDA) aims to nurture local design talents and promote Hong Kong’s original designs. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Toys Council and the Toys Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, we have added the Toys & Games category in addition to the Gifts category and the Home and Houseware category. For the Corporate Group, we have received more than 300 entries from 150-plus companies. The number of participating companies has increased, reflecting that Hong Kong companies have devoted more resources to R&D and product design. For the Conceptual Group, we have received 240 concepts from students and young designers. The HKSDA has turned the winning concepts from students and young designers into prototypes. All the winning designs of both Corporate and Conceptual Groups are being displayed at the HKSDA Pavilion in the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. The pavilion attracted nearly 700 visitors on the first day of the fair.
Nicki Chen
Export Department
Fujian Quanzhou Shunmei Group Co., Ltd.
Mainland China
Established in 1998, Shunmei is a specialist manufacturer of ceramics in Mainland China. Our products are exported to Australia, Europe, Japan, Korea and the US, and our clients include well-known brands in the world. Our company has been exhibiting at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair since its establishment because we can find large wholesalers, retailers and importers through the fair. The fair also provides a good opportunity for us to showcase our new products, increase our company’s profile and open up new markets. At this year’s fair, we have met with potential buyers from Canada, India, Indonesia, Korea and Poland. We’ll follow up with them after the fair.
Yao Ningsheng
Director
Jingdezhen Bureau of Commerce
Mainland China
Known as the ceramic capital of the world, Jingdezhen has a history of more than 2,000 years of making pottery, 1,000 years of making official kilns and 600 years of making imperial kilns. Jingdezhen’s ceramics are widely known to be ‘as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, as thin as paper and as sound as a bell’. This is the fourth time that we have set up the Jingdezhen Pavilion at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. The fair provides a valuable opportunity for us to promote the culture of Jingdezhen’s ceramics to international buyers and develop cooperative relationships with them. The Jingdezhen Pavilion is getting bigger and bigger, with the number of exhibitors increasing to 23 this year from 14 last year. They are showcasing a wide range of ceramic products including tableware, tea sets, home decorations and fashion accessories. They have met with buyers from Europe and Southeast Asia and received onsite orders. In view of overwhelming responses from buyers, we’ll set up a bigger pavilion at the fair next year.
Soichi Kawada
Branch Manager
Kokuyo Co., Ltd.
Hong Kong
Established in 1905 in Japan, Kokuyo designs and produces a variety of stationery products and office furniture. Currently we offer more than 30,000 products for home and office use. Social media users from around the world said that they like Kokuyo products, but we do not have distributors on every continent. We think it is the right time for us to showcase our products and look for distributors, wholesalers and retailers from all over the world, so we are exhibiting at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair for the first time. As small stores want to test their market response, we accept small orders like 100 pieces. At the fair, we have connected with new buyers from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Portugal and Russia who like the quality and design of our products. The fair really helps us to reach out to buyers from different parts of the world. The results have met our expectations.
Gary Chan
Managing Director (Greater China & Southeast Asia)
Pyramid China Limited
Hong Kong
Headquartered in the UK, Pyramid has offices in France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and the US. Our product portfolio includes stationery, notebooks, posters, wall art, drinkware, houseware and more for around 300 top international licences and brands such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Disney and Marvel. We have participated in the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair for many years because the fair provides an important platform for us to promote our licensed products and meet with both new and existing buyers. Buyer traffic at this year’s fair is heavier than last year. Many buyers mainly from Europe and Southeast Asia visited our booth and expressed their interest in our licensed products. Further negotiations will be conducted after the fair.
Frank Lin
Marketing Manager
Shenzhen Divoom Technology Co., Ltd
Mainland China
Established in 2006, our company is dedicated to developing innovative audio products that excel in aesthetic design and audio performance for all music lovers. This is our second time participating in the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. We are showcasing the fourth generation of Tivoo-Max pixel art Bluetooth speakers which are high-end corporate and personal gifts. This new model features a stereo speaker with subwoofer, alarm clock, programmable LED, voice mail, social media notification, sleep aid and pixel art creation. We have received favourable responses from buyers. Many buyers from Asia and Europe are interested in these products because they are unique. Two new buyers from Korea and the Philippines have placed trial orders for our pixel art Bluetooth speakers at the fair.
Wayne Dickson
CEO
The Aromatherapy Company
New Zealand
Established in 1995, our company uses 100% pure and natural ingredients to produce aromatherapy products such as fragrance diffusers, room spray, body care products and candles in New Zealand. We participate in the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair once in every two years because we make a lot of new contacts at the fair and spend a year’s time on building long-term relationships with them. At this year’s fair, we have got in touch with more than 50 new buyers from many places such as Canada, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Korea, Mainland China, the Netherlands and Russia. We expect 20% of these new buyers will place orders for our products after the fair. We are also happy to have received onsite orders from two existing buyers from Malaysia and Hong Kong for candles, body care products and fragrance diffusers worth a total of US$20,000. The Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair is important to our company because it provides an effective channel for us to develop not only the Asian market but also the global market.
Buyers’ Quotes
Michael Zhu
General Manager
Snowcap Trading Company Ltd.
Canada
With an annual sales turnover of C$30 million (around US$22 million), Snowcap is the largest souvenir company in Canada. I started to visit the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair 15 years ago. At this year's fair, I am looking for die-cast cars for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other gifts and premium items. Up till now, I have found 20 potential suppliers including seven for the supply of die-cast cars and 13 for the supply of glassware, bamboo mugs, green gifts and recycled plastic mugs. I’ll provide designs to potential suppliers and ask for their quotations. I plan to buy at least US$100,000 from each new supplier. In addition, I have already placed an order for US$250,000 worth of handmade wooden souvenirs with an existing supplier from the Philippines. In North America, people like less plastics and eco-friendly gifts such as those made of recycled materials. I like this fair very much because I can find reliable suppliers who can provide quality and eco-friendly products.
Darek Majewski
Director
Gift Box
Poland
Gift Box is an importer, wholesaler and distributor of gifts, packaging and greeting cards and supplies to 2,000 stores in Poland. Our company has obtained the licence to sell Disney printing products in Poland. This is my second time visiting the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. I am looking for BSCI-certified printing product suppliers and new suppliers of greeting cards, calendars and gift bags. So far I have found 6-10 potential suppliers. Usually I’ll buy products from new suppliers through my agents in Poland. I have placed orders with my existing suppliers including US$40,000 worth of wall pictures with a Hong Kong supplier and US$25,000 worth of greeting cards with a Guangzhou supplier. Consumers in Poland are willing to spend more money on gifts and the Hong Kong fair provides a good place for me to source new products with good quality.
Samsung C & T Fashion Division has 1,500 shops in Korea, carrying 56 fashion brands. I am looking for beauty accessories, personal care products, giveaways, promotional items and houseware products at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. Through the HKTDC’s business matching service, I have found two potential suppliers of personal care products like body shampoo and conditioner from Thailand. I like their products because they are made from organic and natural ingredients. To apply for the import certificate, we’ll send their samples to our government’s food and health department for examination. After obtaining the certificate, we’ll visit their factories. We have reserved an annual budget of US$1 million for buying personal care products. If these two Thai suppliers can meet all of our requirements, we’ll buy from them. I have visited the Hong Kong Fair for several times and it’s getting better and better with more quality products.
Peter McLaren
Owner
Orchard Grove Pty Ltd
Australia
Established in 1975, Orchard Grove is a wholesaler of promotional items in Australia. Our clients come from airports, theme parks, zoos, aquariums and restaurants. I visit the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair regularly to see different new products. Up till now, I have found eight potential suppliers of key rings, die-cast cars and leather bill holders from Mainland China. Their minimum order quantity requirement ranges from 1,200-3,000 pieces. I’ll place orders after the fair. The market for promotional items in Australia is competitive. I always need to look for new items and good prices. I like this fair because it is convenient for me to find a variety of good-quality and new products under one roof.
Anton Korbovsky
Sales Manager
Toomanygifts
Russia
Toomanygifts is a retailer of gift items in Russia. Apart from running two physical shops in Moscow, we also sell to consumers through our online store. As electronic gadgets are perfect gifts for kids and adults, they are our best sellers. I have come to the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair for the first time to look for electronic gadgets. I have found three potential suppliers of Bluetooth speakers, wireless chargers and LCD writing tablets. The LCD writing tablets are quite new in the Russian market because they can be used for educational purposes and business presentations. I plan to buy 500 pieces per item from each new supplier. The fair provides a good place for me to find value-for-money products and new gift ideas.
Anil Batra
Owner
Dolphin Print Arts
India
Established in 1999, Dolphin Print Arts is a wholesaler of corporate gifts and paper handicrafts in India and opened a B2B online store in 2006. I have come to the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair for the first time because I want to source from suppliers directly instead of importers in India for more competitive prices and a greater variety of products. Up till now, I have found four to five potential suppliers of pens, notebook covers and sticky notes. I plan to place trial orders worth a total of US$20,000-25,000 with these new suppliers. The fair gathers a huge number of suppliers to showcase all kinds of gifts. As our customers are more and more price-conscious, it’s good for me to come here to look for competitively-priced products and innovative designs.
Nguyen Duc Hieu (left)
Deputy Director of Business Development
Benthanh Group
Vietnam
Benthanh Group currently manages its investment in 32 member companies which are doing business in four areas covering commerce, tourism, real estate and industrial production. This is my second time visiting the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. Compared with my last visit eight years ago, the fair is getting bigger and bigger with more product varieties and creative product designs. As our member companies need to present promotional gifts and festive gifts to their customers, I am looking for new gift ideas here. So far I have found five potential suppliers of creative gifts and premium, paper gift bags and gift boxes. I’ll buy 200 pieces of small wooden lamps from a Thai supplier because their design is very creative.
Arman Momynov
Owner
Udivi.kz
Kazakhstan
Based in Kazakhstan, our company has two gift and souvenir shops and it is also an event organiser. This is my first time visiting the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. I am looking for souvenirs, sports gifts, outdoor gifts, bags, and medals for sports events. I have found 25 potential suppliers of all these items and plan to buy US$10,000-15,000 from each new supplier. I am particularly interested in waterproof and cut-resistant bags which are good for outdoor use. The Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair is an amazing show where I can source different products and the quality and design of the products here are good. It is good for me to come to Hong Kong to do business.
Krisda Rintranukul, Deputy Managing Director (right)
In business for 26 years, Amarin Book Center is a bookstore chain in Thailand which also runs an online store. We diversified into lifestyle products and stationery three years ago. We are looking for lifestyle products and stationery items with fancy and colourful designs at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. So far we have found 10 potential suppliers of pencil cases, writing instruments, educational toys, recycled bags and DIY paper storage boxes. We’ll ask for more details such as quotations and minimum order quantity requirements. We plan to buy US$20,000 worth of stationery and lifestyle products through the fair. We usually buy through distributors in Thailand. As the fair offers many unique and new designs, it is good for us to do sourcing here. It is also convenient for us to come to Hong Kong.
Cüneyt Gazioğlu
Co-owner
Bun Design
Turkey
Bun Design is the largest gift store chain in Turkey which has 65 shops selling 5,000 different products. Consumers like to buy our products because they trust the quality of our products. This is my second time visiting the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair. As we have our own designs, what we need is to find high-quality suppliers here. I have identified three potential suppliers for the supply of DIY cardboard chairs, Bluetooth speakers, egg-shaped jewellery boxes decorated with Swarovski crystals, photo frames and mobile phone chargers. We’ll check the quality of these potential suppliers. If their quality is good, we’ll buy 500-1,500 pieces from each new supplier. The Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair is a good place for me to look for new products and find everything that I need.