Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the inaugural Smart Lighting Expo and 15th Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Spring Edition) (Spring Lighting Fair) concluded successfully yesterday. The twin lighting fairs welcomed some 16,000 buyers from 107 countries and regions, making a strong start to the HKTDC technology fairs in April.
Sophia Chong, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “As one of the partner events of the Business of Innovation & Technology Week (BITWeek), the inaugural Smart Lighting Expo and the 15th Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Spring Edition) attracted not only buyers in Hong Kong but those from Mainland China, Australia, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Russia and the United States, a testimony to the fairs’ internationality. The two lighting fairs brought enormous business opportunities to those in the industry and served as an ideal platform for exchanging ideas on the latest market development and trends.
“An exciting line-up of mega events will captivate visitors one after another, with the HKTDC launching the four-day InnoEX and Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) this Saturday (13 April) following the successful conclusion of the lighting fairs. We will also organise a series of lifestyle fairs later this month, including Fashion InStyle, Home InStyle, Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair, Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair, the brand-new Deluxe Printpack Hong Kong and Hong Kong International Licensing Show, poised to foster economic development in Hong Kong across different industries.”
An on-site survey of 507 exhibitors and buyers found 63% anticipated higher sales in the next 12 to 24 months while 35% expected stable sales, a testimony to optimism in the lighting market.
Respondents considered the North America (62%), Mainland China (59.7%), ASEAN countries (59.6%) and Northern & Western Europe (55%) to be promising lighting markets over the next two years in terms of growth.
For the industry overall, household lighting systems that are compatible with or can be controlled by smart phone/tablet applications (40%), smart lighting systems primarily geared for energy-saving for household/industrial/commercial purposes (38%) and household lighting systems that are connected to or compatible with the Internet (27%) were considered to have the greatest market potential.
Respondents named home automation and smart lighting control systems (46%), energy-efficient lighting control solutions (37%) and outdoor smart security lighting systems (22%) as having the biggest potential for smart lighting.
Respondents revealed that consumers would be willing to pay an average premium of 24% for smart-lighting products.
Participants applaud robust trading opportunities
Trading at the twin shows was promising. Mars Lee, CEO of Zhongshan OBALS Lighting Electric Co., Ltd., said: “The debut Smart Lighting Expo is a good platform to promote our customised smart lighting products and apps targeting high spending markets in Australia and Europe. We are so happy that on the first day of the fair, multiple buyers from Australia and Europe have placed orders for our smart lighting control systems, track lights, downlights and linear lights worth RMB3.8 million [US$525,000] in total. We are very satisfied with the results and have already signed up for next year’s Smart Lighting Expo.”
Orachat Leingpeboon, Vice President Smart City Promotion, Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) from Thailand, visited the Smart Lighting Expo and said: “I am here to see the latest smart lighting solutions, energy-saving and eco-friendly products for smart city development projects in Thailand. I’ll provide my suggestions to related government departments and bridge the supply and demand sides. At the Expo, I have seen new and interesting technologies such as solar wrap poles, smart home solutions and horticultural lighting. I’ll share these new technology updates with related government departments and the public in a webinar in Thailand. I’ll recommend the twin fairs to the Department of Alternative Energy Development & Efficiency and the Illuminating Engineering Association of Thailand too.”
At the Spring Lighting Fair, a loyal exhibitor from Hong Kong, Walter Zeng, Product Manager of KTE Electrical Ltd., said: “On the first fair day, we have talked to more than 200 overseas buyers mainly from Europe. The HKTDC’s Click2Match platform also provides extra opportunities for us to find new buyers and we have already set up at least three online meetings. We estimate that our sales turnover generated by this fair will surge by 50-80%.”
