Hong Kong’s trade show organisers hope the ‘city under siege’ image won’t damage visitor numbers this autumn, or next year
- Organisers hope for calm by the time Hong Kong’s trade show and exhibition calendar kicks into high gear in September
- Economic impact from weeks of unresolved protests may materialise in coming quarters, or even next year, when overseas visitors gauge Hong Kong’s appeal
Trade event organisers in Hong Kong are assessing the economic impact from weeks of unresolved civil protests, amid concern the city’s brand as a meeting and event hub could be under threat.
How much the protest movement has weighed on the local event management industry is hard to gauge, partly because of the diverse range of events scheduled in Hong Kong and question marks as to whether visitors will be discouraged from taking part in the coming months.
Six events ranging from consumer expositions, concerts and fan meetings have been cancelled or partially affected since the large-scale protests began in June.
“I think that all of our members are realistic in expecting the second half of the year to be more challenging than the first half,” said Stuart Bailey, chairman of the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association.
He said it was difficult to gauge the impact as next year’s take-up rate and other external factors would have to be considered.
“Trade events begin in earnest at the start of September, by which time we hope that cooler heads will prevail,” said Bailey. “The true test for the MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions] industry will come after the summer when the autumn trade fair season starts to ramp up.”