The preeminent exhibition for green-tech business in Asia, Eco Expo Asia, closed its 2014 edition on a high note. Organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and co-organised by the Environment Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the show saw its strongest global presence yet. In attendance were 308 exhibitors representing 22 countries and regions. These industry experts gathered at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong from 29 October – 1 November to showcase a wide spectrum of truly innovative green products and solutions. By covering everything from energy efficiency and green building solutions to waste management and air purification technologies, the fair offered both trade professionals and the general public ways to facilitate sustainable development.
The fair’s international environment was further bolstered by 10,817 visitors from 89 countries and regions. Visitors targeting location-specific exhibitors took advantage of various pavilions to streamline sourcing. Clustered by country, returning pavilions included Canada, Japan, Russia and Switzerland, as well as Chinese mainland pavilions for Foshan, Guangdong, Guangzhou, Macau and Shenzhen. Sweden made its debut participation, along with the Netherlands and Korea pavilions.
Officiating the 2014 opening ceremony was Mr Wong Kam-sing, Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR. Mr Wong said: “Eco Expo Asia has unfaltering support from the industry, government associations and eco-conscious individuals. The show continues to prove itself as a first-choice platform for green solutions, backed by engaging forums and seminars led by the experts. It is an honour for the Environment Bureau to be a co-organiser of the fair again.”
Fair’s position reinforced as a holistic business platform for green-tech sector
Participants reinforced the idea that Eco Expo Asia is an effective platform for green business in Asia. Many of their objectives were to network, conduct industry research and launch new innovations.
Through the collective effort of the show’s organisers, co-organiser and various supporting organisations, and leading international brands, as well as government and industry representatives from Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and other areas across Asia were well represented. This gave exhibitors access to the decision makers and top-level government officials that could implement their solutions.
Supporting the notion that the market potential for green business is strong was Mr Riggs Lee, Business Development Executive at Program Contractors Ltd from Hong Kong. Mr Lee, reflecting on his satisfactory experience as a first-time exhibitor, shared: “We wish to promote our high-quality aluminium formwork systems. They are green, cost-effective, user-friendly and can be reused. With a surging amount of construction projects in Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, together with the calls for more environmental protection, there will be huge demand for eco-friendly products and technologies. Eco Expo Asia is the only widely-recognised fair in the industry in Hong Kong, making it an event that we cannot miss. I was happy with the visitor flow and met quite a lot of professional visitors who were interested in our products. Additionally, “Theme Day” is a really good initiative and concept, especially for visitors, since they can visit depending on different themes and meet targeted business partners. For exhibitors, we can easily meet relevant professional buyers.”
Exhibitors in waste management echoed similar sentiment. Mr Juan Chui, Senior Operation Manager at Baguio Waste Management and Recycling Ltd in Hong Kong, mentioned: “We joined Eco Expo Asia to promote our integrated waste management solutions that can be tailor-made to clients’ needs. The fair is an effective platform for us to interact with property management companies that are now paying more attention to environmental protection. We have gained numerous leads from Hong Kong, Chinese mainland and global enterprises. Our future plans are to expand the business overseas and the show is helping us to accomplish that.”
For Mr Michael Win of the Senior Marketing Management Team at Eurolite Technologies Pte Ltd in Singapore, it was his first time ever exhibiting in Hong Kong. Mr Win stated: “We are here to launch our new and innovative wind power generators that run on very low wind speeds and multiple wind directions. We have generated many good leads from Hong Kong, Canada, Iran, Turkey and some other European countries. Moreover, we are pleased to have met exhibitors with technologies that can possibly be combined with our turbines for better energy efficiency. The show is a great networking platform and we are beyond satisfied with the results.”
Mr Urs Heutschi, CEO of Swissenviro.ch, the organiser of Switzerland Pavilion, is no stranger to the fair. Mr Heutschi commented: “Eco Expo Asia is very international, as it always is. I brought six companies and they were able to meet their target customers from Asia, America and Europe. The show is an occasion where not only local visitors, but also international buyers attend. It is a remarkable platform to promote our brands and technologies, as well as to expand our network. Here, suppliers from Switzerland promote state-of-the-art environmental protection technologies, and connect with the government officials and buyers in Asia. All the exhibitors at the Switzerland Pavilion are happy with their results and we would definitely recommend the show to industry peers.”
Also behind the efforts to foster an increasingly low-carbon society is German luxury carmaker, BMW. For the first time ever in Hong Kong, the new BMW i3 electric car was available for test rides and drives. Mr Hugo Lui, Product Genius at BMW Concessionaries (HK) Ltd, said: “Electric cars are a major trend in the automotive industry and this platform will advocate initiatives to develop cars that are more environmentally friendly. The promotion results from the show have exceeded our expectations.”
Diversity of solutions and show scale praised by visitors
At this ninth edition of the fair, trade-focused and casual visitors alike were greeted by a wealth of options to meet their ecocentric demands. The show’s growth in scale and product range has not gone unnoticed.
Mr Yasuhisa Shimura, General Manager of Procurement Strategy and Planning Department at Shimizu Corporation, one of the top five contractors in Japan, was a returning visitor. Mr Shimura noted: “I can tell the organisation and scale of the show have grown a lot. I have met suppliers based in Hong Kong who manufacture materials in the Chinese mainland. Costs are relatively low while the quality seems high. I will bring samples back to Japan for further quality testing with the hopes of importing them.”
Ms Mabel Leung, Assistant Technical and Quality Manager at Nespresso in Hong Kong explained: “The show this year featured more international exhibitors and the diversification of products has been broadened. I am here to source technologies that will help my company recycle the waste it generates. We are currently recycling aluminium coffee capsules but we still wish to explore new technologies to improve the efficiency of the recycling process.”
First-time visitor Mr Bosco Ng is an Assistant Waste Reduction Officer in the Waste Reduction and Recycling Division at the Environmental Protection Department of the HKSAR. Mr Ng said: “I came to learn about new waste reduction and recycling technologies. The Buyers’ Briefing Session was the first thing I attended. There, I learned about refrigerator recycling, which is very new to me. It affirmed that many new recycling solutions are available at the fairground.”
Eco Asia Conference was held during the Expo. Over 30 government representatives and industry experts in environmental protection development exchanged market knowledge regarding new Chinese government policies and technological advancements. More than 560 attendees joined the Conference’s discussions including Government Related Session, Eco Smart City, Waste Management & Recycling, Sustainable Energy & Energy Efficiency, and Green Building.
Next year marks the 10th edition of Eco Expo Asia. This milestone event will be held from 28 – 31 October 2015 at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong. For more information, please email ecoexpo@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com or exhibitions@hktdc.org, or visit www.ecoexpoasia.com.