Food Expo, Tea Fair & Home Delights Expo Open in August

27 July 2016 – Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), four lifestyle fairs are set to open on 11 August at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The fairs include the 27^th Food Expo, the third Home Delights Expo, the eighth Hong Kong International Tea Fair as well as the inaugural Beauty & Wellness Expo. Meanwhile, the International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products (ICMCM), co-organised with the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association Ltd (MCMIA), will take place on 11 and 12 August. The fairs are expected to draw more than 1,800 exhibitors showcasing the latest products to trade buyers and consumers alike.

Benjamin Chau, Acting Executive Director, HKTDC, said, “Featuring a wide range of international and local delicacies, the annual Food Expo is a feast for foodies. Other than the concurrent International Tea Fair and Home Delights Expo, this year we are launching a new fair, the Beauty & Wellness Expo, for the health-conscious consumers. Together with the ICMCM, the synergy created by the five concurrent events will provide a one-stop promotion and sourcing platform for exhibitors and trade buyers, creating crossover business possibilities while providing an all-around shopping experience for the public.”

Food Expo (11-15 August)

This year’s Food Expo features delicacies from close to 1,400 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions. With exhibitors from Croatia, Finland and Iceland joining the fair for the first time, food lovers can expect a greater variety of products.

The fair comprises three dedicated zones including Trade Hall, Gourmet Zone and Public Hall. The Trade Hall (11-13 August) is a one-stop platform for industry players where a number of themed zones are set up to create business opportunities and share market information, including the Halal Food Zone launched last year and the new Chinese Medicine Zone in association with the ICMCM. The Trade Hall will be open to industry players only on the first two days (11-12 August) before opening its doors to public ticket-holders as well on its last day (13 August).

Featuring flavours from around the world under different themes, the Gourmet Zone at Hall 3B continues to be an annual highlight of the expo. Open from 11 to 14 August, the zone will add a new theme this year, Green Palate, spotlighting organic and green food in response to growing demand for healthy meals. Elsewhere, a wide variety of gourmet treats will be on display including the top-tier Japanese sake “Juyondai Honmaru Kiri”, traditional Italian vinegar vomFASS and snail caviar from Malaga, Spain.

The Premium Food Zone at the Public Hall will feature more than 30 major Hong Kong brands including Kee Wah Bakery, On Kee Dry Seafood, Tai Pan, Maxim’s Caterers, Nissin and Tung Chun. Group pavilions from Canada, the Chinese mainland, Japan, Korea and the Philippines will also be set up at the Public Hall offering international sensations. Visitors can find exquisite products such as Alfa One rice bran oil which, in 2011, was the bestselling rice bran oil in New Zealand and won the Grocer Gold Award in London. Other exhibits will include the popular Hanjuku Kobo cheese tarts and “Prime Rice” which was served as a tribute to the Emperor of Japan in the past.

During the fair period, a series of events will be organised to help industry players explore new opportunities, and generate a lively atmosphere at the fairground. Events include cooking demonstrations by star chefs (such as Alvin Leung, a 3-star Michelin chef from Bo Innovation, Alice Chan, a popular cookery programme host, and Esther Au aka “Truffle Queen” and owner of Dolce Dolce Kitchen & Gourmet), sharing sessions by famous food critics, the launch of the 2016 – 2017 Wan Chai à La Carte, La Commanderie des Cordons Bleus de France and GHM Recommendation Restaurant Award Ceremony 2016, Q-Mark Selfie – Food Styling Competition with TV Stars, as well as seminars on “Hong Kong Green Purchasing – Food and Beverage Sector” and “Explore the latest Trend in Food Sustainability”, highlighting the latest trend in the food industry.

Home Delights Expo (11-15 August)

The Home Delights Expo will welcome 150 exhibitors showcasing a wide variety of electrical appliances, household items and utensils for every home. Visitors can enjoy sampling different delicacies while shopping for stylish household products. The fair’s Avenue of Delights will host close to 40 exhibitors presenting a range of premium lifestyle brands such as CLP, Dyson, German Pool, Kenwood, Ladyship, OGAWA, OTO, Philips, STAUB, Towngas, WMF and ZWILLING J.A. Henckels.

Public visitors will be able to join a number of activities such as lucky draws, product demos, sharing on health tips and cooking demonstrations by Paul Wong, Cloudland Chinese Cuisine Executive Chef, and Albert Au, Lai Sun F&B Management Group Executive Chef (Chinese Division). Visitors can also bid for featured household appliances and products in the popular Smart Bidding events.

Beauty & Wellness Expo (11-15 August)

As people become more conscious of living a healthy lifestyle, demand for beauty and wellness-related products is on the rise. This year, the HKTDC will launch a new Beauty & Wellness Expo to serve as a new marketplace for the latest beauty and wellness products.

Exhibitors will showcase the latest cosmetics, skincare, hair care and massage products, nail polish, beauty appliances and fitness solutions. These will include Glacier Moist Skincare, a specially designed skincare product line using Tibet water collected at an altitude of 5100 metres, as well as a series of protective lotions with hyaluronic acid from Taiwan and nail appliqués from the United States.

A number of events will be organised to provide a comprehensive experience for visitors including makeup, hairstyle and nail-art demonstrations. Also, well-known beauty blogger Yoko Tsang and medical professionals will conduct sharings on beauty trends and wellness issues.

Hong Kong International Tea Fair (11-13 August)

In its eighth edition, the Hong Kong International Tea Fair will gather more than 240 exhibitors from 10 countries and regions including the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and the US to present high-quality tea and related products. The three-day fair will open exclusively to trade buyers on 11 and 12 August and also welcome public ticket-holders on 13 August.

An array of exquisite teas will be showcased during the show, including Zhong Cha’s Wubanzhang, which is hailed as the king of pu’er tea, the red mark pu’er round tea cake made in the 1940’s, and pu’er tea powder made with arboreal tea leaves from 500-year-old plants. The fair also presents a wide range of teaware including a cover bowl made in the Qing Dynasty (1905) with a painting depicting an autumn scene, firewood teapots from Taiwan and Japanese iron teapots.

To promote tea culture, a highlight event will be the International Tea Competition 2016. Through blind-tasting, a panel of professional judges will review the tea entries. Another must-attend event is the International KamCha Competition (Hong Kong Style Milk Tea) International Final on 13 August. Regional champions from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Melbourne and Toronto will compete for the title. The Final for Yuanyang, another highlight of the show, will also be held on the same day.

Other events include international tea tasting sessions, international cup warming, international tea arts performance and industry seminars. On the last day of the fair (13 August), public ticket-holders will be able to join the fair and enjoy the tea forum series where experts and critics will share tips on wellness, tea tasting, as well as tea and cheese pairing.

International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products (11-12 August)

Co-organised by the HKTDC and the MCMIA, the conference will take place on 11 and 12 August. A total of 18 heavyweight speakers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, Thailand, the Chinese mainland, Macau and Hong Kong will share views on the opportunities arising from the Chinese mainland’s Belt and Road Initiative, the globalisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, regulations and registration strategies, the latest findings on research and development, as well as success cases sharing. The ICMCM will be an ideal platform for industry players to exchange ideas on the development of Chinese medicine.

Event Websites

• Food Expo: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkfoodexpo-en
• Home Delights Expo: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/homedelights-en
• Beauty & Wellness Expo: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkbeautyexpo-en
• Hong Kong International Tea Fair: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/hkteafair-en
• International Conference of the Modernization of Chinese Medicine & Health Products: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/icmcm-en

Media Enquiries

Please contact the HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:

Nick Waters             Tel: (852) 2584 4216           Email: nick.waters@hktdc.org

Media Registration: Media representatives wishing to cover the event may register on-site with their business cards and/or media identification.

To view press releases in Chinese, please visit http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/tc

Photo download: http://bit.ly/2a96U12

About the HKTDC: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and services providers. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in overseas markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.