Some 62,000 buyers from 141 countries and regions attended the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition), Hong Kong International Outdoor and Tech Light Expo and Eco Expo Asia, which concluded on 31 October.
Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the two major lighting fairs featured some 3,000 exhibitors across two venues, while Eco Expo Asia—jointly organised by the HKTDC and Messe Frankfurt, and co-organised by the Environment and Ecology Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government—drew some 340 exhibitors and over 11,000 buyers.
Across the three fairs, buyers from outside Hong Kong primarily came from the Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, India, Korea, the US and ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
Numerous product launches and demonstrations took place during the four-day Lighting Fair. Dutch company Signify marked the Asia debut of a product offering a safe and controlled source of low-intensity UVB exposure to support vitamin D levels. Raimond Dumoulin, LED Architect at Signify, shared that the company connected with over 100 potential buyers during the fair and expects to generate more than HK$9 million (EUR1 million) of orders.
Exhibiting at the Lighting Fair for the first time, Finland’s Casambi Technologies staged an on-site café providing buyers with a fully immersive experience showcasing the seamless transitions and intuitive operation of its smart lighting solutions.
Lighting systems integrated with AI attracted strong attention from buyers. Specialising in wireless smart lighting, Bweetech Electronics from Shanghai reported meeting some 50 potential buyers from the US, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia within the first two days of the exhibition, and had doubled the value of an order with a Thai customer compared to last year.
Long-time buyers reaffirmed the event’s enduring appeal. Hasan Khan, Sales and Product Specialist at Trient Trading in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has attended the past 5 editions and this year attended again to source lights for new apartments and hotel projects worth HK$12 million (US$1.6 million).
According to an independent on-site survey, 61% of lighting industry respondents anticipate overall sales to grow in the next one to two years.
Key drivers of this expected growth include AI (57%), smart city development (40%) and technological advancement (36%).
However, industry players also highlighted operational challenges, citing fluctuations in the global economy (65%), rising costs due to inflation (42%), and growing protectionist measures, such as export controls, tariffs and sanctions (35%), as their main concerns.
Global platform for mainland green companies
Held alongside the lighting fairs, Eco Expo Asia provided a valuable platform for enterprises offering environmentally conscious products and services to expand their international trade networks and seize green business opportunities.
Apart from trade buyers, the event welcomed government service providers from the Chinese Mainland, as well as from ASEAN and Belt and Road countries to source green technologies and products. Notably, there was a marked increase in buyers from Australia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and the US.
Chinese waste collection and transportation vehicle maker Infore Enviro revealed the firm had received sales enquiries from over 35 government representatives from Hong Kong, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. The company anticipates its overseas revenue growth to exceed 200% this year, driven by expanding demand for sustainable urban solutions.
Hong Kong enterprise Dunwell Engineering has exhibited its products—including food waste processing systems and fire extinguishers—at the fair for 20 years. The company's Sustainability Officer Benson Leung shared the company connected with potential buyers from Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia and EU countries. He estimated orders generated at the fair will account for around 20% of the company's annual revenue.
The expo drew a strong turnout of overseas buyers actively sourcing innovative products. Endre Bali, Business Development Director at Oxyma Systems in Hungary, said he had connected with a Chinese exhibitor to explore a potential hydrogen storage and production partnership, valued at HK$23-38 million (US$3–5 million).
Now in its 20th year, Eco Expo Asia has firmly cemented its role as a global platform for mainland green companies, enabling them to capture business opportunities across the Middle East and Southeast Asia.