Informa Markets

Events showcasing electronic and communications appliances and components have long been a staple for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). This year, the HKTDC combined its five autumn technology fairs events into a single exhibition, running in a hybrid physical and online format, that underscored Hong Kong’s emergence as a growing innovation and technology hub.

Autumn brought more than falling leaves in Hong Kong this year as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) hosted a collection of technology-focused fairs.

The serial information technology revolutions – transistors (1950s), integrated circuits (1960s), personal computers (1970s, 80s), Internet (1990s) and mobile devices (2010s) – had a profound effect on the global economy because of their breadth. The jump in communication, data processing and storage capacity transformed every field from accounting to zoology.

Many industries – from vehicles to power utilities – are fast becoming components of information and communications technology (ICT), which is now undergoing a revolution, jumping from 4G to 5G.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) had to think on its feet and move quickly to adapt early this year as the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to international travel and even movement between Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Many Hong Kong companies would do well to study Mainland China’s fervent embrace of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology.