Held from April 27-30, the Hong Kong Gift Fair, now in its 34th year, attracted over 4,360 international exhibitors from 31 countries and 48,316 buyers from around the world. In conjunction with the Gift Fair was the 14th annual International Printing & Packaging Fair at the Asia World Expo, with both shows organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

The official entrance to the 2019 Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Show in the Hong Kong Convention Center.

Product trends included health and wellness-themed items mining the global “self-care” trend, glitter – on journal books, caps, pens and bags – a plethora of drinkware, clearly speaking to the move against single-use plastic bottles, and reusable straws crafted from metal, bamboo and coated paper.

“The Hong Kong Trade Development Council has always strived to assist our industries in opening up new markets,” said Benjamin Chau, deputy executive director of the HKTDC, noting a new emphasis at this year’s show on the beauty, fitness and wellness industries. “With beauty and well-being products becoming increasingly popular and more diversified in recent years, we are now seeing more companies choosing such products as corporate gifts. The Gifts & Premium Fair gathered nearly 50 exhibitors from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, India and New Zealand to showcase the best of these products.”

This year’s Gifts & Premiums Fair was divided into 19 product zones including Advertising Gifts & Premiums, Corporate Gifts, Green Gifts, Luggage & Travel Goods, Packaging, Tech Gifts, Sporting Goods, Umbrellas & Outdoor Goods and Watches & Clocks. The Hall of Fine Design, the premier hall for high-end and retail-inspired items with over 140 brands from local and overseas companies, remained a huge draw for attendees. Additionally, Chinese manufacturers continue to make inroads in their ability and amenability to ship small quantity items, fairly inexpensively, to North America.

Additionally, the HKTDC offered a variety of product demos and seminars including “The New Retail Era: What’s New in the U.S. and Mainland China Markets,” given by Charlie Poon, an analyst at Coresight Research. This seminar delved into 10 retail trends such as cash-free stores, AI-focused operations, and retailer/start-up partnerships to fuel innovation (for example, Adidas working with urban graffiti artists and collectives), and legacy retailers like Tiffany, which is undertaking overhauls of its flagship stores.

Melissa Ralston, chief marketing officer for BIC Graphic (asi/40480), finds it to be a necessity in today’s promo marketplace to attend the annual Hong Kong Gift Fair. “Similar to how we analyze retail and fashion segments, this show ensures we’re on track to guide our new product development,” Ralston said. “Attending the show every year validates the direction we take with design, new colors and finishes, and gives us a sense of how much staying power these trends will have in the promotional space. It’s important for us to provide the best new products to our distributors so they can meet the expectations of their end-user clients. The show also provides insights into improvements with design, decoration and supply chain that we can implement within the business to maximize our efforts and better serve our customers.”

Spencer Kramer, owner of Miami-based Sobe Promos (asi/245603), Counselor’s Fastest Growing Distributor in 2017, said that he and his team attend the show because they think it’s important to check out what the new trends in retail and technology are before they hit the U.S. market. “Although we didn’t find a ton of new products there this year, we did find some new factories for products we are currently sourcing, which was one of our objectives for this trip,” Kramer noted. “We also spoke to a few factories outside of China, which we’re excited about given the current tariff situation we’re facing.”

Next year’s Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair will be held from April 27-30 at the Hong Kong Convention Center (www.hktdc.com).

More Photos & Video

The registration area and opening day on the show floor at this year’s Hong Kong Gift Show.

We loved the decorating method on these jute bags from the India-based supplier Jutify (www.jutify.com), especially when it takes the form of the Lizard King himself, the Doors’ Jim Morrison.

A buyer looking at eco items made from bamboo and jute.

One of the seminars sponsored by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, “The New Retail Era: What’s New in the U.S. and Mainland China Markets” held on the show floor and presented by Charlie Poon, an analyst with Coresight Research.

ASI Vice Chairman Matthew Cohn (left), shown here at the ASI & PSI PromoAlliance cocktail reception at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong, with Trevor Gnesin, owner of Counselor Top 40 supplier Logomark.

Michael (left) and Tom Hung, owners of the top Asian factory Headwind Group, at the Polo Club in Hong Kong. You'd be hard-pressed to find more gracious, gregarious, fun dinner companions than this father-son duo. Love these two!

Michelle Wendling, director of global supply chain for Counselor Top 40 distributor Corporate Imaging Concepts, shown here with ASI’s Matthew Cohn at CIC’s cocktail reception at the Renaissance Hotel in Hong Kong. “The Hong Kong gifts show is a great place to find new trends, new unique decorations techniques and materials for new takes on classic items,” said Wendling. “In addition it gives me the opportunity to meet with and connect with people in the industry from around the world to share ideas and best practices.”

One prevalent trend on the show floor of this year’s Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair was the use of glitter as an embellishment, making an appearance on everything from notebooks and drinkware, to hats, bags, pens, power banks, chargers and watches.

While there was no stop-in-your-tracks, definitive “product of the show” like fidget spinners or suction phone stands, reusable straws – in metal, bamboo, coated paper – were ubiquitous, due to the worldwide effort to move away from single-use plastic bottles in an effort to help the environment and reduce the amount of plastic waste found in landfills and oceans. Collapsible, telescope-like straws – complete with mini cleaning brushes – were on display in abundance.

One of the coolest things we saw: a holographic display, available for purchase (for under $5,000 USD) for events and tradeshows. Another exhibitor, StreamWear, has technology for sale that can “bring any object to life through Augmented Reality.” For example, if you download the app, you can scan an items logo and a pre-set video will play and animate the item.

Whether it be books for contemplative journaling (said to reduce blood pressure), stress-relieving, strength-building hand and arm exercise devices or texturized, rubber finger caps to brush a baby’s (or pet’s) teeth, health and wellness items were plentiful at this year’s Hong Kong Gifts Show. 

Continuing the trend of items crafted from eco-conscious and sustainable sources, cork, jute, bamboo, stone and concrete bags, desk and home accessories.  

Iron Man (or at least his multifunctional super suit) makes an appearance on the show floor.

One of the signature dishes in Hong Kong (though certainly not for everyone), Peking Duck.