Hong Kong Products Exhibition
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  • Reminiscences of Hong Kong Products Exhibitions (I)
    Such events were suspended from 1974 until 1994 when the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association (CMA) resumed organising them on a smaller scale. The history of organising such exhibitions was reviewed, from the Chinese products exhibition held at Sincere Company’s rooftop to the hosting of various industrial products exhibitions showcased many years later.
  • The participation of a toy manufacturer in the Hong Kong Products Exhibitions
    Lam’s factories, including Winsome Plastic Works, Advance Plastic Factory and Forward Products Co.. had participated in the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo (HKBPE) for six to seven times during the times of Governor Alexander Grantham, Robert Black, and David Trench. Winsome was a producer of photo frames, lampshades and signs for the local Hong Kong market. They had a shop on 93 Hennessey Road. Winsome was the first of Lam’s factories to join the HKBPE. It was an opportunity to directly promote the factory to the public and businesses, and they were well received. Alice Doll and Forward, on the other hand, manufactured for the overseas markets. Lam explained that running a booth at HKBPE could boost company reputation and promote the company to foreign businesses in Hong Kong. At the same time, it was a good time to sell out a sizable volume of products. Forward used their female factory workers in the Miss Exhibition Pageant, and one of them had wun an award one year. Forward also advertised on Overseas Chinese Daily News. Lam stressed that the HKBPE was not only a chance for local sale, but also for marketing and connecting factories to exporters.

    Lam introduced photos taken at the HKBPE: Governor Robert Black visiting Fowind’s booth, Winsome’s products in the 1950s, Group photo at Winsome’s booth, Group photo at Forward’s booth. Lam spent 20,000 to 30,000 dollars every year in designing and building his booth. Only a certain selection of products was sold in the exhibition. But that was enough for the company to break even. The HKBPE stipulated the size of each booth, so the participant factories all tried their best to design the booths in ways to attract visitors. Lam displayed different sorts of doll costumes and crystal balls at the booths. The dolls looked like Barbie, for a lot of Hong Kong factories copied foreign products in those days. It was not common for plastic factories to be present at HKBPE. One of the more outstanding exception was Red A. Toy factories did not take part actively either. Large factories with abundant capital, such as Red A, put up booths with eye-catching design, so did the major producers of vitreous enamel, torches and crystallised ginger. Lam’s booth was constructed by an interior design company. Usually, those companies would come to pitch their services after the factories registered for the HKBPE. The two parties would confer with each other to work out the booth design.
  • The participation of a PVC manufacturer in the Hong Kong Products Exhibitions
    KP Tin participated in the Hong Kong Brands and Product Expo (HKBPE) organised by The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong in his early years in Hong Kong. Tins’ plastic and processed products were displayed in their booth with an aim of promoting Hong Kong’s plastic processing industry to foreign buyers. Tins’ also had a showroom at office to promote sales for low-end clients, indirectly facilitating Tins’ own businesses in return. Participating in the HKBPE was quite effective in targeting mainly Hong Kong customers. Tin’s had participated in the HKBPE for 3 or 4 times until the promotion aim was achieved. HKBPE at first was an exhibition for the industries to meet buyers. It later transformed into a carnival, which did not serve much use for Tins’. No reception was served at Tins’ booth, which only came with display windows showcasing plastic films, plastics, etc. Sometimes a buyer who met KP Tin in the booth would subsequently contact Tins’ straight.
  • Reminiscences of the son of an exhibitor about the Hong Kong Products Exhibitions
    Founder of Chung Nam Watch Co., Ltd, Chong Ching Um, was a director of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong (CMA). Chung Nam had participated in the Hong Kong Products Expo. What left a deep impression on young Chong Hok Hoi (Chong Ching Um's son) were snacks, toys and games in the Expo. He already knew Red A was a famous Hong Kong brand. As a watch manufacturer, he thought that these activities were less important than the watch and clock fairs.
  • Reminiscences of a child about the Hong Kong Products Exhibition
    Lai Lok Shing’s parents operated their grocery store in Lower Wong Tai Sin Estate, they only took one day off for rest every six months. They used these breaks to take the children to visit exhibitions such as the agricultural exhibitions and Hong kong products expos. The products expos were held in Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui. In the products expos, the booths of Pak Fah Yeow, Red A plastic products and Crocodile shirts were all beautifully decorated with eye-catching features. The Red A stand was especially fascinating from a distance while the Pak Fah Yeow booth was decorated with giant bottles and the Crocodile had living crocodiles at the booth. Lai Lok Shing was excited about visiting the expos as he loved the glamorous lighting, the tasty food on offer and casting his vote for Miss Expo. While visiting the expos, parents often bought clothes such as shirts, trousers and “Dai Di” brand school blazers for their children. While he was young, Lai Lok Shing rarely saw new products such as electronic watches when he visited the expos. After he grew up, he went to the expo with his girlfriend was shy when the two visited the Family Planning Association’s booth to get information on birth control. The courting couple got married when Lai Lok Shing was 26 years old in 1974 –the same time as the last expo took place.
  • The participation of a metal products manufacturer in the Hong Kong Products Exhibition
    From 1957/1958 onward, Kin Hip had set up booths at four Hong Kong Products Exhibitions (the Exhibitions), hiring people with expertise to design the booths for displaying various products such as plastic containers and bicycle horns. In those days, Kin Hip was very focused on export markets. The Sun’s ultimate reason for participating at the exhibitions was to improve their company’s reputation among the local trading firms who used to visit these events to source products for their overseas clients. Two Hong Kong Governors, Sir Robert Black and Sir Alexander Grantham, had visited Kin Hip’s exhibition booths. Over the years, Kin Hip’s double-layered plastic cups won several Exhibition’s Packaging Design Awards. While using the Exhibitions as a channel to meet business partners, Kin Hip continued to concentrate on overseas rather than local sales. As the company eventually succeeded in building stable sales via channels such as sending out product catalogues to overseas customers, it eventually ceased to join the exhibitions. Ultimately, Sun Kin Chao also felt using incentives such as food to attract visitors to their booths did not fit the style of Kin Hip.