Exhibitors disappointed by poor customer traffic at the lighting fair are looking for better turnout in Autumn

The 15th Edition of the Lighting Fair held by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council from Apr. 6 to Apr. 9, drew 200,000 visitors and disappointed exhibitors because of poor turnout.

With the theme of “bright lighting smart living”, the spring lighting fair covered commercial lighting, decorative lighting, residential lighting, and technical lighting with accessories, showcasing an extensive array of lighting products and solutions.

The Hong Kong International Lighting Fair is an annual exhibition for international buyers to learn about trends and innovations. The Autumn edition is regarded as the largest and most influential professional lighting exhibition in Asia. 

"As our experience, the spring edition is typically not optimistic. So we had low expectations for this edition," said Huang Wing, a sales representative at LED Night Lights, a light fixture company based in Zhongshan. “The customer traffic and turnout in the Autumn edition is usually better.”

Ariana Chen, sales manager from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was disappointed with the poor turnout.

“We've been doing this for over a decade, and this year there aren't as many people as in previous years, also with fewer exhibitors. You can see from the large open area in the back of the exhibition hall,” said Chen.

Zhu Yixin, 32, a seller from Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, said their turnout and visitors were not bustling this year. “Our company has been producing outdoor lights for 26 years, ” said Zhu. “Maybe it is because the light fixtures look so old-fashioned.”

“Most of the exhibitors who take part in the Spring exhibition can get a better booth to displace in autumn,” said Zhu. “I hope we can have more turnout this autumn.”

Cloye Wu, senior account manager, was looking forward to a better customer traffic this autumn, “The turnout this year didn’t reach our expectation, both exhibitors and customers shrunk.”

Andrew Kraftsoff, a Russian buyer who has been in the lighting business for over 30 years, also thinks the autumn fair will be more comprehensive and bigger, but he did find the company I’m going to cooperate with this spring.

“I come here every year, the lighting fair in Hong Kong is always nice with high quality and innovative light as usual,” said Kraftsoff.