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Happy Hong Kong obtains the lion’s share

July 2004





A year ago we sadly observed BaselWorld’s Zurich fiasco when the Hong Kong exhibitors were metaphorically thrown to the lions because of the SARS scare. This year, with Hong Kong being given location priority in the newly created Hall of Universe, (333 companies, 6,500 square metres), they enjoyed a roaring trade.

There’s no point in dwelling upon the events of last year, however, it has to be said that under the direction of René Kamm, MCH Swiss Exhibition (MCH) has more than made up for the politics of last year by sealing an agreement whereby the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is now guaranteed a long-term participation at BaselWorld.


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The opening ceremony of Hall 6. From left to right: Jacques Duchêne, Henry Tang, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Administrative Region, Christophe Blocher, Federal Councillor and Head of Justice & Police, Jörg Schild, Francois Barras, General Consul of Switzerland to Hong Kong and last, but not least, René Kamm, Director Exhibitions, MCH.


The success of the Hall 6 is manifestly underlined by the attendance figures: 70,000 visitors made their way to the new venue, which compares very favourably with the official attendance figures of 89,350 for BaselWorld.
The official opening of the Hall took place on the opening day of BaselWorld in a very warm ambience, accompanied by a host of important officials, an acrobatic Lion’s Dance and a parade of gorgeous top models specially flown in from Hong Kong for the occasion. The stands were specially built for all the exhibitors in the Hall of Universe and despite the rather warm conditions caused by the sun and the spotlights (someone should check out the air conditioning system) the vast majority of both exhibitors and buyers were more than satisfied with the result.


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A Chit Tat Clock & Watch
Company chronograph.
Latitude digital fashion watches.



Good for 6 years
Lore Buscher, HKTDC’s Director, Central & Eastern Europe, was quietly enthusiastic about the Hong Kong contingent’s return to Basel.
“The general feeling was that we were very happy to be there. The contractual agreement with Messe Basel was the best option for us since we are now in the same place for the next six years. After that the six-year lease on the building will run out and another solution will have to be found.”
Asked about an article that was written in the National Jeweler, an American publication, whereby the exhibitors were critical about the venue and the facilities, Lore Buscher said with a smile, “We had 333 exhibitors and three were quoted in the article. Naturally we take this criticism seriously, but the three people interviewed were not at the entrance of the Hong Kong section. Well, it’s impossible to put everyone at the entrance,”Buscher explained, “and we cannot put every exhibitor in the main aisle. Out of interest, we carried out our own survey of Hong Kong exhibitors and 86% definitely want to participate again next year. Of the others, some are undecided and some simply didn’t reply to our questionnaire.
“The creation of the stands was finished in a very short time since the entire building had to be renovated. However, we are working with the organizers to make some changes. For the stand design and construction, the MCH chose a Dutch designer and the concept was to create a series of small islands of regions. India was different to China, but there was country standardization. There were a few special requests, but the styling of Hall 6 cannot be compared to the affluent Hall 1. For example, Patek Philippe’s concept is totally different to ours, but the effort of the exhibitors that tried to obtain a separate look with decorations was appreciated. More could be done, but we’re not unhappy with the result.”


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One of the Hong Kong models presenting watches.


A Vintage year
Asked about the business aspect, Buscher said, “The first day of the Fair was good and then there were two days when it was quiet. After that it was really business as usual. The overall results were positive since they equalled those of 2002.
“As to improvements, there is always room for progress, for example the signs for Hall 6 and the buses transporting people from the main Halls to Hall 6 could be a little more frequent, but I must say that overall, the HKTDC were satisfied.
“It’s important to stress here that BaselWorld is very important for the Hong Kong exhibitors – and also vice versa since we attract buyers to the Hall. But a high level of partnership between the organizers and the HKTDC was essential to the success of the event. It was a vintage year for us and we are working on further improvements, but for our first year in the new Basel location, we can say that it was a real success.”