Updates from Hong Kong: April 2023
Greeting from our Senior Commercial Officer, Bradley Harker
We have had a busy month in March. From meeting with numerous prospective companies at Tradewinds in Bangkok to initiating new services for U.S. companies, signs are pointing to a resurgence in business activities, in tandem with the pick-up in commercial activities across Hong Kong.
From education to environmental technology, we are fielding questions from companies on how they can find a competitive edge to successfully launch their products and services here. If you are considering Hong Kong as one of your export markets, do get in touch with your sector specialist.
In conjunction with the Hong Kong Sevens, we partnered with the State Department to host a reception at the Consul General’s residence to celebrate the men’s and women’s U.S. Rugby team and to raise awareness for the Golden Eagles, a non-profit organization that is financing the national team’s participation in the World Cup Sevens Championship.
Another successful event worth mentioning was the curated event we hosted for the University of Chicago to introduce their Hong Kong campus along with their top-notch programs. The event was attended by more than 50 business leaders and Consuls General from 12 countries.
We successfully recruited a 10-member delegation to attend Promat, a material handling conference in Chicago. This year’s Promat was the largest ever show with a total of 50,900 attendees, an increase of 12% from the last show in 2019. The show also saw a rebound in international attendees from 178 countries globally.
Upcoming Commercial Service Events
Thinking of investing in the U.S.? Join our Select USA Investment Summit, May 1-4, 2023.
The SelectUSA summit is the biggest annual investment summit that attracts more than 3,000 attendees. If you are considering investing in the U.S., we are looking for delegates to join the summit in Washington D.C. on May 1-4, 2023.
The Summit will match over 1,200 investors with hundreds of different states, industry experts, and third-party providers to explore investment projects and resources.
Interested delegates can submit your application here. For more information, please contact Boris Meyer at boris.meyer@trade.gov.
USA: A Study Destination – U.S. Sustainability Programs, April 18-21, 2023.
Companies, governments, and universities worldwide are looking for high quality educational programs to teach about sustainability. To meet that demand, we are inviting international agents, counselors, university partners, and foreign government officials from across the globe to participate in the USA: A Study Destination Global Virtual Connection Program from April 18 – 21, 2023.
Participants can benefit from discovering suitable accredited programs available on a wide spectrum of trending ESG related topics ranging from biology, architecture and design, environmental science and sustainability, health sciences, energy, agricultural, horticulture, marine sciences along with degrees in environmental law and economics.
This connection program offers international participants a great platform to meet with reputable top-notch education institutions and gain insights to interesting programs that will meet the demands of students seeking to gain professional qualifications in sustainability.
International participants may take advantage to schedule one-on-one 45-minute virtual meetings with potential partners. To register, please email Maggie Lau at maggie.lau@trade.gov.
Join IPW, the U. S’s largest inbound travel trade show, May 20-24, 2023.
With wanderlust on high gear again, it makes perfect sense to attend the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2023 at San Antonio, Texas this May. IPW 2023 has confirmed the participation of more than 1,200 travel exhibitors and destination organizations.
As part of the delegation, attendees will get up to 42 prescheduled appointments with exhibitors representing destinations, hotels, attractions, and transportation companies. The U.S Travel Association will provide lodging at the assigned hotel for five nights. Additionally, your registration includes all meals and networking functions, which are an official part of IPW.
If you are a travel agent interested in promotion U.S. as a holiday destination or travel media wanting to rediscover the U.S., please contact Maggie Lau at maggie.lau@trade.gov to learn about the conference
International Franchise Expo New York, June 1-3, 2023.
The U.S. Commercial Service is partnering again with MFV Expositions to promote International Franchise Expo (IFE), the largest franchise show in the U.S. The conference runs from June 1-3 at the Javits Center in New York and will showcase hundreds of participating franchises across industries.
Aspiring business owners and seasoned investors in franchises are invited to join our Hong Kong delegation. More than 70 educational sessions will help participants learn more about the fundamentals of owning a franchise, financing, marketing, and ways to scale-up an existing franchise.
Members of our delegation will be given access to International Business Center, one-to-one business match making and a 50% discount to attend workshops. Please e-mail Natalie Tong at natalie.tong@trade.gov if you are interested to join the IFE delegation.
2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo, July 23-27, 2023.
The 2023 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo is one of the milestone events in the medical laboratory industry. Taking place at the Anaheim, California Convention Center, the program will focus on the latest research and changes in the industry in the form of lectures, plenary sessions, scientific sessions and roundtable discussions.
Delegates can also connect with industry leaders in clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of breaking science in laboratory medicine. So far, more than 800 exhibitors and 200 new products and services are scheduled to be unveiled during this year’s event.
We invite clinical lab professional across Hong Kong to attend AACC. Please email Natalie Tong at natalie.tong@trade.gov for more information.
Superzoo, August August 15-18, 2023.
Our office has begun to promote the furriest and lovable trade show of the year, SuperZoo. If you are in the pet business and want to keep up with new pet trends, head out to Las Vegas this August 15-18, 2023.
SuperZoo is the largest pet retail event in North America, organized by World Pet Association since 1950. The show attracts more than 1,000 exhibitors and 20,000 attendees.
With more than 100 educational sessions, easy-to-navigate floor show, a special area dedicated for grooming and exotic pets, the show is not to be missed by anyone in the pet business. Please e-mail Natalie Tong at natalie.tong@trade.gov if you want to join our SuperZoo delegation.
International Franchise Expo New York, June 1-3, 2023
If you are toying with the idea of investing on a franchise, join our delegation to attend the biggest franchise show in the U.S, the International Franchise Expo (IFE) in New York.
In its 31st edition, this show offers aspiring and seasoned franchise owners more 70 educational sessions, and the opportunity to interact with top franchises in every industry.
This 3- day event will start on June 1, 2023 at the Javits Centre in New York, delegates can take advantage of the complimentary admission, one-to-one business matchmaking, access to the Global Business Center. E-mail Natalie Tong at natalie.tong@trade.gov if you are interested to learn more about the show.
Recent Highlights
Reception with USA Rugby team, March 28, 2023.
On March 28, the U.S. Commercial Service hosted a reception at the Consul General’s residence to welcome the U.S. national men’s and women’s rugby and show support for sports as a powerful exchange tool. In attendance were the players, coaches, support staff, as well as sports journalists, influencers, NGO representatives and members of the Golden Eagles, an NGO that financially supports U.S. Rugby.
Consul General May noted that international sporting events like the Hong Kong Sevens (which takes place March 31-April 2) bring athletes together from across the globe and helps build bonds of understanding between people.
He said, “Whether you consider yourselves athletes, coaches, managers, or fans, you use rugby as a way of connecting with people. And connecting with people is fundamentally what diplomacy is.”
SelectUSA Training Seminar, March 23, 2023
To promote the upcoming 2023 SelectUSA Investment Summit on May 1-4, 2023, the U.S. Commercial Service, in partnership with Deloitte API, Withers Worldwide, and the State of South Carolina just held a training seminar about how to successfully land in the United States.
The participating companies gathered at Deloitte’s new office space at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park to learn about the tax and legal considerations when investing in the U.S. The State of South Carolina also shared best practices for working with U.S. Economic Development Organizations and shared highlights of successful investments in the U.S. by Hong Kong companies.
Hong Kong companies can email boris.meyer@trade.gov to discuss your U.S. expansion strategies.
United Airlines Launch, March 6, 2023.
On March 6, United Airlines relaunched its daily flight service from Hong Kong International Airport to San Francisco International Airport after a 3-year hiatus. United Airlines has been operating in the Hong Kong market for 40 years. San Francisco is United’s largest hub airport on the U.S. West Coast and a gateway to Asia-Pacific.
Consul General Gregory May was happy to join the United team to offer remarks at the departure gate during the official relaunch. Because demand to travel in and out of Hong Kong is so high with the removal of Covid restrictions, United is likely to add additional nonstop service between the U.S. and Hong Kong soon.
If you would like to learn more about travel and tourism to the U.S., please contact Maggie Lau at maggie.lau@trade.gov. If you would like to learn more about aviation in Hong Kong, please contact Michael Wajntal at michael.wajntal@trade.gov.
University of Chicago Welcome Reception, March 10, 2023.
On March 10, the U.S. Commercial Service partnered with the beautiful and historic University of Chicago Hong Kong campus to host a networking reception for Consulates General, business leaders, trade associations, and members of the arts and culture community.
To learn more about our work in the education sector, please contact Maggie Lau at maggie.lau@trade.gov. For more information on education in Hong Kong, please visit our Country Commercial Guide.
Promat 2023, McCormick Place, Chicago March 20 -23, 2023.
 The U.S. Commercial Service Hong Kong successfully recruited 10 delegates from Hong Kong to attend Promat 2023, the U.S.’s biggest supply chain conference in Chicago.
During the 3-day conference, delegates learned about increasing automation processes in supply chains. They also accessed the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Center and took a site visit to the FedEx’s last mile delivery center in downtown Chicago.
The U.S. Commercial Service in Hong Kong is focused on engagement with the large logistics sector. To read more about logistics in Hong Kong, check out our Country Commercial Guide or email michael.wajntal@trade.gov.
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