HKMB Hong Kong Means Business

Hong Kong Means Business Hong Kong Means Business
  • Login / Register

Languages

  • EN
  • 繁
  • 简
  • Events
  • My Feed
  • Contact HKTDC
  • Subscribe
  • Subscribe

Section Menu

  • Market Opportunities
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Sustainability
  • Creativity & Lifestyle
  • HKTDC Updates
  • Featured Topics

Languages

  • EN
  • 繁
  • 简
  • HKTDC.com |
  • About HKTDC |
  • My HKTDC |
  • Login / Register |

HKTDC.com About HKTDC My HKTDC

Login Register

Hong Kong Means Business

Section Menu

  • Market Opportunities
  • Tech & Innovation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Sustainability
  • Creativity & Lifestyle
  • HKTDC Updates
  • Featured Topics

https://origin.hkmb.hktdc.com/en/1X0AKU0I

Tech & Innovation
SAVE FOR LATER
SHARE / SEND

"Scan QR Code" in WeChat and tap "..." to share.

Book Fair takes two tracks

Enhanced digital features augment this year’s event, long a fixture on book lovers’ calendars.

04 September 2020


One of the global internet’s earliest and most enduring success stories started out selling one core product – books. While books were the steam engines of the e-commerce revolution, the enduring popularity of bookstores worldwide shows that many readers still like to browse through physical titles, as well as searching online.

Best of both worlds

Recognising that a hybrid online-and-offline model would be best amid the current pandemic, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) offers both a physical and an online book fair this year.

Physical shows

Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director (left) and Elvin Lee
Benjamin Chau, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director (left) and Elvin Lee, Chairman of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation Limited, host an online media briefing on the Book Fair



The HKTDC has rescheduled the 31st HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair and concurrent HKTDC Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo to run from 16 to 22 December 2020 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The events were originally scheduled for July but were postponed amid concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong.

“The HKTDC has been coordinating closely with the industry and exhibitors regarding the rescheduling arrangements for the Book Fair. To gauge exhibitors’ intentions and preferences, a survey was conducted earlier. More than half of the respondents preferred us to hold the fair before the end of 2020, if the pandemic situation allows, to help them seize the opportunity for promotions and sales,” explained HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau.

“We will continue putting our best effort into organising the Book Fair, facilitating the industry to overcome the current challenges,” he said.

HKTDC Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo
The HKTDC Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo runs concurrently with the HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair

Mr Chau said public safety remains the HKTDC’s top priority and further assessments will be made in the run up to the event to decide if it should proceed as scheduled.

“On 16 November, a month before the fair’s scheduled opening, we will assess if the event should proceed in light of the prevailing situation and risks,” he said. “This will be followed by a final evaluation and decision on 9 December, a week before the fair’s opening and shortly before the exhibitors move in, with a view to minimising as far as possible any extra expenditure that might be incurred by exhibitors.”

“We will promptly notify all stakeholders and exhibitors of any changes [to the arrangements] to allow them sufficient time to get prepared,” added Mr Chau.

Funding support

The Dragon Never Dies – Bruce Lee @80
Thematic exhibitions at the coming Book Fair include “The Dragon Never Dies – Bruce Lee @80” co-organised with the Bruce Lee Club

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is offering generous funding support, capped at HK$100,000 per exhibitor.

Mr Chau said the government earmarked funding through the second round of its Anti-epidemic Fund to subsidise local exhibitors’ participation fees. This subsidy will remain applicable to the rescheduled Book Fair. At the same time, the HKTDC will continue to support exhibitors through various discounts – including a discount for members of supporting organisations and an expansion incentive. With these subsidies and discounts, most exhibitors will be able to participate in this year’s Book Fair free of charge.

The rescheduled Book Fair will continue with the event’s original theme, Inspirational and Motivational Reading, with the tagline “Reading the World • Inspiring the Mind and Refreshing the Soul”. The HKTDC will showcase a thematic exhibition in the Art Gallery aligning with this year’s theme, titled “Words to Warm the Heart”. The Art Gallery will also feature two other exhibitions with the themes “Cherished Memories of the Children’s Paradise”, and “The Dragon Never Dies – Bruce Lee @80” co-organised with the Bruce Lee Club. Many noteworthy cultural events will be run during the fair.

Book Fair Online

At the same time as proactively preparing for the physical fair in December, the HKTDC has also been enhancing its online promotional platforms to create a better online-to-offline experience for booklovers and make it easier for them to purchase books during the pandemic. The brand-new Book Fair Online section has been introduced in the Book Fair website and mobile app, bringing together exhibitors’ online retail platforms in the “Exhibitor Directory” webpage, enabling booklovers to conveniently browse and purchase exhibitors’ books and products. By 2 September, the Book Fair Online had already aggregated more than 210 exhibitors’ online retail platforms with over 110,000 books available for sale.

Book lovers can directly buy their favourite books through the “Buy Now” function to search and link to exhibitors’ online sales platforms.

To encourage the industry to utilise online platforms to expand business, and to help exhibitors learn more about online selling, the HKTDC has coordinated with several third-party online retail platforms to hold online briefing sessions for exhibitors that do not have online outlets.

Cultural Journey Online

Mr Chau also mentioned the introduction of the Cultural Journey Online webpage on the Book Fair website earlier this year. The new section has pooled together various e-reading resources, museum exhibitions and cultural activities. In addition, the HKTDC has recently uploaded about 140 recordings of selected popular seminars that have taken place over the past 10 editions of the fair. These seminars featured renowned authors such as Ni Kuang, Louis Cha, Lung Yingtai, Pai Hsien-yung, Jimmy Liao and Lin Qingxia Brigitte. Those who were not able to attend the events in person can now enjoy fascinating insights from renowned authors through this platform.

Related link
HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair

Benjamin Chau

BACK TO TOP ^
CONTENT PROVIDED BY
    Topics:
  • Books & Printed Items,
  • Hong Kong,
  • e-business,
  • Bookshop
  • Books & Printed Items
  • Hong Kong
Home

Article Topics

ARTICLE TOPICS

BOOKS & PRINTED ITEMS24619
HONG KONG36026
E-BUSINESS80889
BOOKSHOP121651

ARTICLE TOPICS

BOOKS & PRINTED ITEMS24619
HONG KONG36026
E-BUSINESS80889
BOOKSHOP121651

Innovation terms banner block

interest_article

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

03 February 2023

Success beckons at expo

09 January 2023

Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show

20 December 2022

Chilean cherries take express road

19 December 2022

Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair

Related Events

RELATED EVENTS

19 - 21 April 2023

Asian Licensing Conference 2023

19 - 22 April 2023

Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair 2023 (Physical Fair)

19 - 29 April 2023

Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Fair 2023 (Click2Match)

19 - 25 July 2023

HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair 2023
FIND AN EVENT

Social Share

FOLLOW US

GET WEEKLY UPDATES

newpaper-img

GET OUR WEEKLY EMAIL UPDATES

banner-img


I acknowledge that the above information may be used by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) for incorporation in all or any of its database for direct marketing or business matching purpose (and may therefore become available to the public within and/or outside of Hong Kong for use by them), and for any other purposes as stated in the Privacy Policy Statement; I confirm that I have the consent and the authority of each individual named in this form to release their personal data for the purposes stated herein.


*For non-EU/EEA customers, please skip this box which is solely for EU/EEA customers as required by the relevant data protection law in the EU.

THANK YOU

Thank you for registering.

SHARE THIS STORY

EMAIL
LINKEDIN
WeChat
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
WHATSAPP

ID: HKTDCofficial

Don't have an account?

Create An Account

successfully added on your preferences.