Johnson NG, Sr Manager, Publications & E-commerce at Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre (HKTDC) was in India recently to promote the fairs organized by the company as well as their online trade promotion platform. “I think India fits the bill, versus China, because it’s more for small orders, variety and exclusivity. If this is put across loud and clear, we will have more and more participation from India,” he says. India according to him stands for variety and not mass production or big orders.
HKTDC is strongly promoting small order initiatives in the country and these were discussed with the export promotion councils, during his visit. “Many of their members are capable of entertaining small orders. The small order volume in terms of $2,500 (over Rs 15,000) would be the optimum size of a small order trade for members,” he said, adding, “If Indian companies are interested in this, I would encourage them to use our online platform to do that. That is an alternative, Indian companies could explore in addition to our trade fairs.”
He feels that in terms of size and price range, Indian export is quite competitive. “They are quite unique, where other products of the western world don’t match. I hope Indian companies make use of our platforms, be it the trade fair or our online sourcing platform, to capture more business. We can help promote Indian export through our platform,” Johnson informed.
At the same time, HKTDC also wants to promote Hong Kong-based textile and garment products and brands in India. However, he thinks that a lot of effort needs to go into igniting Indian interest in Hong Kong and to increase the participation of Indian companies in Hong Kong fashion weeks together with its online promotional platform.
