Hong Kong officials were taking every precaution to make sure the flu didnt spread. Cleaning crews at the convention center were constantly disinfecting elevator buttons, hand rails and door handles. Touch-free hand-sanitizing dispensers were everywhere. On streets and sidewalks around the city of 7 million, scores of people wore face masks. At Hong Kong International Airport, white-clad health officials were checking all inbound passengers and making them fill out health forms. Hong Kong is a global hub with people coming in from all over the world, and it can spread easily, said William Cheung of RTHK Clothing in Hong Kong. "People are thinking, If I can miss any show, this would be the one."

A third factor affecting US buyer attendance was an unprecedented early July show. Normally, Hong Kong Fashion Week is held a few days later. With the show beginning on July 6, many US buyers didnt want to depart on the July Fourth holiday to make the two-day trek to Hong Kong. (Travelers flying from the United States to Asia lose a day when they cross the international date line.) The Hong Kong Trade Development Council moved up the date so it could hold Hong Kong Fashion Week in conjunction with the smaller Summer Sourcing Show for Gifts, Houseware & Toys, normally held a week before Hong Kong Fashion Week. The convergence of the shows was due to a major expansion project completed at the convention center, cost-cutting efforts and the idea that buyers might be in the market for apparel as well as gifts.

Exhibitors Take

Even though some of the exhibitors and buyers complained about these challenging times, there were buyers as well as exhibitors, who were quite happy. In the India Pavilion, Vinay Agarwal, Vice President of Aman Exports International in Jaipur, saw some positive results at the show, mostly from European buyers. A representative from 25-year-old French boutique chain Camaeu was asking for various samples. "The European market is very good, and the US market is getting better," Agarwal said. His two factories in India now have 1,500 workers, compared with 850 last year. "Compared to last July, business will be up 30 per cent," he said.

Hubert Erjawetz, CEO, Siebdruck Center Nord oHG, Germany said, "This is our first time at the fair. We find Hong Kong the right place to market our extraordinary metal tie under the MyTie collection. This is a place where you can make very good business. The fair's organisation is perfect. We have so many traders from all over the world and we are especially keen to develop a presence in Asian markets such as Japan. Added Fred Lee, Director, Yorkmass Ltd., Hong Kong, "This is a great meeting place for our existing customers from different parts of the world. It really helps in promoting business as we can take orders from existing buyers more efficiently. We can also increase the international profile of our knitwear products and find new buyers at the fair."

According to Liu Yan Lan, Director, China Council for Promotion of International Trade, Ningbo Sub-council, Chinese mainland, "We have a total of 70 companies exhibiting their latest collections in 118 booths this time. This is a great show generating good business for us, and that is way we bring more and more companies year after year. HKTDC does an excellent job in organising and promoting the exhibition. We are particularly impressed with the meticulous service and devoted efforts in attracting buyers from different places in the world. Said Fatih Dindar, Sales & Marketing, Ormo Yun Iplik San Ve Tic A.S., Turkey, As a Turkish company, it is interesting that we have many Turkish buyers here, we did not know them; so many came to Hong Kong and now we can do business with them here. Hong Kong is a bridge between the Chinese mainland and Europe. Overseas companies like to deal with Hong Kong companies in order to reach the mainland. The organisation of the fair works well for example, we had the opportunity to meet with overseas journalists who showed great interest in our products."

Cai Huan Tian, President, International Trade Branch of Wenzhou Fashion Association, Chinese mainland, said We have strong confidence in the trade fairs organised by HKTDC. They are professionally run and attract high-quality buyers from everywhere. Hong Kong Fashion Week serves as a major trading platform for our companies to expand sales and international profiles. This year, we have 42 companies from Wenzhou showing their collections at over 100 booths."