Held last week from April 27-30, the Hong Kong Gift Fair, now in its 33nd year, attracted over 4,300 exhibitors from 35 countries and nearly 50,000 attendees. In conjunction with the Gift Fair was the 13th annual International Printing & Packaging Fair at the Asia World Expo, with both shows organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

Product trends included leisure and travel items, minimalist, starkly-designed bags in the vein of Herschel, pens made out of recycled water bottles and an array of Donald Trump items showing the U.S. president in all his glory. Conor O’Donovan, owner of the ODM Group, is a Hong Kong expat who regularly blogs about gift and premium trends. Click below to watch a video of Conor discussing trends he noticed (and a huge one he didn’t!) on this year’s show floor:

“The Hong Kong Trade Development Council has been keeping up with industry developments and launches the ‘World of Camping & Outdoor Goods’ Zone at this year’s Gifts & Premium Fair in response to growing popularity of hiking and camping,” said Benjamin Chau, deputy executive director of the HKTDC. “The Zone featured more than 90 exhibitors from around the world that offer a variety of professional and casual climbing packs, camping gear and sports items. To help the industry capture more business opportunities, the HKTDC organized more than 170 buying missions, comprising over 9,400 companies, to visit the Gifts & Premium Fair.”

Divided into areas like the Smart Design Village, the Isle of Originality and Brand Oasis, the show is putting a greater emphasis on product uniqueness and aesthetics, rather than what’s the least expensive and easiest to mass produce. The Hall of Fine Design, the premier hall for high-end and retail-inspired items with over 130 brands from local and overseas companies, remained a huge draw for attendees. Additionally, Chinese manufacturers continue to make inroads in their ability and amenability to ship small quantity items, fairly inexpensively, to North America.

“I attend the HK Gift and Premium show yearly to see some cool new products that I can bring back to our distributors,” says Dan Jellinek, executive vice president of Top 40 supplier Magnet. “I look to spot current trends and search for inspiration. For example, I know there’s a TV show claiming orange is the new black, but, at the show, it sure seemed grey is the new black.”

Chris Ferriter, vice president of sales for Miami-based SoBe Promos, Counselor’s Fastest Growing Distributor in 2017, pointed out that his company always sends a few staffers to the Hong Kong Show. “That’s where the newest, trending products always appear first,” he says. “It allows us to secure a source for these items before the vast majority of the industry and ensures we’re always offering customers the latest and greatest in promotional products.”

Next year’s Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair will be held from April 27-30 at the Hong Kong Convention Center (www.hktdc.com).

Photos

Check out some product trends from the Hong Kong Gift Fair.

Whether it was bobbleheads, clocks or banks, the visage (and hairstyle) of the U.S. President was ubiquitous at the show.

With secret safety pockets and the ability to recharge smartphones, the bags (at left) shown at the Hong Kong Gift Show were sleek, simple and multifunctional; This Bluetooth claw necklace (at right) was inspired by T-Challa, otherwise known as the Black Panther.

This pen (at left) is made from recycled blue water bottles; This year’s Welcome display (at right), full of bright, blinking lights.