MIF | ‘One-belt-one-road’ oriented trade and investment fair kicks off

Chui Sai On, Li Gang and Lionel Leong at MIF yesterday

The Macau government has diversified the 20th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) based on the central government’s much-touted strategy of regional cooperation, reinforcing a wide range of offerings and sub-events within the four-day exposition.
The annual exhibition commenced yesterday morning at the Venetian Macau in the presence of many high-level officials, bringing more than 1,900 exhibitors from around the globe onto an interaction platform of around 37,000 square meters.
However, one local exhibitor, Fok Ion, owner of the Kit Ou (Macau) – Pelaria Limitada, who has been exhibiting at the event since its debut in 1996, told the Times that strengthened investment in the fair was “not always linked to improvement and profits, at least not for certain types of homegrown small and medium-sized enterprises.”
During Secretary for Economy and Finance Leong Vai Tac’s visit around the venue in the afternoon, Fok whispered into Leong’s ear when the high-level official dropped by his booth.
Fok said afterwards that it was not an event as full of business potential as the officials had claimed in their respective addresses, and he reckoned it would be hard to garner business opportunities in the following days.
Having attended similar industry fairs many times before in both Hong Kong and the mainland, in Macau he could barely find fitting partners, except for one local hotel in a previous edition.
“As it was mostly professional visitors [in Hong Kong and the mainland], whereas here you could see lots of miscellaneous visitors,” said the businessman. “It’s hard for us to find real business partners under these circumstances.”
Returning to the expo simply to support the authorities’ efforts, he also did not hold out any hope for the business matching either.
However, some foreign participants saw value in the fair, which they believed has ushered in many potential opportunities.
Lisa Delcambre, a sales representative from a French beverage manufacturer’s office in Hong Kong, commended the fair for bringing potential clients to the newcomer, who was introduced to the event by the French Chamber of Commerce.
Having yet to make a deal, Delcambre said she was glad to have exchanged business cards with many other exhibitors.
Cristian Prado Ahumada, a commissioner at the Trade Commission-Consulate General of Chile in Hong Kong, echoed the French exhibitor’s praise, adding that he has seen partnerships reached between the group’s members and other parties over the past four years.
Starting right after the opening ceremony, many specific-themed seminars are planned throughout the following days. This year’s event also focuses on acting as a bridge for the Portuguese-speaking nations. For the first time, the authorities have set up a designated district called the “Portal Professional Service Supplier Exhibition Area,” in which 16 professional service providers have their services on display.