Sports Source Asia 2007 – A Hit in the First League

The first edition of Sports Source Asia – International Sourcing Fair for Sports Equipment and Sports Apparel (SSA), which concluded on October 30 at AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong, earned a high score from exhibitors and trade visitors.

International buyers were able to source from 300 exhibitors which were grouped in five theme sections: Sportswear, Sports Equipment, Sports Shoes, Sports Accessories, Fabrics & Materials.

Asia is the manufacturing powerhouse of the sporting goods industry and seven of the leading manufacturing countries & regions were represented by exhibitors: Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan and Thailand.

Mr. Ronald Unterburger, Managing Director & CEO Asia Pacific, MMI – Munich International Trade Fairs Pte. Ltd. mentioned, "The need for such a sourcing event was evident in the response. Just under 6,500 buyers visited the fair from 90 countries and regions.” Topping the list of visiting countries & regions was the Chinese mainland. It was always envisaged that SSA would play a crucial role in facilitating business relationships between the Chinese mainland and international industry players and this proved to be the case.

Rounding out the top nine visiting countries & regions after the Chinese mainland were: Taiwan, USA, Japan, Australia, Canada, the Philippines, Germany, Italy and France.

Mr. Raymond Yip, Assistant Executive Director of Hong Kong Trade Development Council said, "We are very honoured to have major industry players, Mr. Ma Ji-long, Secretary-General of China Sporting Goods Federation and Director General, Sports Equipment Administrative Center of China General Administration of Sport to be our guest of honour for the opening ceremony. Also, the fair attracted many of the major international sourcing organisations and offices."

In terms of buyer reactions to the fair, the response was equally positive. The organisation of the fair and the services it provided for buyers were noted and appreciated. SSA was favourably compared to events in Europe and elsewhere by a number of buyers.

Mr Manfred Karpf, General Manager of Germany's Ksport Karpf, said: "I have been participating in exhibitions for over 30 years and this is the best show I have been to in Asia. The variety of sporting goods companies exhibiting at the fair was very interesting to see. Number one show in Asia!"

Hong Kong's location and its value as a trading platform and sourcing hub were already well known to most buyers but the concentration of suppliers under one roof added even more value, according to buyers.

Mr Paul Earle of Pearl Sports, Australia, was among those impressed by the flexibility as well as the quality of manufacturers and suppliers present. "SSA provided me with an opportunity to meet with some prospective suppliers. It was worth visiting to meet suppliers who could take flexible production orders in terms of quantity, or mixed orders." Mr Earle was one of a number of buyers who appreciated the ease of navigation of the fair, noting that "the hall planning was well done, helping visitors easily find products of interest."

Mr. Teemu Selvenius, Product Manager of Finland’s Truebell Plc, said: “Hong Kong is a good location for this kind of sporting goods event due to its proximity to Chinese mainland where there is the cluster of manufacturing plants in the Asia Pacific region. Thus, it was convenient for us to travel to Hong Kong on our way to meet with some manufacturing partners in the Chinese mainland. Furthermore, the event was systematically organized for everyone’s convenience. Great job!”

Exhibitor satisfaction levels were high at the close of the show. The international composition of the buyer attendance, as well as the quality of buyers, was well received.

Mr Imran Saeed Malik, Director Sales for Newlife Industries of Pakistan, said: "There were quite a lot of enquiries from the Chinese mainland, Korea, Germany, Norway and other parts of the world. I met with buyers from the brand owners' sourcing offices in Hong Kong as well. I am satisfied with the result and I will participate in the show again next year."

Mr. Sanjiv Mahbubani, Director for Chinese mainland’s Global Marketing, Xtep Co., Ltd., said: “Exhibiting at trade fairs can be a great marketing tool for brand exposure, as well as good opportunities to build up the relationship with our prospects. We are satisfied with the overall arrangements of SSA and best wishes to the organizers for the continuous growth of the show.”

Local exhibitor, Mr. Graham Mak, General Manager of Dart International Garment Limited (Hong Kong) also mentioned, “I am glad to see that the first SSA has been successful in attracting buyers from so many countries. The show has generated excellent sales leads and created golden opportunities for us to reach our target buyers. I love all the professionally organized events during the show such as the opening ceremony, seminars and parades.”

The 2008 edition of Sports Source Asia is scheduled from 28 – 31 October, at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.

For more information please visit http://www.sportssource-asia.com

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Background Info:
Sports Source Asia is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and MMI - Munich International Trade Fairs Pte Ltd (a member of Munich Trade Fairs International Group). For over 30 years, HKTDC has been organising some of the largest and most professional trade fairs in the world. With its extensive network of offices and databases of commercial contacts around the world, HKTDC strives to create the best fairs that bring business opportunities to traders. ispo Group, MMI’s division of sports and sports fashion shows, is supporting SSA with its strong connections in the sporting goods markets around the world and extensive experience in organising the International trade fairs for sports equipment and fashion in Munich, Russia, and Chinese mainland for over 37 years.

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