【Hong Kong】Hong Kong International Licensing Show Sees Growing Interest in Japanese IP

by

Editor’s Note

This article highlights the recent Hong Kong International Licensing Show and Asia Licensing Conference, key B2B events that brought together global IP licensors and industry leaders.

load
Event Overview

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) held the “Hong Kong International Licensing Show,” a B2B exhibition featuring licensors with various content IP (intellectual property) from around the world, and the “Asia Licensing Conference,” which brought together global leaders in the licensing industry, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from April 28 to 30.

Scale and Participation

In addition to the “Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair,” “Hong Kong International Printing & Packaging Show,” and “Deluxe Printpack Hong Kong” which were held concurrently last year, the new “Home InStyle” and “Fashion InStyle” events were also held simultaneously. Including the aforementioned licensing-related events, a total of seven events attracted over 100,000 buyers from 131 countries and regions.
According to HKTDC, during the three-day event, the “Hong Kong International Licensing Show” featured over 330 exhibitors showcasing more than 600 brands and intellectual property products, with over 20,000 buyers in attendance. Seven pavilions were set up at the venue for Japan, South Korea, Mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand, Macau, and Hong Kong. The Japan Pavilion hosted eight companies.

JETRO’s Role and Exhibitor Feedback

JETRO, as part of its support program for the overseas expansion of content businesses, set up a booth within the Japan Pavilion for the second consecutive year (see May 15, 2024 article). It promoted Japanese-origin IP by publicizing the B2B online catalog site “Japan Street” for overseas buyers and displaying samples of IP listed on Japan Street.
Visitors to the JETRO booth were predominantly buyers from Hong Kong and Mainland China, but also included buyers from Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, India, and other parts of the world. While last year’s booth saw many inquiries from apparel, sundries, and toy manufacturers interested in collaborations with Japanese IP, this year there were numerous inquiries from local event planners for shopping malls who wanted to use Japanese IP for event planning.

開く
“Compared to last year, the number of visitors to our booth has increased significantly. It’s not just licensees from Hong Kong and Mainland China; we also get the impression that licensees from Southeast Asia and other regions have increased.”
“We are able to develop new licensees every year, so we want to continue exhibiting.”
“We are receiving more offers not only for merchandise of content but also from event companies.”
“There were many discussions about concrete business deals.”

These were some of the positive comments heard from exhibitors in the Japan Pavilion regarding the significance of their participation.

A Note of Caution

On the other hand, some companies that have exhibited for several consecutive years noted:

“Compared to the past, we get the impression that there are fewer major licensors exhibiting. Some of them have shifted to exhibitions in Mainland China.”
Full article: View original |
⏰ Published on: May 14, 2025