Kenfair tests Macau waters

Mega Macao at the Venetian marked the start of the autumn season for sourcing in the Pearl River Delta of gifts, toys, electronics and household goods by buyers from around the world. Organizer Kenfair has committed itself to a three-year contract to host Mega Macao in April and October, the peak buying seasons.

Kenfair chairman Herbert Ip seems to think they are on the right track in Macau. "We believe Macau offers a unique and compelling new destination for business events in Asia. The convenient proximity to the low-cost manufacturing base of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) as well as the frequency of transport to Hong Kong, permits buyers and exhibitors to continue on their Southern China business trips with ease."

There were a few bumps along the way, as expected for a show of this size and scale, which is also the Venetian's first.

There simply were not enough taxis and buses to bring people to and from the venue. Moreover, ferry tickets were hard to come by in Hong Kong, because Mega Macao coincided with the NBA games and the Chung Yeung Festival holiday. The Venetian ferries, which were set to take off on October 18 bringing people closer to Cotai and away from the Macau peninsula, were still grounded due to licensing difficulties on the Hong Kong side.

Kenfair did arrange for a special counter at the ferry immigration terminal, so this helped to speed up entry into Macau for exhibitors and buyers.

Approximately 1,100 booths were set up at Mega Macao.

"This is not bad for their first show here, but I would have liked to see products better categorized," said Wayne Morris, a U.S. buyer who now bases himself in Zhongshan. "I like to be able to walk from one stand to the next and know they are going to be the same category of products. It's all jumbled up here and if I wanted to see Hong Kong products, I would have just gone to Hong Kong. I was hoping to see more things from Southeast Asia, but I only saw a few things from Vietnam, and just one from Thailand."