The Hong Kong Computer and Communications Festival is only charging a HK$1 (12 US cents) admission fee for mainland Chinese visitors under a limited offer, while exhibitors from belt and road countries are set to join for the first time.
The four-day festival will launch on August 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and is expected to draw 300 exhibitors – the event’s largest number since 2009.
Among those joining the event were 120 software companies drawn from the mainland and countries that made up the Belt and Road Initiative, the festival organiser said on Wednesday.
The initiative refers to Beijing’s plan to link economies in Asia, Europe and Africa into a China-centred trade network.
To help attract attendees, the festival is offering a limited number of tickets to mainland visitors through Alipay for HK$1 from Wednesday to Sunday. Hongkongers can pick up the tickets for HK$5 over the same period.
Alipay is a payment app owned by Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post.
Standard tickets are priced at HK$35. Admission is free for children no taller than one metre (3.3 feet), people over the age of 65 and holders of a Registration Card for People with Disabilities.
Hui Kin-sang, a former chairman of festival organiser The Chamber of Hong Kong Computer Industry (CHKCI), said it also hoped to use such promotions to attract more Hongkongers amid a trend of many residents heading north to spend.
He estimated that the number of visitors would be similar to last year, but hoped the promotions could contribute to a 5 per cent increase year on year.
The festival is also offering tickets to tourists with valid travel documents for HK$10 each if they buy them at the host site’s visitors centre. The first 1,000 tourists to register will each receive a HK$100 voucher.
Those paying full price may be in line to receive a coupon ranging in value from HK$10 to HK$500.
The first 300 Hong Kong residents through the venue door on launch day can also qualify for discounts worth more than HK$2,000 off select products after their first purchase worth HK$200.
Cheung Yiu-sing, the chamber’s founder chairman, said it was possible more tourists would join this year’s event.
“The number of tourists coming to Hong Kong has increased a lot after the pandemic, therefore we want to seize the opportunity to attract more of them as most of the tourists coming to the festival will buy things,” he said.
But a change in slogans for the festival marks a shift away from focusing on the low prices of products.
“Consumption is lukewarm in Hong Kong right now, therefore, we will not focus on the price of the product but the new technologies and activities,” Cheung said. “Hopefully these new things will stimulate the consumption.”
Hui said that the aim of this year’s festival was not just about encouraging people to spend but to “let them have fun and learn more about the industry”.
“The festival is a good platform for residents to get to know some innovative technologies,” he said.
“We want the youth to see there are so many technology companies in Hong Kong and then choose to engage in this industry in their future career.”
The festival will also debut its artificial intelligence-themed zone, which will showcase some of the latest in such software including computer vision, machine learning and new applications for gaming.
Other attendees include tech giants Microsoft, Lenovo and Samsung, which are all expected to exhibit their latest AI products at the event.
Non-profit organisation Hong Kong Technology Advancement Group will also hold the festival’s first cybersecurity competition to educate the public about how to protect their personal data online.
The event will also include a zone showcasing 10 innovative technologies that cover health monitoring, home automation and entertainment for elderly people.
