The four-day 15th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF), has come to a close today (24th Oct). The 16th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) will be held from 20th to 23rd October 2011. Conclusion of activities
The overall scale of this year’s MIF has been significantly expanded and more internationalized both in the exhibition and the convention areas, with enriched contents of display. The four-day MIF received over 81,000 visits, of which over 8,200 being trade visitors which represented 4% increase year-on-year. A total of 1,151 sessions of business matching were conducted. Over the last 4 days, 62 agreements were signed. A total of 35 forums, conferences, seminars & presentations were held with 6,700 attendees (an increase of 26%). The scale of this year’s MIF regarding the no. of booths increased by 30%. There were altogether 760 exhibitors comprising more than 1,400 booths. New to the exhibition this year also included several themed pavilions, namely the Beijing Section, Zhuhai - Hengqin Investment Pavilion, Hainan Investment Pavilion, Cultural and Creative Industry Pavilion and Small Household Electrical Appliances Pavilion. The retail exhibition area was expanded and participated by SMEs from Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, and hence enriched the contents of display and exchange. Trade visitors from more than 60 countries and regions were present this year, including numerous entities from the Central Government and several provinces and regions from the Mainland such as the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia. In addition, there were also delegations from Portugal, East Timor, the Philippines etc. led by ministerial level officials. This is a clear indication of the increasing prestige and influence of the MIF both at home and abroad. During the period, numerous sessions of conferences, forums and business matching as well as product and service promotion activities were held, with encouraging responses from a great many exhibitors from home and abroad. During the many high level forums and conferences held, many had invited government officials, entrepreneurial leaders, elites of different trades, experts and scholars as keynote speakers, and the professional level and results of exchanges had been constantly enhanced. E.g. the “International Trade and Investment Forum 2010”, attracted the participation of the government representatives and business leaders from many countries and regions who gathered in Macao to explore regional trade and economic investment cooperation. During the “7th World Summit of Chinese Entrepreneurs”, a record number of some 1,500 Chinese entrepreneurs from all over the world met in Macao to exchange their views about the business development of the Greater China economic circle. Other conventions such as “Seminar and Biz-talks on Beijing-Macau Economic Cooperation” and “Investment Opportunity in Zhuhai Hengqin New Area” coincided interactively with the related exhibition pavilions in strengthening the function of a business platform for investment and cooperation. During the Fair, there were a series of economic and trade seminars between Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries, ASEAN, Latin America, European Union as well as many regions of the Mainland China such as Beijing and Hengqin of Zhuhai. Participants from different countries and regions presented the economic and trade development conditions and industrial policies of their own country or region. It is intended that through the MIF platform, the participants could promote economic and trade exchange and cooperation in the region and seek joint development. During these conventions, a number of cooperation agreements or strategic cooperation memorandums for a wide array of industries within the region were reached while a communication mechanism was established. This year, IPIM organized jointly with CPTTM the “Macao Fashion Week 2010”. Through the holding of professional fashion shows, it showcased the vitality of local and overseas garment enterprises and created a platform for communication and cooperation for garment manufacturers, brand business operators and designers/design houses. Details of Conclusion for Different Activities Business matching and agreement signing
The Organizer received a total of 2,449 business matching projects (a year-on-year increase of 1.87 %). During the Fair, a total of 1,151 onsite business matching sessions were arranged (a year-on-year increase of 11.53%). In particular, there were 362 sessions of purchase negotiations, 359 sessions of product/services supply negotiations, 173 sessions for franchising/brand distribution negotiations, 198 specialized matching sessions and 59 sessions of investment project negotiations. A total of 62 agreements were signed (including the information obtained by the Organizer regarding agreements signed outside the venue, a year-on-year increase of 3.33%). The trades and industries concerned included manufacturing, electronics technology, product distribution, real estate and catering, etc. The signing parties come from Macao, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Portugal, Taiwan, Japan, U.S.A., the Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, Brazil and Mozambique. Summarizing the business matching and agreements signed during the MIF this year, the position of MIF in regional economic and trade exchange service shall be to continue serving Macao’s SMEs to utilize Macao’s platform, in a variety of flexible business forms to deepen Macao’s economic diversification and reinforce the role of a regional platform, enhance external economic exchange, promoting cooperation of the market of Mainland China with the counterparts in ASEAN, EU and Portuguese-speaking countries. Meanwhile, the role of Macao as a platform in the communication and cooperation among Mainland China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be more prominent. As always, MIF is devoted to serving the SMEs of Macao, by way of the MIF platform, to utilize many flexible business means to expand domestic and overseas market and strengthen the economic diversification of Macao. Multiple results
The MIF this year launched a series of new measures to enrich the theme of the Fair, upgrade the level of the forums and conferences in order to strengthen the business matching function which, in turn, opens up more business and cooperation opportunities. Trade and investment promotion matching and business service produced effective results. The MIF this year had made more efforts in inviting professional visitors. In particular, the Organizer launched incentives plans for buyers, special invited trade visitors and themed pavilions, which had drawn a large number of trade visitors from Mainland China, Portuguese-speaking countries, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong. Assisting actively SMEs in exploring business opportunities – This year, the MIF expanded the SME Exhibition by doubling the size of last year, having recruited more than 300 exhibitors from both sides of the Strait, making this year’s SME Exhibition the largest ever. Over the past 4 days, the Exhibition attracted many visitors and customers. The “SME International Business Days” (SME Day) focused on such emerging business models as franchising and e-commerce. By providing a wide range of services and activities such as a consultancy service counter, catalogue show, topical discussion, and service promotions, IPIM helped the SMEs to strengthen their general competitiveness, realize upgrading and transformation. The SME Day resulted in the signing of 23 cooperation agreements in environmental protection, specialties, real estate, and media promotion. “One-trip, Multi-stop” to enhance results of participation – Grounding on the experience of last year, the Organizer continued to conduct the “One-trip, Multi-stop” programme for trade visitors, which included tours to Canton Fair and to Hengqin of Zhuhai to inspect the investment environment and investment projects, with an aim of enhancing the results of participating in MIF. Survey
In order to have a more scientific and systemic conclusion of the Fair this year, the Organizer has entrusted the University of Macao to conduct a survey to collect data for future reference. The report of the survey will be announced shortly.
