Hong Kong : On her first working day as Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Margaret Fong underlined her commitment to listen to staff and strengthen communications with customers. Ms Fong’s first port of call was 
the HKTDC’s Call Centre located at Wu Chung House in Wan Chai. She later met with frontline staff at the HKTDC’s SME Centre at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Ms Fong said she would strive to uphold the HKTDC’s commitment to provide companies, especially small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), with services that add value to their operations. “Through organising various marketing campaigns and offering trade-support services, we have helped enterprises explore new market opportunities, establish extensive networks and expand business in international markets,” said Ms Fong. “We closely monitor developments in international trade and keep abreast of global market trends. This helps the Council stay relevant and provides the best services for SMEs.”
Ms Fong said that enhancing communication with both staff and clients would be her first priority as Executive Director, with the aim of further improving service quality and efficiency. “We have put a lot of resources into staff training. We have a highly competent workforce that listens to our customers, understands their needs and responds to and resolves issues promptly,” Ms Fong said. “We can strengthen our professional image by offering a total service experience for our customers.”
The HKTDC SME Centre attracts some 140,000 visitors a year. Apart from providing a wide range of up-to-date business information, the Centre offers free advisory services for business start-ups and traders. It also organises seminars and workshops on various markets and industries.
Ms Fong said the HKTDC Customer Service Hotline (1830 668) team handles more than 100,000 enquiries a year on such topics as local exhibitions, trade magazines, online sourcing, business-matching services, conferences, research publications and overseas promotions.
She ad JAKARTA, Oct 3, 2014 – (ACN Newswire) – The Indonesian Minister of Trade, Muhammad Lutfi, encouraged people in Indonesia, ASEAN and all over the world to come to the annual Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) at a special press conference in Jakarta yesterday. This grand international exhibition will be held on 8-12 October 2014 at the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) Kemayoran, Jakarta, carrying the theme “Towards Green Business”.
On the 29th Year of its holding, TEI 2014 is indeed packaged in a special way. The Ministry of Trade has strived to add value to the event through the holding of The Pride of Indonesia Pavilion, the ASEAN Pavilion, and Primaduta Award.
“The Ministry of Trade will serve export quality Indonesian products and services to the buyers while at the same time show appreciation to the buyers who continually trust in the quality of Indonesian export products and services,” explained Trade Minister Lutfi.
Lutfi added, efforts to increase the added value of TEI 2014 through The Pride of Indonesia Pavilion, the ASEAN Pavilion, and the Primaduta Award is a form of a more optimal service provided by the Ministry of Trade for entrepreneurs, particularly international buyers.
The Pride of Indonesia Pavilion is planned to showcase products that bring pride to Indonesia, namely local brands that have been accepted by the global market. These products comprise of products from strategic industries, hi-tech based products, manufacturing products, green products, and superior creative and SME products. Meanwhile, the ASEAN Pavilion will feature information stands representing ASEAN countries in order to welcome the ASEAN Economic Community 2015.
Meanwhile, the holding of the Primaduta Award 2014 will be its first this year. The awards will be given to six buyers who have, for the past three years, consistently purchased Indonesian products in increasing amounts in terms of value, volume, and variety. The Primaduta Award this year will be given to buyers from Japan, Thailand, Egypt, Germany, Chile, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Ministry of Trade has worked hard to once again present TEI in a new package with added value so that it attracts more buyers to attend TEI 2014. “As of 1 October 2014, the buyers that have registered have reached nearly 12,000 buyers from 97 countries. Besides that, as many as 63 countries will send their trade mission delegates,” informed Lutfi.
Trade Minister Lutfi said that all of that could not have been achieved if not for the great collaboration between the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Indonesian Representatives throughout the world (Indonesian Embassies, Indonesian Consulate Generals, Trade Attaches, and Indonesian Trade Promotion Centers) to invite buyers from their accreditation countries. In terms of product composition, the products that are most sought after by buyers are textile and textile products followed by home decoration products, agricultural products, fashion and accessories, and also wooden furniture products.
As in previous years, TEI 2014 will also feature the Primaniyarta Award, which will be given to 15 of the Best Indonesian exporters that have increased and developed exports with quality, whether it be through diversification of products, or diversification of their export target market. The Primaniyarta Award 2014 will comprise four categories, namely the High Performance Exporter Category, the Global Brand Developers Category, the Superior Potential Exporters Category, and the Exporters of New Market Pioneers Category.
TEI 2014 will occupy 40,000 m2 of space, 98% of which has been filled as of today. The products that will be showcased comprise of main export commodities, prospective export commodities, and other export products. Besides the main and prospective export products, the exhibition will also showcase products in the form of services and trained workers in fields such as construction, professional services, and accommodation services.
Based on product zones, Hall A will showcase automotive products and components, electronics, medical equipment, footwear, textile and apparels, exercise equipment, tires, agricultural and manufacturing products, chemical products, housewares, building materials, and services (business, construction, IT, mining, trained labor, etc.). Hall B will be filled with various types of furniture while Hall C will feature various food and beverage products.
Meanwhile, Hall D will showcase premium and lifestyle products such as fashion products, leather products, accessories, jewelry, beauty products, the Designer Dispatch Service Pavilion, the Pride of Indonesia Pavilion, and the ASEAN Pavilion. Furthermore, Hall F will be filled with the best products from provinces throughout Indonesia. Besides that, products such as knock down houses, solar panels, and heavy equipment will adorn the open spaces of TEI 2014.
Aside from the exhibitions, TEI 2014 will also feature supporting events that are beneficial for business practitioners including the Trade and Investment Forum (TI Forum) 2014, which consists of several series of events such as the Trade and Investment Seminar, a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Trade and the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal/BKPM), an interactive dialog, an export summit, and a business clinic. Besides that, there will also be a business matching, an article writing and photo contest for journalists as well as an essay-writing contest for university students.
TEI Application for Smart Ministry
TEI This year is implementing the use of information technology by way of the Tradexpo Indonesia moblie application (mobile app), which can be downloaded in the Google Play Store for android and in the Apple App Store for iOS users. The use of this application supports the theme of TEI, which is “Towards Green Business” by lessening the use of paper that would have been used for the catalogs of the participants had they been in printed form.
Using this application, visitors of TEI can see a catalog of the participants of the exhibition electronically on their smart phones with complete information. Besides that, the participants of the exhibition can also utilize this application to find out and store information of the exhibition booth visitors. This application also provides a schedule of the various events and news during the period of the holding of the exhibition. Both the participants and visitors can continue to use the application after the exhibition is over so that communication can be maintained using the information available in the application.ded that the Council has set high service standards, such as answering calls within four rings and offering one-stop resolution services. “We’re proud of our frontline staff who can meet our target 98 per cent of the time,” Ms Fong said. Two frontline staff were recently complimented on “Praisage” for their work in assisting a customer.