The autumn edition of the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair is just around the corner – October 27-30, 2010. Organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the show is held at the sprawling Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC). There's a piece of modern Chinese history attached with the HKCEC. For those who are not aware, the then-ruling British government had handed over Hong Kong to the Chinese government on the stroke of midnight between June 30 and July 1, 1997, at the HKCEC, thereby, officially ending 156 years of British colonial rule. I was in Hong Kong at that time, and was witness to this historic event. All right! Back to the show! The Hong Kong International Lighting Fair covers the various categories of lighting products via its themed zones. This enables buyers to easily locate manufacturers they need. The Hall of Aurora, which focuses on branded lighting, returns after its successful 2009 debut. The popular LED Lighting and Green Lighting sections have been combined into one new “super” zone, bringing a huge array of energy-saving and environmentally friendly products. The other zones catering to key industry segments are Household Lighting, Commercial Lighting, Outdoor Lighting, Lighting Accessories, Parts & Components, and Lighting Management, Design & Technology. Simply going by the statistical data of last year, the show had 1,788 exhibitors from 31 countries in 2009 – a growth of nearly 13 percent over 2008, and was visited by 27,838 buyers. Having covered multiple shows at the HKCEC during my stay in Hong Kong, I know this for sure, this show is only going to get bigger and bigger! Take for instance the LED lighting zone. Last year alone there were said to be 440 exhibitors. Expect this score to be beaten this year! The list of exhibitors to this year's show is already huge. I did not see a number, but expect it to beat last year's number easily. Editors and journalists from magazines and portals on photonics, optoelectronics and LEDs, etc., are always drawn to this show as it is a great opportunity to lay your hands on thousands of new products, besides content, that will run their media business quite easily till the end of this year. Pradeep