“Hong Kong Toycar Salon 2023” Sets New Record in Attendance

PHOTO: Lierence Li, the curator of Hong Kong Toycar Salon 2023.

Advertisement

Considering Extended Evening Hours

The three-day “Hong Kong Toycar Salon 2023” has successfully concluded, breaking records with nearly 14,000 attendees—a 7.6% increase compared to last year. Visitors included international guests from mainland China, Southeast Asia, Europe, America, the Middle East, and even South America, specifically visiting Hong Kong for the event. To accommodate the strong turnout, the organizer, Hong Kong Model Car Information Platform “HKTOYCAR,” is actively considering extending the event’s opening hours to 9 PM next year.

Held from September 22 to 24, despite a reduced opening schedule (delayed from 10 AM to 11 AM on weekends), the event benefited from increased tourism and overseas visitors, attracting nearly 14,000 people. Among them, approximately 10% were mainland Chinese visitors and about 4% were international guests from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Peru, and Taiwan. One visitor, Ms. Chen from mainland China, even queued at the venue from 11 PM the previous night, hoping to purchase a special edition model car for her son. Due to the consistently strong attendance over the weekend, the organizers are actively considering extending next year’s opening hours to 9 PM.

Lierence Li, the curator of Hong Kong Toycar Salon 2023, stated: “Despite the influence of Hong Kong citizens traveling abroad and external economic factors, the event set a new attendance record, which is encouraging. Multiple international model car brands chose to make important announcements in Hong Kong, proving that the city is still a major hub for international toys.” He also hopes to identify larger venues to accommodate more international exhibitors. “The lack of medium and small-sized conference and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, apart from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, has led to the relocation of potentially successful exhibitions and conferences to neighboring countries and regions, which is unfortunate for Hong Kong.”

The Hong Kong Toycar Salon 2023 showcased 20 original brands from Hong Kong and around the world, featuring nearly 250 newly released model cars, original scenes, and figures. The international model brand MINI GT brought over 100 new items, while Italian brand BBR chose the event to announce the launch of its Ferrari model cars. Ignition Model from Japan also attended the event to understand market dynamics. Mainland brand Xcartoys debuted models of Hongqi, PLA military vehicles, and XPeng Motors electric cars, which were highly sought after. Along with local brands like Tarmac Works, Tiny, BM Creations, Nanoer, Subtle Dreams, and Macau brand Inno64, the event became an important barometer in the industry.

This year, the exhibition collaborated with Aberdeen Toffee, Bagel for Thought, and Enyue Coffee—three popular Hong Kong handcrafted food brands—to launch special products. It also partnered with Playable to set up a children’s RC car zone and a giant RC bus from Snail Products, attracting footfall to D2 Place.