Connect with us

Technology

Grand Opening of the April 2025 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows Phase I: Esports Trend, IP Collaborations, and Blind Box Economy Reshape Future of Electronics Trade

Published

on

HONG KONG, April 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The April 2025 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows officially opened today. The first of three phases runs from April 11 to 14 at AsiaWorld-Expo, comprising major international trade shows for gaming, consumer electronics and electronic components. The exhibition continues to strengthen its position as the “Global Electronics Supply Chain Hub and Asia-Pacific Launchpad for Innovation”. It aims to deliver a dynamic, efficient trade platform that seamlessly integrates trend insights, product sourcing, and premium supplier connections.

The inaugural Global Sources Gaming Show debuts as an independent exhibition this year. The first phase features more than 2,000 qualified exhibitors from across Asia, showcasing over 100,000 cutting-edge products and comprehensive peripheral ecosystems that will define electronics industry trends for the coming six months. The show is projected to attract more than 60,000 professional B2B visitors globally.

Mr. Hu Wei, CEO of Global Sources, highlighted the forward-looking vision of the Global Sources Hong Kong Show amidst the rapidly changing global trade landscape. The event is pioneering a new era of trade shows by integrating comprehensive online-to-offline (O2O) solutions. The Global Sources Hong Kong Show is transforming the way exhibitors and buyers connect. Through pre-event precision marketing powered by registration data analytics, real-time digital services, cloud-based live-streamed expo experiences, and post-event promotional optimization, the show is setting a new standard for efficiency and innovation. “This comprehensive digital transformation not only creates an efficient, targeted, and all-encompassing platform for exhibitors and buyers but also champions eco-friendly green procurement,” said Mr. Hu. “It marks a milestone in the 30-year evolution of Global Sources Online (GSOL) and positions the show as an industry trend leader and an incubator for groundbreaking innovations.”

Global Sources Gaming Show Debuts as Standalone Exhibition

In its inaugural year as a standalone exhibition, the Global Sources Gaming Show has established itself as one of Asia’s premier esports peripherals events. The show features over 200 prominent brands including DAREU, AULA, PXN, VGN, FL•ESPORTS, and Morphling, showcasing the latest innovations in gaming technology.

A key highlight is the introduction of the new “KOLs and Buyers’ Favorite Gaming Gear Awards,” which features a dual scoring system: 70% from professional KOL judges and 30% from on-site buyers’ votes. The awards cover six categories—gaming mice, keyboards, chairs, monitors, controllers, and headsets—evaluating each based on design, functionality, user experience, material quality, and innovation. The top 18 products will compete in a special testing zone, where the final “Most Popular Products” will be selected.

John Kao, Vice President of Hong Kong Shows & Overseas Shows at Global Sources, emphasized the unique approach of this selection process. “By combining professional expertise with market feedback, we are breaking away from traditional exhibition models. Beyond providing clear direction for the esports hardware market, it helps buyers precisely identify premium products to gain competitive advantages., It has the potential to revolutionize the industry’s product development ecosystem.”

IP Collaborations and Blind Box Economy Spark New Consumer Electronics Trends

As Generation Z emerges as the dominant market force, their preference for IP collaborations and limited-edition products is reshaping market value propositions. Products are evolving from mere utility items to cultural symbols. In the first phase of this year’s exhibition, numerous exhibitors demonstrated innovative pathways in consumer electronics through IP crossover collaborations:

Leveraging Global IPs to Enhance Product Competitiveness
Exhibitors are harnessing internationally recognized IPs to elevate their product competitiveness. For instance, Qishun Innovation (Shenzhen) collaborates with renowned global IPs to launch a series of co-branded and licensed consumer electronics. These partnerships not only enhance product uniqueness but also increase market appeal.

Building Brand Moats Through Original IP Development
Exhibitors are creating proprietary IPs to establish distinct brand identities and strengthen their competitive edge. Exhibitor etechgroups showcases a range of consumer electronics featuring their original character IP “MEOWZART,” introducing a distinctive brand presence in the international market.

Establishing a Comprehensive IP Ecosystem
Industry leaders are adopting an integrated “IP Incubation–Licensing–Customization” model, combining co-branded partnerships with original IP development to drive global brand expansion. Trendy digital peripheral brand AKKO and its sub-brand MonsGeek demonstrate this approach through their diverse portfolio, which includes keyboards featuring popular IPs such as One Piece, Hatsune Miku, and Joy of Life, alongside their proprietary IP creations. Their “Original IP + Brand” strategy shows significant potential for international market growth.

As IP licensing and collaboration models gain momentum, market opportunities continue to expand. IP owners are increasingly exploring B2B channels and blind box business models to diversify their revenue streams. This innovative approach not only creates new monetization opportunities for IP owners but also offers manufacturers more flexible partnership options. For example, Akko introduced wholesale services for IP keycap blind boxes, pioneering B2B applications in the blind box economy. Similarly, IP Happi Class leveraged the Global Sources HK shows to showcase their Happi Town blind box series, featuring virtual community themes. The brand also organized exclusive blind box lottery events to engage buyers and explore new market possibilities.

John Kao, Vice President of Hong Kong Shows & Overseas Shows at Global Sources, remarked, “IP collaboration has evolved beyond single products into diversified experiential innovations. Pairing electronics with blind boxes not only strengthens ties with core customers but also creates new premium value opportunities. This empowers stakeholders across the value chain to tap deeper into IP’s potential and injects fresh momentum into the B2B market.” He also highlighted that, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the globalsources.com (GSOL), Global Sources has transformed its mascot IP “Show Genie” into a blind box product. These will be distributed in limited quantities through on-site user surveys, enhancing the commercial atmosphere at the exhibition.

Global Sources Innovation Awards: Honoring Excellence

The Global Sources Innovation Awards ceremony kicks off during the first day of the show. It brought together top judges from industry associations, tech media, standards organizations, and buyers to spotlight leaders in electronics innovation. The first phase awards are all about consumer electronics. Global Sources has first partnered with the prestigious European Product Design Award (EPDA)™ to launch the “Best Product Design Award,” honoring products that stand out in creativity and design brilliance.

This dual-award format is all about pushing companies to step up their R&D capabilities, gain a stronger edge in the global market, and build top-tier brand identities. It’s driving the electronics industry toward steady growth.

Mr. Hu Wei, CEO of Global Sources emphasized the importance of the award. “This recognition motivates companies to increase R&D investment and explore innovative pathways. It enables them to establish a distinct competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Moreover, award-winning products achieve enhanced market positioning, thereby expanding their global brand influence. This ceremony sets a new industry benchmark, propelling innovation and growth within the electronics sector.”

Esports Summit: Exploring New Industry Opportunities

The Global Sources Summit features a dedicated esports segment, including a themed summit and workshop. Industry leaders including Vincent Wang, Director of APAC Sports & Entertainment and Global Esports Industry at Unilumin, Jennifer Lim, Personal Project and Service-Learning Coordinator, MYP Design and ESports teacher at XCL World Academy, Doug Konopelko, Senior Manager of Education Impact at CDW, and Gerald Solomon, Founder and CEO of NASEF, will convene to explore emerging trends and opportunities in the field.

Mr. Gerald Solomon, Founder and CEO of NASEF, remarked, “The summit will offer a unique opportunity to share NASEF’s globally recognized esports education and training content, to tens of thousands of technology manufacturers and industry leaders. Esports is a billion-dollar industry with millions of players and followers around the world. Along with AI, the esports industry is the future of technology. We are excited to share what this opportunity is, and how the technology industry can take advantage it.”

The April 12 summit, titled “The Next Tech Opportunity,” will examine the evolution of esports technology, marketing strategies, and global education trends. The April 13 workshop, “The Business of Esports: A Guide to Industry Partnerships and Revenue Growth,” will provide actionable insights through case studies, assisting participants in unlocking market potential and enhancing their commercial competitiveness.

About Global Sources

Global Sources is an internationally recognized multichannel Online-to-Offline (O2O) sourcing platform that has been driving global trade for over 50 years. The company connects authentic buyers and verified suppliers worldwide with tailored solutions and trusted market intelligence through its online platform GlobalSources.com, mobile apps, industry-specific trade shows, and tailored business matching. Global Sources’ unique services have successfully provided efficient and convenient commercial services to over 14 million registered international buyers and users.

For Media Enquiry,

Market Hubs Holdings Limited

Lierence Li

Debbie So

+852 3998-4900

+852 3998-4900

lierence@markethubsgroup.com

debbie@markethubsgroup.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/grand-opening-of-the-april-2025-global-sources-hong-kong-shows-phase-i-esports-trend-ip-collaborations-and-blind-box-economy-reshape-future-of-electronics-trade-302426489.html

SOURCE Global Sources

Continue Reading

Technology

Klook launches K.ai, an AI agent that manages merchants’ back-office operations

Published

on

By

K.ai goes beyond answering questions to executing inventory, pricing, and booking-related tasks in Klook’s merchant portal

SINGAPORE and HONG KONG, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Klook, a leading global platform for experiences, launches K.ai, an AI agent that helps experiences merchants manage their businesses by executing everyday tasks in Klook’s merchant portal.

Unlike conventional AI assistants that only answer questions or provide recommendations, K.ai can retrieve business information and act on merchants’ instructions, from checking bookings and availability to updating inventory and pricing. This reduces the need for merchants to navigate multiple menus and complete routine tasks manually.

K.ai is now being introduced to Klook’s merchants through a phased global rollout, ahead of the year-end travel season.

Bringing SMEs from offline to AI-powered operations

Experiences remain one of travel’s least digitized categories. According to Euromonitor, only about 34% of experiences bookings are made online, compared with 66% for accommodations and 81% for flights.

A key reason is fragmentation: small and medium-sized (SME) operators make up around 95% of the sector, and many lack the digital reach to sell beyond walk-ins and offline channels. The result is a large, fragmented supply base that travelers still struggle to find, compare and book online.

By bringing these merchants online, Klook makes them discoverable and bookable to travelers worldwide, and by embedding AI into Klook’s existing tech infrastructure, it helps them leapfrog from manual processes to AI-powered business management.

“Many experiences merchants don’t have dedicated teams to manage technology or back-office operations. With K.ai, we’re bringing the most practical and valuable agentic AI capabilities into their day-to-day operations, removing much of the manual work involved in running their businesses, so they can spend more time on what they do best: delivering meaningful experiences for travelers,” says Bernie Xiong, Co-founder and CTO of Klook.

From answering questions to getting work done

For SME merchants, managing bookings, inventory and pricing is essential but time-consuming. While most AI business assistants only answer questions, K.ai goes further — it answers questions and takes action.

A merchant can ask, “What did my bookings look like last week?” and receive a report. The merchant can then instruct K.ai to “Raise the weekend price by 10%” and have the change applied in the merchant portal.

Early results from merchants using K.ai demonstrate operational improvements. Tasks that required multiple steps can now be completed 95% faster for individual inventory and pricing updates, and 97% faster for batch checks of products, inventory and orders.

Beyond efficiency, merchants using K.ai recorded 3.4 times as many monthly bookings of those not using the agent. With the ability to adjust operational details in seconds, merchants are better equipped to respond to changing demand and capture booking opportunities.

“I used to block out an hour every morning to update prices and availability across my tours,” says Erica Yu, Co-founder of MyProGuide in Taiwan. “The difference is tangible. Now I tell K.ai what I want, and it’s done before my coffee is. I’m catching last-minute demand that I used to miss, and I finally have more time to work on the tours themselves.”

From back-office operations to business growth

Beyond supporting day-to-day merchant portal operations and queries, K.ai also simplifies other time-consuming aspects of running an experiences business.

With one-click product listing, merchants can upload existing materials and have K.ai generate structured product listings, pre-filling fields for merchants to review and edit instead of building listings from scratch.

K.ai also helps merchants make more informed business decisions by turning customer reviews and performance data into actionable insights.

Through the Reviews and Dashboard pages, K.ai highlights changes in business performance, identifies potential reasons behind them and surfaces opportunities for improvement. This helps merchants better understand customer needs, improve service quality and refine their offerings, shifting their focus from routine administration to growing their businesses.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/klook-launches-kai-an-ai-agent-that-manages-merchants-back-office-operations-302927512.html

SOURCE Klook

Continue Reading

Technology

izmo Microsystems Successfully Develops and Qualifies Indigenous Pitch Detector for Defence Avionics

Published

on

By

Achievement demonstrates integrated electronics design, advanced semiconductor packaging and military grade manufacturing capabilities.

BENGALURU, India, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — izmo Limited (NSE: IZMO) (BSE: 532341) today announced that its semiconductor subsidiary, izmo Microsystems Pvt. Ltd., has successfully developed and completed defence qualification of an indigenous Pitch Detector – a critical avionics component that senses aircraft pitch attitude and provides correction data to the gyromagnetic compass navigation system. The component is used across multiple military aircraft and helicopter platforms currently in active service.

The original foreign origin Pitch Detector faced irregular and limited supply from its overseas manufacturer, creating operational challenges for platforms dependent on it. izmo Microsystems undertook a complete indigenization program to develop a fully compatible Indian replacement, reducing dependence on imported components and strengthening domestic supply chain resilience.

izmo Microsystems successfully reengineered the original component without access to its design documentation, redesigned the electronics using modern technology, and manufactured a fully compatible replacement in India. The component was developed and manufactured at the Company’s DSIR recognised advanced semiconductor packaging facility in Bangalore, and successfully qualified to military reliability standard MIL-PRF-38534.

The achievement demonstrates izmo Microsystems’ ability to undertake complete product development programs, from design and engineering through manufacturing and qualification. These integrated capabilities position the Company to address a wider range of defence and aerospace indigenization opportunities, particularly where imported components are obsolete, difficult to procure or no longer supported by their original manufacturers.

The development also reflects the growing maturity of izmo Microsystems’ technology platform, which combines advanced electronics design with high reliability semiconductor packaging and manufacturing. These capabilities support the Company’s activities across defence, aerospace, silicon photonics and other advanced semiconductor applications.

India’s defence budget for FY2026–27 stands at ₹7.85 lakh crore, including ₹2.19 lakh crore for capital expenditure, reflecting the Government’s continued commitment to defence modernization and self reliance. With increasing emphasis on indigenous procurement and import substitution, izmo Microsystems sees growing opportunities to apply its engineering and manufacturing capabilities across the defence electronics sector.

About izmo Microsystems Pvt. Ltd.

izmo Microsystems Pvt. Ltd. is the advanced semiconductor packaging subsidiary of NSE/BSE listed izmo Limited. Based in Bengaluru, the Company operates a state-of-the-art facility providing integrated design, packaging and manufacturing services across silicon photonics, RF and microwave electronics, 3D System-in-Package integration, hermetic packaging and high reliability defence electronics.

For more information, visit  www.izmomicro.com / www.izmoltd.com or contact:   

Media Contact

izmomicro Communications

Email: info@izmomicro.com 

Investor Contact  

izmo Limited

No. 177/2C, Bilekahalli Industrial Area, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560076

CIN: L72200KA1995PLC018734

Email ID: investors@izmoltd.com

Caution Concerning Forward- Looking Statements: Certain statements in this document may be forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties like regulatory changes, local political or economic developments, and many other factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the relevant forward-looking statements. Further, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Given these risks, uncertainties and other risk factors, viewers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company will not be in any way responsible for any action taken based on such statements and undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/izmo-microsystems-successfully-develops-and-qualifies-indigenous-pitch-detector-for-defence-avionics-302927518.html

Continue Reading

Technology

Auden Techno Corp. Recognized at Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards 2026 Taiwan Chapter for Strong Corporate Governance and Ethical Practices

Published

on

By

TAIPEI, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Auden Techno Corp., a Taiwan-based connectivity solutions provider established in 1981, has been recognized with the Corporate Integrity and Governance Excellence (CIGE) Award at the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2026 Taiwan, organized by Enterprise Asia. The recognition highlights the company’s continued commitment to integrity, responsible governance, and effective risk management as it advances connectivity solutions worldwide.

Led by Chairman and General Manager Daniel Chang, Auden Techno Corp. operates five business divisions covering Wireless Communications, Instrument Equipment Sales, Sustainability, mmWave, and Advanced R&D. Guided by its principles of “Integrity and Innovation”, the company places the Board of Directors at the center of its governance framework. In 2025, the Board convened eight meetings with a 97% attendance rate, while ESG oversight covering governance, information security, environmental protection, and social engagement was delegated to the Sustainable Development Committee. An independent Internal Audit Office reports quarterly to the Board and supports risk management across strategy, finance, compliance, and climate change.

Auden Techno Corp. has also embedded integrity into its organizational practices. All directors and senior executives have signed Integrity Management Declarations, while annual anti-corruption training is provided to all employees. An independent whistleblowing channel protects reporting parties, with zero violations recorded in 2025. Since 2025, ESG performance has also been linked to executive compensation with a 30% weighting.

The company’s governance framework is supported by measurable performance. It recorded zero information security incidents in 2025 and has maintained zero environmental violations, corruption incidents, and discrimination complaints for years. Its Corporate Governance Evaluation score of 91.30 placed it in the top tier for two consecutive years, demonstrating how integrity and governance have been integrated into its business operations.

These sustained efforts reflect Auden Techno Corp.’s commitment to embedding integrity, accountability, and responsible governance across its operations. Its consistent approach to ethical business practices and effective oversight demonstrates the strong governance foundation behind its recognition at the APEA 2026.

The APEA 2026 Taiwan is supported by the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), with KPMG Taiwan as the Official Assurance Partner. PR Newswire serves as the Official News Release Distribution Partner while Commercial Times and Dailywire.asia serve as the Media Partners.

About Enterprise Asia

Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine toward sustainable and progressive economic and social development within a world of economic equality. Its two pillars of existence are investment in people and responsible entrepreneurship. Enterprise Asia works with governments, NGOs, and other organizations to promote competitiveness and entrepreneurial development, uplifting the economic status of people across Asia and ensuring a legacy of hope, innovation, and courage for future generations. Please visit https://www.enterpriseasia.org/ for more information.

About Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards

Launched in 2007, the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards is the region’s most prestigious award for outstanding entrepreneurship, continuous innovation, and sustainable leadership. The Award provides a platform for companies and governments to recognize entrepreneurial excellence, hence spurring greater innovation, fair business practices, and growth in entrepreneurship. As a regional award, it groups together leading entrepreneurs as a powerful voice for entrepreneurship and serves as a by-invitation-only networking powerhouse. The program has grown to encompass 16 countries/ regions and markets all over Asia. For further information, please visit https://apea.asia/taiwan/. 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/auden-techno-corp-recognized-at-asia-pacific-enterprise-awards-2026-taiwan-chapter-for-strong-corporate-governance-and-ethical-practices-302927531.html

SOURCE Enterprise Asia

Continue Reading

Trending