The organisers of the 2018 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (2018MIECF) held guided tours of the event for over 30 government departments, and more than 125 people participated.
The guided tours aimed to enhance government support for environmental industries by facilitating contact between exhibitors and procurement representatives of government departments. This initiative also helped representatives of government departments to learn about the latest developments of “green technology” and solutions. More than 80 on-site business matching sessions were held on afternoon of the second day as part of the initiative, so as to create a platform matching exhibitors and procurement representatives of government departments.
The MIECF organisers arranged for the tours to visit the following zones at the “Green Showcase”: the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Region showcase area, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area showcase area, the European Union showcase area, the local environmental chambers and associations showcase area, the “green” construction pavilion and the showcase area for green transportation. Exhibitors took the opportunity to introduce their products and services to the procurement representatives of government departments, so as to create opportunities for future co-operation.
A total of 16 government departments participated in over 80 business matching sessions that took place in the afternoon, involving more than 60 distinct areas of environmental protection, including energy-efficient lights, monitoring devices, environmental protection tableware, electric vehicles, and electronic waste recycling. By creating an on-site business matching platform for government departments to fulfil their needs for eco-products, the efficacy of these guided tours could be greatly extended.
According to participants in the guided tours, the exhibitions enabled them to learn about the latest developments related to green technologies and products. The participants suggested that the organisers could provide guidance on particular products and services based on the needs of buyers, in order to assist various parties in finding suitable trading partners in the future.
Some procurement representatives of government departments stated that environmental factors are taken into account when sourcing products for their authority, and MIECF has created a platform for keeping up with the latest development of environmentally-friendly products and information, and for updating their purchasing catalogue. Some tour participants pointed out that MIECF allows government departments and enterprises to take part in bilateral exchanges, allowing government representatives to become more familiar with the latest eco-products.
Exhibitors also recognised the value of the guided tours. Mr. Cliff Chan, a Hong Kong exhibitor engaging in “green packaging” design and production, was participating in MIECF for the first time. He was satisfied with the organisers’ arrangements, namely event promotions, guided tour services for buyers, business matching and logistics arrangements. Mr. William Wu, a waste treatment equipment supplier, stated that those guided tours held for government departments were helpful for matching exhibitors with buyers. The exhibitors also suggested that the MIECF host and co-organisers could provide participants of the guided tours with brief information on the exhibitors and their contacts, so as to help buyers obtain further information about particular products or services.
