Jimmy Lai’s 20-Year Sentence Sends a Chill Through Hong Kong’s Trade Show Industry

Jimmy Lai is 78 years old. On February 9, a Hong Kong court sentenced him to 20 years in prison under the national security law that Beijing imposed on the city in 2020. He will not be eligible for parole until he is in his late 90s. The sentence — the longest ever delivered under the law — drew immediate condemnation from the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United Nations. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called for his release "on humanitarian grounds." The UN Human Rights Office said the verdict raised "serious concerns about the protection of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong."

For the global trade show industry, Lai's sentencing is not a distant geopolitical story. It is a direct threat to one of the most important exhibition ecosystems on Earth. Hong Kong has been Asia's premier trade show hub for decades, hosting hundreds of international exhibitions annually at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and AsiaWorld-Expo. The city's trade show infrastructure, neutral legal framework, and position as a gateway between China and the West made it the default venue for everything from electronics and jewelry to food and fashion.

That infrastructure still exists. The legal neutrality does not. And for exhibitors deciding where to invest their Asia-Pacific exhibition budgets, that distinction changes everything.

Hong Kong's Trade Show Empire by the Numbers

To understand what is at stake, consider what Hong Kong represents to the global exhibition industry. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) organizes more than 30 international trade fairs annually, covering sectors from electronics and lighting to toys, gifts, fashion, and food. The combined exhibition calendar draws hundreds of thousands of international buyers and exhibitors each year. Hong Kong Electronics Fair, the world's largest electronics marketplace, typically attracts more than 4,000 exhibitors. Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem World Fair is the largest jewelry trade show in Asia.

The city's appeal has always rested on three pillars: world-class convention infrastructure, geographic proximity to Chinese manufacturing, and a legal and political environment that Western companies trusted. The first pillar remains strong. The second is unchanged. The third has been eroding since 2020, and the Lai sentencing represents its most dramatic collapse yet.

Why the Lai Case Matters to Exhibitors

Jimmy Lai is not a political activist in the traditional sense. He was a billionaire businessman — the founder of Next Digital and publisher of Apple Daily, Hong Kong's most-read pro-democracy newspaper. His prosecution under the national security law demonstrated that Beijing's reach extends not just to street protesters but to the business elite. For Western executives and exhibitors, the message is unmistakable: the legal protections that once distinguished Hong Kong from mainland China are gone.

The Free Expression Risk

Trade shows are, at their core, exercises in communication. Exhibitors display products, make claims about their technology, host presentations, distribute marketing materials, and engage in public conversations with buyers and press. In a jurisdiction where a media publisher can receive a 20-year sentence for the content of his newspaper, exhibitors must now consider whether their own marketing materials, presentations, or public statements could run afoul of broadly defined national security provisions. The chilling effect is real, even if the risk to most exhibitors is theoretical.

The Data and Intellectual Property Concern

Exhibitors routinely bring proprietary technology, prototype products, and confidential business data to trade shows. In Hong Kong's post-2020 legal environment, the boundary between local law enforcement and mainland Chinese state security has blurred. For exhibitors in sensitive sectors — defense, semiconductors, advanced materials, cybersecurity — the risk calculus of bringing proprietary IP to a Hong Kong trade show has fundamentally changed. Several major technology companies have already reduced or eliminated their presence at Hong Kong exhibitions for precisely this reason.

The Attendee Hesitancy Factor

A trade show's value is proportional to the quality of its attendee base. When international buyers and decision-makers begin avoiding a city, the exhibitor ROI equation deteriorates. Reports from multiple show organizers indicate that Western executive attendance at Hong Kong trade shows has declined steadily since 2020, with the trend accelerating after each high-profile national security prosecution. The Lai sentencing, given its global media coverage, is likely to deepen that reluctance.

"The sentencing of Jimmy Lai represents a monumental injustice and a devastating blow to press freedom in Hong Kong. We call for his immediate release." — United Nations Human Rights Office, February 2026

The Beneficiaries: Singapore, Bangkok, and Tokyo

As Hong Kong's political environment deteriorates, rival exhibition venues across Asia are aggressively courting the trade show business that Hong Kong is losing. Singapore has been the most visible beneficiary. The city-state's Marina Bay Sands Expo, Suntec Singapore, and the new Singapore EXPO expansion have absorbed a growing share of Asian trade show activity, offering the neutral legal environment and international business culture that exhibitors once found in Hong Kong.

Bangkok has emerged as a cost-competitive alternative, with the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center's 2024 renovation providing world-class facilities at a fraction of Hong Kong's venue costs. Tokyo, with its massive Tokyo Big Sight complex, continues to attract premium exhibitions in technology, automotive, and industrial sectors. Each of these cities markets itself explicitly as a stable, predictable alternative to Hong Kong.

For show organizers, the calculus is shifting. Moving an established trade show from Hong Kong is expensive and disruptive, but the cost of staying in a venue where exhibitor and attendee participation is declining may be higher. Several mid-tier exhibitions have already relocated. The major HKTDC-organized shows remain in Hong Kong for now, but the pressure to offer parallel editions in Singapore or other Asian cities is mounting.

What Exhibitors Should Do Now

1. Reassess Your Hong Kong Exhibition Portfolio

If Hong Kong trade shows represent a significant portion of your Asia-Pacific exhibition strategy, conduct a rigorous reassessment. Evaluate whether the shows you attend are maintaining their attendee quality and buyer participation. Compare the exhibitor ROI you are achieving in Hong Kong against the ROI from competing shows in Singapore, Bangkok, or Tokyo. Make decisions based on data, not inertia.

2. Review Your IP and Data Protocols

If you exhibit in Hong Kong, review what proprietary technology, prototypes, and business data you bring to the show. Consult with legal counsel on the current risk environment for your specific industry. Consider whether demonstration units can substitute for production prototypes, and whether cloud-based presentations can replace locally stored data.

3. Diversify Your Asia-Pacific Show Calendar

Regardless of your assessment of Hong Kong's political risk, portfolio diversification is sound exhibition strategy. Adding a Singapore or Tokyo show to your calendar reduces dependence on any single venue and gives you access to buyer communities that may not travel to Hong Kong. The incremental cost of adding a second Asian show is often offset by the incremental leads generated.

4. Monitor the Geopolitical Environment Continuously

The situation in Hong Kong is not static. Diplomatic developments, further prosecutions, and potential sanctions could all affect the trade show environment. Assign someone in your organization to monitor the political risk landscape and flag developments that could affect your exhibition plans. The exhibitors who get caught off guard are the ones who are not watching.