Property expo in HK a roaring success

HONG KONG: The Phuket & Samui Property Exhibition held in Hong Kong on Friday, Saturday and Sunday was, on all counts, a major success. More than 1,000 potential property buyers attended the event at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center. There were 22 exhibitors. “The feedback’s been excellent,” said Bill Barnett, Deputy Managing Director of Laguna Resorts & Hotels and head of Laguna Properties. “The turnout’s been exceptional. We’ve attended trade fairs in Thailand recently, and the turnout in Hong Kong has been much better.” StJohn Mackay of Asia Island Homes agreed. “We came up here [to Hong Kong] three weeks ago for the worldwide property fair. It was a big disappointment. This is ten times better. We’ve got far more people coming and everybody’s focused on Phuket. Lots of interest.” Paul Moorhouse, developer of Lakewood Hills, said, “The feedback is very good, actually. The quality of the people that are coming is very good. They are definitely interested in property, and in Phuket. It’s quite focused – better than having throngs of people who are just curious. These are people who are genuinely interested.” Bangkok Phuket Hospital, Thai Marine Leisure and Dulwich International College, all from the non-property sector, also reported good feedback. One buyer, an Englishman who had just bought a 38-million-baht villa, attributed his investment to the presence of Dulwich. “My primary requirement in selecting a home in the tropics was the availability of a good education for my kids. Phuket has Dulwich, so that’s what brought us here [to the exhibition], and that’s what’s driven the purchase of our new villa,” he said. Alan Sadd, Director of Coco International Properties from Koh Samui, whose booth at the show appeared particularly active, was also happy with the results. “It’s worked very well for us. We’re very pleased,” he said. Gulu Lalvani, developer of the mega-project Royal Phuket Marina & Spa, said the event was “better than expectations – definitely,” and added that he expected “to finalize at least four or five deals within the next few days.” He proposed that the show, organized this year by long-term Phuket resident Graham Doven and Artasia Press, be an annual event, and that it be held additionally in London and Taiwan. The exhibiton was sponsored by Phuket magazine, Asia-Pacific Tropical Homes, and the Phuket Gazette.