Hobby Expo China – Seeing is believing!
The saying goes that ‘seeing is believing’ and attending the 24th edition of Hobby Expo China in Beijing last weekend definitely endorsed that statement. While the press information highlighted the 70,000 visitors who attended the 3-day expo last year, nothing quite prepared me for the crowds and buzz of this expo. Staged in the Beijing Exhibition Centre, which built in 1954 was alone worth a visit for its architecture, this was Red RC’s first time to visit HEC. Talking to some of our industry friends familiar with the expo prior to making the trip to the Chinese capital, they all flagged that we wouldn’t believe the crowds it attracts. Having been reached out to be Chinese media outlet about doing some videos with them at the show, they too warned me to be prepared for the crowds. While setting expectations high, it was only when I actually arrived on Friday morning that we got the true sense of the scale of the numbers it attracts. With over 300 exhibitors covering two distinct main categories, RC and diecasts, the truth was that it was the latter that had the pulling power but to RC’s benefit. Crowds had started queuing on Thursday night for the Expo’s 09:00 opening time on Friday morning, as collectors sought to get their hands on limited edition static car models, 1:64 the fan favourite. Still while diecast was the big draw, this year’s even bigger visitor count, were also exposed to an impressive display of what the world of RC had to offer and that was another stand out of those exhibiting. Sure many of the exhibitors were unfamiliar brands to us but on taking a look at their offerings I was impressed by both the quality and presentation. There was also plenty of opportunities to try various RC products on numerous demo tracks for onroad cars, drifting, crawling, and construction. Observing the reaction of both young & old as they got their hands on a transmitter was encouraging.
