The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) is looking for companies to showcase their Hawaii-made products at the Autumn 2018 Tokyo International Gift Show (TIGS). The event will be held from Sept. 4-7, 2018, at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center (Tokyo Big Sight).
This will be the seventh consecutive year that DBEDT is organizing a Hawaii Pavilion at TIGS, which is the largest international trade show in Japan. The event draws more than 200,000 buyers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers to meet exhibitors at more than 4,500 booths spread out over the exhibition area.
“We are excited about the opportunity to showcase unique Hawaii-made products at this event,” said DBEDT Director Luis P. Salaveria. “As we continue our efforts to grow our local economy, TIGS allows us the venue to expand distribution in the global marketplace.
Hawaii companies that participated in last year’s show collectively saw more than $13 million in export sales.
“Hawaii’s pavilion is a featured location that buyers look for every year, since we’ve been participating,” said Dennis Ling, administrator of DBEDT’s Business Development and Support Division. “Distributors, retailers, and importers realize the Hawaii brand is established for its quality and uniqueness in the Japan market.”
The Hawaii Pavilion at TIGS is funded in part through a Grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), and is part of a series of initiatives DBEDT is promoting to increase the export of Hawaii’s products.
