Hong Kong IP festival Con-Con draws crowds on opening day

Fans and cosplayers flooded an intellectual property (IP) festival that debuted in Hong Kong on Saturday, featuring pop culture exports such as the hit franchise Godzilla as well as local designs and trademarks. Long queues formed at Con-Con Hong Kong 2026, a two-day event at AsiaWorld-Expo bringing together exhibitions, music performances, licensing showcases and IP business matching opportunities. Visitors stocked up on exclusive merchandise at booths and took pictures of the latest figurine designs. At the opening ceremony, Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan Pak-li noted Hong Kong ranked sixth globally in IP rights according to the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025. “We are keen on transforming our city’s unique strength into a world-class ecosystem, where IP is protected with rigour, valued with clarity and financed with confidence,” he said. Intellectual property – creations of the mind that cover trademarks, patents, designs and copyrights – was mentioned in the budget in February as part of the government’s broader effort to develop higher value-added industries. IP-intensive industries contributed 33 per cent of the city’s gross domestic product (GDP) and 29 per cent of annual total employment in 2023, according to the latest figures from the Intellectual Property Department. Lovinia Chiu Siu-yin, founder and chief executive of Hong Kong-based Medialink Group, the show’s organiser, said it took 1½ years of planning to finally see the event come to fruition. The industry veteran estimated full-house attendance at the festival’s musical performances of more than 10,000 attendees in total, noting overseas clients and visitors came from Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Japan and Malaysia. She added that 63 out of 85 exhibitors were Hong Kong brands. “Con-Con is not just an event or a project, this is my own vision that Hong Kong people can create our own IP and this IP can travel,” Chiu said, adding her next goal was to bring Hong Kong’s IP to Thailand. Con-Con – short for “Convention for Connection” – includes immersive experiences, games, a marketplace and food and drink offerings all connected through IP. Near the Godzilla exhibition, which showcases the monster’s evolution, a booth of Hong Kong brand MechNoiz Toys featured a “Burning Godzilla” soft vinyl figure based on the 1995 film, as well as Godzilla-printed towels and tote bags, among other merchandise. The local brand secured licensing rights of established characters, including Godzilla and Japanese classic animation Neon Genesis Evangelion, then redesigned them into soft vinyl figures known as “sofubi”, according to founder Aaron Liu. Liu said visitors had “pretty good responses” so far, as the booth served as an effective platform to notify fans of new design launches. “There is room for creativity in the process of redesigning and reinterpreting characters with an established fan base while considering manufacturing techniques,” Liu said. “It is very fun.” Among the Hong Kong IPs is the animated full-feature film Another World. The production won a Golden Horse Award for best animated feature in 2025 and was the second-highest-grossing Hong Kong-made film that same year. Visitor Ben Ng, who works in the hotel industry, huddled over a coin-operated toy vending machine at the film’s booth, which featured collectible capsule toys based on the film’s five characters. The 25-year-old said he already got eight capsules in exchange for collecting four of the main protagonists, and he was keen to secure the remaining one. “The plot of the film was enticing and really touched me – I watched it four times,” Ng said. “It was rare to finally see an [animated] film of our own come to light.” Ng added that the show’s highlight for him would be a performance by the five-member group who were the voices for the Japanese rock band Togenashi Togeari from the anime series Girls Band Cry. “I really resonated with the series character,” Ng said. A visitor from Japan, who gave his surname as Takahashi, said he saw business prospects in the city and would visit the festival on Sunday as well. “I heard many people will visit here, and many like Japanese IPs, so I feel there can be more potential in Hong Kong,” Takahashi said. Vivian Lam, chief marketing officer of Tadaland, a Hong Kong brand that pairs animal characters with 16 personality prototypes referencing a popular personality-type test called the MBTI, said the long queues of crowds at their booth were “out of expectations”. “Many visitors loved MBTI, did the quiz and came to our booth, wanting to check out the animal corresponding to their personality type,” Lam said. “The booth gives us more exposure aside from our social media page.”

Hong Kong IP festival Con-Con draws crowds on opening day

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Visitors to two-day Con-Con Hong Kong 2026 stock up on exclusive merchandise at booths and take pictures of the latest figurines

Visitors to two-day Con-Con Hong Kong 2026 stock up on exclusive merchandise at booths and take pictures of the latest figurines