APLF
APLF Limited is a Hong Kong-based B2B trade exhibition organizer for the global leather and fashion industries, operating flagship fairs in Hong Kong, Shanghai (ACLE), and ASEAN under a joint venture with Informa Markets and SIC Group, and serving tanneries, manufacturers, and fashion brands across 100+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersWan Chai, Hong Kong SAR China
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What APLF does
APLF Limited is a Hong Kong-headquartered, privately held B2B trade exhibition organizer focused on the global leather and fashion supply chain. Founded in 1984 and operating as a joint venture between SIC Group and Informa Markets (the exhibitions division of Informa PLC), APLF runs a portfolio of marquee fairs including APLF Leather, Materials+, and Fashion Access in Hong Kong, the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) in Shanghai, and the APLF ASEAN events in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. The company also operates sampleroom.online, a 24/7 digital sourcing platform, and the LeadGrab by Informa lead-scanning tool. Its customer base spans tanneries, materials and component suppliers, OEM/ODM manufacturers, and downstream fashion brands, with the most recent ACLE edition attracting approximately 1,000 exhibiting companies across 80,500 square meters and over 32,000 professional visitors.
The business model is anchored in B2B event monetization: revenue is generated primarily through exhibition stand and booth packages sold to suppliers and manufacturers, complemented by sponsorship packages, visitor registration fees (with a HKD 200 fee waived for pre-registered visitors), and online directory and platform subscriptions. Supporting professional services — including hotel booking commissions, visa assistance, and event logistics — provide ancillary income. Distribution is run through direct enterprise sales teams in 14+ regional offices across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, supplemented by industry association partnerships for delegate recruitment (including Italian Trade Agency/ICE, Assomac, LEFASO, and the Thai Tanning Industry Association).
Underlying the franchise is a vertically segmented customer approach and an expanding ecosystem of supporting programs — the Best of APLF Awards, Design-A-Bag Competition, Sustainability Programme, Leather Supply Chain Conference, Prestige Buyers Club, and seasonal trend forecasts produced with the French Colour Committee and Material ConneXion. The company has 51–100 employees and is recognized by the International Leather Maker Magazine as the most important leather exhibition in the world. APLF does not have external venture funding and operates without disclosed financial statements.
APLF firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- APLF
- Legal name
- APLF Ltd
- Website
- https://aplf.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- APLF Limited is a Hong Kong-based B2B trade exhibition organizer for the global leather and fashion industries, operating flagship fairs in Hong Kong, Shanghai (ACLE), and ASEAN under a joint venture with Informa Markets and SIC Group, and serving tanneries, manufacturers, and fashion brands across 100+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
APLF industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Exhibition and Event Management Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)
Keywords
Where APLF is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wan Chai
- HQ country
- Hong Kong SAR China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices9 records
Markets served
APLF business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Exhibition Stand Packages: Revenue generated from selling exhibition booth space and stand packages to suppliers, manufacturers, and material providers who wish to showcase their products at APLF events.
- Visitor Registration Fees: Charges for visitor attendance at exhibitions, with pre-registration options available.
- Sponsorship Packages: Premium sponsorship opportunities for brands seeking enhanced visibility during events.
- Directory and Online Services: Online product directories and digital services including SampleRoom platform subscriptions.
- Supporting Services: Hotel booking commissions, visa assistance services, and event logistics services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Visitor Pre-registration |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
APLF product offering
Product offeringCore offering
APLF organizes international B2B trade exhibitions for the global leather and fashion industries. Its core offerings are three concurrent Hong Kong-based fairs — APLF Leather (leather and tanning), Materials+ (non-leather materials, components, fashion hardware), and Fashion Access (bags, footwear, accessories, OEM) — alongside the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) in Shanghai and APLF ASEAN events in Southeast Asia. The physical fairs are complemented by the sampleroom.online social sourcing platform and value-add services including sponsorship, trend forecasting, and buyer programs.
Product overview
APLF operates a portfolio of international trade exhibitions for the leather and fashion industries. The core offering consists of three simultaneous Hong Kong-based exhibitions: APLF Leather (leather and tanning materials), Materials+ (non-leather materials, components, and fashion hardware), and Fashion Access (bags, footwear, accessories, and OEM manufacturing). The company also organizes the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) in Shanghai and APLF ASEAN events across Southeast Asia. These exhibitions are complemented by sampleroom.online, a 24/7 digital sourcing platform, and LeadGrab by Informa for lead management. Educational and promotional programs include the Best of APLF Awards, Design-A-Bag Competition, Leather Supply Chain Conference, and seasonal trend forecasting services. The company positions itself as the most international leather and fashion manufacturing exhibition, attracting 10,000+ visitors from 100 countries annually.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- APLF Leather: Main leather exhibition segment covering tanners and leather suppliers
- Materials+
- Fashion Access
- All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE)
- APLF ASEAN
- sampleroom.online
Products and services
- APLF Leather B2B trade exhibition covering tanning, leather materials, and crust leathers; serves tanneries, leather suppliers, and global buyers (fashion brands, footwear makers, furniture makers) sourcing leather internationally.
- Materials+
Quantifiable outcome
- 10,000+ visitors annually from 100+ countries
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use APLF
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
APLF technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
APLF partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- China Leather Industry Association (CLIA)coreJoint organizer of All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), providing industry data, market analysis, and Chinese market access for international exhibitors.
- French Colour CommitteemajorPartnership with French color forecasting authority to develop APLF Color, Leather & Material Trends forecasts for fashion seasons.
- Olivier Guillemin - [o,o]majorTrend expert collaborating with APLF and French Colour Committee to curate seasonal color and material trend forecasts.
- Material ConneXionmajorGlobal materials authority partnering with Materials+ to curate and connect next-generation material innovations at APLF exhibitions.
- Italian Trade Agency (ICE)majorGovernment agency promoting Italian trade, organizing Italian national pavilions at APLF exhibitions with 34+ exhibiting companies showcasing chemicals and machinery innovations.
- Assomac (Italian Footwear, Leather Goods and Tannery Machinery Manufacturers Association)majorIndustry association supporting Italian machinery manufacturers' participation in APLF exhibitions.
- Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO)majorSupporting organization for APLF ASEAN Vietnam events, promoting local manufacturers and facilitating buyer connections.
- Thai Tanning Industry AssociationmajorSupporting partner for APLF ASEAN Thailand events, coordinating local industry participation.
- Ho Chi Minh City Leather and Footwear AssociationmajorSupporting organization for APLF ASEAN Vietnam, representing manufacturers in Vietnam's key production hub.
- Hanoi Leather and Footwear AssociationmajorNorthern Vietnam industry association supporting APLF regional events.
- SIC GroupcoreJoint-venture partner in APLF Limited. SIC Group is an international exhibition organizer specializing in leather and fashion industries. The partnership combines local Asian market expertise with global exhibition experience.
- Informa MarketscoreTrading division of Informa Group, joint-venture partner in APLF Limited. Informa Markets provides global exhibition infrastructure, digital platforms, and international buyer networks.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
APLF competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Koelnmesse: German trade fair company running major B2B exhibitions including spoga+gafa, imm cologne, and ORGATEC. Broad incumbent with adjacent fashion, lifestyle, and materials events overlapping with APLF's Materials+ buyer base.
- Messe Frankfurt: Major German trade fair organizer running events including Texcare, Techtextil, and consumer-goods fairs. A broad incumbent with overlapping fashion-materials and lifestyle exhibitions (e.g., Ambiente) that compete for fashion-brand attendee dollars, though not a leather-specialist.
- Informa Markets: Global exhibitions division of Informa PLC and APLF's joint-venture parent. Operates hundreds of B2B trade shows across beauty, fashion, health, and technology — overlapping with APLF's fashion/leather portfolio but at vastly larger scale and broader category coverage.
- GL Events: French-based global exhibition organizer operating venues and trade fairs across Europe, Asia, and emerging markets. Comparable to APLF as an exhibition-platform operator with regional geographic overlap, though with broader industry coverage.
- RX (Reed Exhibitions): Global B2B exhibition organizer (formerly Reed Exhibitions) running large-scale events across multiple industries. A broad incumbent with adjacent fashion and lifestyle shows that compete for international brand sourcing budgets.
- Messe Düsseldorf (Leather & Components segments): Major German exhibition organizer with broad B2B fairs including GDS (footwear), Gallery (fashion), and components segments that compete for the same European and Asian exhibitor/buyer pool as APLF's Fashion Access and Materials+ events.
Direct peers
- Pitti Immagine: Italian organizer of Pitti Uomo, Pitti Filati, and other fashion/leather events in Florence. Comparable to APLF's Fashion Access as a B2B fashion and accessories sourcing platform, with analogous buyer-program, trend-forecasting, and international visitor positioning.
- Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC): Hong Kong statutory body organizing large-scale B2B trade fairs including fashion and lifestyle events that overlap with APLF's Hong Kong flagship. Same geography and overlapping buyer base, though HKTDC's scope is broader across industries.
- MICAM Milano: Italy's leading B2B footwear trade fair, organized by Assocalzaturifici. Directly comparable to APLF's Fashion Access as a footwear-focused B2B sourcing event attracting global brands, with similar geographic overlap among European and Asian exhibitors.
- Lineapelle: Italian trade fair organizer running Lineapelle, the leading leather and materials exhibition in Europe. Directly comparable to APLF Leather as a B2B industry-specific leather trade show serving fashion, footwear, and upholstery buyers, with similar supplier-mixer and trend-forecasting programs.
Market position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
APLF social profiles
Digital presenceAPLF financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
APLF leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
APLF funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
APLF M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about APLF
What does APLF do?
APLF organizes international B2B trade exhibitions for the global leather and fashion industries. Its core offerings are three concurrent Hong Kong-based fairs — APLF Leather (leather and tanning), Materials+ (non-leather materials, components, fashion hardware), and Fashion Access (bags, footwear, accessories, OEM) — alongside the All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) in Shanghai and APLF ASEAN events in Southeast Asia. The physical fairs are complemented by the sampleroom.online social sourcing platform and value-add services including sponsorship, trend forecasting, and buyer programs.
Is APLF a public or private company?
APLF is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was APLF founded?
APLF was founded in 1984. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is APLF based?
APLF is headquartered in Wan Chai, Hong Kong SAR China, in the Asia region.
How does APLF make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Exhibition Stand Packages are the primary driver. The others are visitor Registration Fees, sponsorship Packages, directory and Online Services and supporting Services.
Who are APLF's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Koelnmesse, Messe Frankfurt, Informa Markets, GL Events, RX (Reed Exhibitions) and Messe Düsseldorf (Leather & Components segments). Direct peers are Pitti Immagine, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), MICAM Milano and Lineapelle.
Does APLF have an API?
No public API is recorded for APLF.
What industry is APLF in?
APLF's product category is Trade Exhibition and Event Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHABAB, Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 7990.