The newly opened AsiaWorld-Expo, one of Asia's biggest exhibition centres, will complement Hong Kong's award winning Convention and Exhibition Centre

Hong Kong's HK$18.3 billion (US$2.35 billion) AsiaWorld-Expo, one of Asia's biggest exhibition centres, opened on schedule on December 21 in a move warmly welcomed by the trade fair industry.
 
The city's Chief Executive, Donald Tsang, cut the ribbon to launch the gleaming new facility adjoining Hong Kong International Airport. It features 70,000 square metres of rental exhibition space - equal to 10 soccer pitches - and the 13,500-seat AsiaWorld-Arena, the biggest purpose-built indoor-seated entertainment arena in Hong Kong. The new centre, a joint venture between the government and private investors, is fully integrated with the airport and even has its own stop on the Airport Express railway that runs to the city centre.
 
"It is an important step forward," said Paul Woodward, regional manager of UFI, the global association for the exhibition industry. "At the peak times of the year, the current facilities have been pretty full so this opens opportunities for people to expand existing events or add new ones."
 
Mr Woodward described the response from the industry as "very positive". He said the number of events on the venue's calendar "is a clear indication of that".
 
30 shows lined up

AsiaWorld-Expo should get off to a flying start. It has already lined up 30 major international exhibitions and events for next year, which are estimated to bring HK$4 billion (US$0.5 billion) in economic benefits to Hong Kong over the 12 months.
 
One of AsiaWorld-Expo's biggest coups was to lure the ITU Telecom World event away from Geneva where it has been held for three decades. The calendar features trade shows across a wide range of product types from fashion to auto parts.
 
"These events are virtually all firsts to Hong Kong and the majority of them are recurring events for subsequent years," said Nicolas Borit, chief executive officer of AsiaWorld-Expo Management, the privately owned company which will run the venue.
 
Opening AsiaWorld-Expo was another plank in Hong Kong's strategy of positioning itself as "Asia's world city", Mr Tsang said in his speech at the inauguration.
 
Springboard to China

Hong Kong has a role "to serve as a two-way springboard: for companies from around the world wishing to access the Chinese mainland, in particular the Pearl River Delta, and for mainland companies to launch themselves into the international marketplace," Mr Tsang said.
 
"It is no coincidence that many of the exhibitions to be held here in the coming years are to show off Chinese goods and services to the world. Others will show the world's best products to an increasingly sophisticated and substantial market in the mainland."
 
Hong Kong already has its Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), a signature building in the downtown cityscape, but the new building is intended to provide a complementary venue amid rapidly growing demand for exhibition space.
 
Some trade fair organisers may eventually split their events between the two venues, said UFI's Mr Woodward.
 
"Some people in the industry will welcome (competition) but it won't be competition in any kind of damaging way," he said.
 
Added incentive

The new venue will also give trade fair organisers the option to add incentive by coupling their event with a concert or sporting tournament at the AsiaWorld-Arena.
 
AsiaWorld-Expo is intended to specialise in some of the larger products manufacturers want to showcase, while the HKCEC is focused more on trade fairs featuring light manufactured goods.
 
The HKCEC is planning to build a 19,400 square metre extension to come on stream in 2009. But the rapid growth of the trade show industry in Hong Kong means there should still be plenty of business for both venues even then.
 
HKCEC Director of Business Development Monica Lee-Muller welcomed the opening of AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE). "We hope that AWE can further enhance Hong Kong's exhibition industry development and bring more new shows to Hong Kong," she said.

"The two centres represent two different products, however both sharing the same economic and political environment. We do not view the two centres as competitive. Our major recurrent clients have expressed their strong desire to continue their existing international exhibitions at the HKCEC."
 
There were many considerations for trade show organisers when selecting a venue, including convenience of moving freight to the site, proximity and availability of hotel rooms and the availability of other ancillary services such as shops, restaurants and banks, said Ms Lee-Muller.
 
Long track record

"HKCEC has 17-year track record of hosting successful international exhibitions which have built a strong reputation for quality, presentation and product. Our current portfolio is headed by the world's biggest trade fair for watches and clocks, and its second-largest for electronics," she added.
 
To some extent the new venue and an enlarged HKCEC will generate their own business, with trade show organisers wanting to stage their events in the best possible environment. Having the Chinese mainland, the world's outsourced manufacturer, in its backyard is an irresistible draw card for Hong Kong.
 
The number of visitors to the city's trade shows reached 3.6 million in 2004, a 29 per cent rise over the 2.8 million two years earlier, according to the most recent day from the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association.

Related links
AsiaWorld-Expo
Convention and Exhibition Centre
UFI