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                                         January  2002 Issue

New Exhibition Centre

I read with great interest your lead article in the December 2001 issue of The Bulletin, title "Hong Kong aiming to be Asia's future exhibition centre." The proposed international exhibition centre to be built on Lantau Island is a very important potential project for Hong Kong. As a 40-year veteran of the public assembly venue management industry, the managing director of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), and a resident of Hong Kong, it is very important for me that the information surrounding the planning of this project be factual.

I am disappointed that the article represents me as expressing doubts that the new centre would be able to bring in new trade fairs. This is incorrect. Of course, a new intentional exhibition center will be able to bring in new trade fairs. The point that I want to emphasize, however, is that it is the current demand and potential quantity of new business that justifies such a new venue.

Again, in an effort to encourage accuracy, there is a surprising statement in the article that boat shows are not possible to be held at HKCEC. This is terribly inaccurate. The HKCEC would be a beautiful venue for a boat show as all exhibit halls are accessible to boats and the water around the centre provides innovative opportunities to exhibit boats that would normally not go into traditional exhibition centers with low ceiling heights such as sailing vessels and large yachts.

On a final note, it is intriguing that only one exhibition was mentioned in the article, the International Exhibition of Textile and Machinery Asia (ITMA), as an example of an exhibition that could have been held in the proposed new venue, but not in the HKCEC. In addition to questioning the accuracy of the statement within the article which, "estimates the show generated about HK$1 billion in Singapore, which was how much it cost to build the Singapore Expo," I would caution about excitement regarding occasional events available to cities such as ITMA and the fabricated economic data that accompanies such events at times. This kind of event occurs once every four years and are not necessarily recurrent then in the same city.

The HKCEC's extension was planned and constructed based on clear evidence of event demand, thus the reason so many new shows resulted following its opening in 1997. Such demand is reasonably easy to identify through reputable consultation and the results of that consultation should be readily available for verification to comfort those who are sensitive to the use of their public monies for such a potential project.

Strategic thinking and planning has never been as important for Hong Kong in the area of tourism, meetings, conventions and exhibitions. I would hope that the community will work closely together for maximize the potential success of any new public assembly venue in Hong Kong in order to achieve maximum economic impact for Hong Kong and the potential of additional benefit to enhance the quality of life to Hong Kong citizens. Reasonable attention to demand and location considering demand are of paramount importance.

Cliff Wallace, CFE
Managing Director
HKCEC