Eighteenth Birthday

The years tick by but we think you'll agree the Centre still looks as fresh and vibrant as when it was first opened back in 1988. This year the building, and the management company that runs it, celebrates its 18th birthday. Both the architecture and the personnel have stood the test of time and proved themselves to be extremely well-matched to the needs of Hong Kong. Though 18 is not traditionally a milestone age, it coincides with a new page of the HKCEC's history as we start another major expansion, even as we celebrate our record-breaking results of the past fiscal year. As we look back over nearly two decades of endeavour, our thanks go out to all our hundreds of thousands of customers for their loyal patronage over the years. After all, it's their support that has created the incentive for our latest expansion and development.

Recognition from Both Users and Peers

In October, popular Asia publication TTG Asia presented a number of awards to outstanding Asia Pacific travel industry players, at the 17th TTG Travel Awards. At the event the award for Best Convention & Exhibition Centre, first established last year, was presented to the HKCEC for the second year running. The 17th TTG Travel Awards are awarded based on votes cast by readers of TTG publications, and their objective is to recognise the most outstanding individuals and organisations within the Asia-Pacific travel industry. "That means that our services over the past two years have been recognised by a very wide range of people, including customers, users, and peers within the industry", says the HKCEC's Director of Business Development Mrs Monica Lee-Mˆ¢ller. "Naturally, we are extremely pleased to receive such an acknowledgment of the quality of the HKCEC's facilities and services. This sort of award really motivates all of us at the HKCEC to remain focused and dedicated in our customer service endeavours."

Cliff Wallace Named Industry Ambassador

The HKCEC's Managing Director Cliff Wallace has long been active in the exhibition industry, particularly across the Asia Pacific region. Reflecting his energy and experience, in August he was appointed as the IAAM's Ambassador to China. The IAAM, or International Association of Assembly Managers, is the world's largest professional association dedicated to issues relating to the management of public assembly facilities, with over 3,200 members worldwide.

Mr Wallace's one-year appointment will see him tasked with coordinating research and data collection in China. Given the rapid growth of public assembly venues in the PRC, reliable data is essential for future planning. In addition, as Mr Wallace says, "I will also be looking to introduce international standards and industry best practices to public assembly venues in China."

Marketing Boost

Cyrene Kong Marketing and Sales Deputy Manager

As the HKCEC marketing and sales team celebrates its success in bringing a total of 18 new exhibitions to the Centre between July 2005 and June 2006, team members are also welcoming a promotion within their ranks. Miss Cyrene Kong, who joined the HKCEC as sales manager in 2001, has over the past five years played a key role in the international conference team of the marketing and sales department. From September she became Marketing and Sales Deputy Manager, where she will be working with colleagues to manage the Centre's large portfolio of exhibitions and international conventions. Besides this, she will be responsible for the forward planning and scheduling of major events, and for developing new business through contacts and promotional activities, especially with organisers from Europe, the US, and the PRC.

Keeping Things Running Smoothly

Thomas Tong Director of Venue Operations

Katherine Tang Event Planning and Co-ordination Manager

Two other recent changes in the HKCEC management structure are worth noting. We have just appointed a new Director of Venue Operations, Mr Thomas Tong, who has arrived at the HKCEC with over 20 years of experience in the hotel and hospitality industry. Mr Tong has a reputation for his insistence on high-quality customer service at every level of operations, and we are sure his hand at the HKCEC will act as a reliable guarantee that our customer expectations continue to be met and regularly exceeded.

Recently promoted to Event Planning and Co-ordination Manager is long-serving HKCEC stalwart Miss Katherine Tang, along with her deputies Jessica Wong and Simon Ho. Miss Tang has been at the Centre since 1992, and in her new role will be overseeing a staff of 53 who are responsible for ensuring that events at the Centre run smoothly and efficiently. She has a proven ability in this field, having been involved in many of the largest and most prestigious events to have been held at the HKCEC in recent years.

On the two appointments, Managing Director of the HKCEC Mr Cliff Wallace commented "Both Thomas and Katherine have vast experience and a reputation for quality service that precedes them. I am confident that in their new senior roles at the HKCEC, they will be instrumental in helping us provide even greater levels of professionalism in our event services."

Club Class

A new round of membership of the HKCEC's excusive Chancellor Club will be initiated from 1 January 2007. The Chancellor Club is an invitation-only club with members made up of some of the HKCEC's largest clients. Membership brings with it a number of benefits, privileges and special offers that reflect the importance of members to the Centre. This is one way that we have of showing our thanks and appreciation to the major customers who underpin our excellent business performance, year after year. A Welcome Pack will be sent out to invited members in early January 2007, including information on the full range of offers available for the coming year. Members are welcome to contact Client Relations Manager Ms Josephine Lam with queries about Chancellor Club offers, or comments on the Centre's services.

Rates Unchanged

At the HKCEC, we aim at consistently providing exhibition and event organisers with flexible booking policies and attractive incentives. One example of this policy is our recent decision to once again freeze our hire rates for 2007, and to continue offering a generous package of discounts and special offers. All standard hire rates will remain unchanged throughout 2007. In addition, most events scheduled for the low season months of February, May, June, July, August and December will continue to enjoy a 30% discount off standard hire rates. Volume discounts and other incentives will be extended to mega exhibitions, as well as to new and returning exhibitions featuring international brands.

10-year Survey Reaffirms Hong Kong's Leading Role

In June of this year, the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association (HKECIA) released the results of its annual survey on the performance of Hong Kong's exhibition industry. The 2005 survey marks the tenth year in which comparable surveys have been undertaken by the HKECIA, and the series provides a useful snapshot of developments over the past decade.

The survey was based on feedback from 66 exhibitions held over the year 2005. Some key points came into particular focus. One is that companies are continuing to exhibit in Hong Kong in ever larger numbers: the survey showed a record number of nearly 42,000 in 2005. The makeup of these companies has changed over the years, however, as Hong Kong exhibitions have become increasingly more international in scope. Companies from the Asia Pacific region, for example, have more than doubled in number over the past decade, with Mainland China companies especially notable for their growing exhibition presence here.

With visitor numbers rising too – especially numbers from Mainland China – there is every sign that, as HKCIA Chairman Stanley Chu says, "Hong Kong exhibitions are being recognised as truly international in character. 50% of the exhibiting companies and buyers at Hong Kong trade fairs come from outside Hong Kong. More and more organisers are coming to Hong Kong to launch Asia versions of their international shows, knowing that Hong Kong is an exhibition hub that will consistently attract attendees from right across the Asia Pacific region, including the all-important China market." The total number of visitors attending in 2005 was over 4.8 million. The growth was particularly striking between 2004 and 2005, when visitor numbers rose by 34%.

A summary of the survey is available on HKECIA website: www.exhibitions.org.hk

Consistent Day to Day Data

Collecting and presenting data about the Hong Kong exhibition industry are extremely important activities for two organisations in Hong Kong, both of which have special uses for this information. One is the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association (HKECIA), which uses event statistics as data for its comprehensive annual report on the exhibition industry. The other is the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), which includes this data in its own annual report on tourist arrivals. Both organisations use the data to promote Hong Kong extensively as Asia's Trade Fair Capital.

The HKECIA and the HKTB are looking to further improve the consistency and accuracy of the data that is collected and presented in their reports. From 2006, the HKTB will be collecting the data for both reports, and it is specially requesting the co-operation of both local and overseas organisers in providing the most accurate statistics possible.

Details on how organisers can help are available from the HKECIA website www.exhibitions.org.hk.

Counting Heads

As with any industry, accurate information is essential for understanding and addressing the trends in the exhibition and convention industry. By and large, this information comes from organisers who collect figures for their shows and pass it on to industry organisations like the HKECIA. Accurate attendance figures are crucially important, so that the HKECIA can present the statistics according to clear and internationally-established benchmarks.

Globally, the trend is for exhibitions to have their figures audited before sharing with central bodies, and here at the HKCEC we believe that is the way forward for Hong Kong too. Through auditing and standardisation, international users can compare like with like, and institutions like the HKCEC and the HKECIA can promote the advantages of holding exhibitions in Hong Kong using widely-recognised and trusted data. For this reason, we are encouraging all organisers who use the HKCEC to commit themselves to providing accurate audited figures for their exhibitions, a move which will help all exhibition players in Hong Kong see trends more clearly and market themselves better on the world stage.

Safety Always the Priority

Exhibitions typically involve a lot of temporary construction activity, as well as much in the way of moving things around, erecting and dismantling stalls and displays. The HKECIA has decided to compile a code of practice for contractors carrying out work for exhibition and convention venues in Hong Kong. At the moment, the HKECIA's Contractor Sub-committee is at the stage of gathering feedback from interested parties including organisers, venue operators and of course contractors themselves. The end result will be a formalised code of practice spelling out safe practices that will apply across the board, creating a consistency of practice within the Hong Kong exhibition industry.