AsiaWorld-Expo branding gains momentum for 2004

By Olivia Toth HONG KONG Gearing up to a December 2005 opening, the brand name of Hong Kong's new exhibitions and events centre — AsiaWorld-Expo — has been officially unveiled. The venue has been slated to complement Hong Kong's brand positioning as 'Asia's World City'. Hotly tipped to rival the HKSAR's existing Convention and Exhibition Centre, the 70,000 square metre development is being touted as a global venue running alongside Hong Kong Disneyland and positioned adjacent to the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island. "This (development) is more than just Hong Kong - we have the whole region in mind," said AsiaWorld-Expo deputy chief executive Allen Ha. "Our core market is trade exhibitions, conventions, meetings and events." Flagging the "huge potential" within Asia Pacific as corporate manufacturing and logistics centres are increasingly transferred to China and India, Ha believes destinations such as Hong Kong can take advantage of the increase in trade between global buyers and local sellers. "This is the driving force behind the AsiaWorld-Expo project," he said, adding, "Hong Kong can play a role and with investments into China, (local) companies are looking at the technology to make production more efficient which they, in turn, need to import from the West. Hong Kong is an excellent platform for this trade convergence." Referring to AsiaWorld-Expo's proposed dedicated Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station, the ferry terminal linking the venue site with Pearl River destinations and Macau and the bridge to Zuhai, Ha added: "It's not just a venue, it's a whole city (venture) with government and private-sector infrastructure." Venue construction is being driven by a private/public partnership — with land provided by the Airport Authority and the HKSAR Government, strategic financial and operational management by Dragages et Travaux Public and Yu Ming Investments, and operational expertise by the NEC Group.