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Macao will become an irreplaceable convention and exhibition hub
Macao SAR government hopes to develop a strong convention and exhibition industry by utilising its unique resources.
Chairman Jin Zhongyun of Macao Convention and Exhibition Association says that compared with developed con vention and exhibition industry in oth er regions, Macao’s convention and ex hibition industry started relatively late, is small, lacks the necessary facilities, a strong brand or enough talented profes sionals and has only small and scattered convention and exhibition agencies. In spite of all the disadvantages, ever since the handover, the SAR government has been keen to cultivate new industries so as to diversify Macao’s industrial mix. One of the first such new indus tries to be made a priority is the con vention and exhibition industry. When the gaming industry was liberalised in 2002, the SAR government granted one of the licences to the Venetian Group, which runs the most successful con vention and exhibition business in Las Vegas. When the Venetian Resort on the Cotai Strip is completed next year, its in-house convention and exhibition facilities will also open, marking a new milestone in the development of Macao’ convention and exhibition industry.
“As a window for China to the out side world, Macao is advantageously lo cated at the heart of Asia.” Vice President Wolfram N. Diener for Convention and Exhibition of Venetian Macao, SA says. He further points out that Macao’s con vention and exhibition industry has great advantages and shows a lot of promise. “The advantages include Macao’s cul ture, traditions, food, leisurely life style, beaches and green areas. Compared with other cities, Macao is more attractive as it is a highly international and multi-lin gual city with outstanding infrastructure, good social order, a reliable legal system and simple visa procedures. Travellers from across the world find it very conve nient to visit Macao.”
Developing the Strengths and Avoiding the Weaknesses
Convention and Exhibition cities normally compete on the extent and scale of its indoor facilities. Neighbour ing Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shen zhen are more developed than Macao in this sense, so it needs a unique market ing strategy in order to effectively com pete with them and increase its conven tion and exhibition industry.
Macao has all along relied on the tourism, gaming and entertainment in dustries, so most of local talent works in these industries and the whole soci ety also revolves around them. In or der to develop a convention and exhibi tion industry from scratch, it should be linked with Macao’s core industries and fully utilise existing resources and tal ent. So the unique strategy to develop the convention and exhibition industry is to “utilise Macao’s tourism and gam ing industries.”
To support the strategy to develop the convention and exhibition industry along with the tourism sector, a Busi ness Tourism Centre was inaugurated on 18 April at a cost of MOP7 million. Located in Senado Square and affiliated with Macao Gov ernment Tourist Office as a department, Macao Business Tourism Centre will work to promote the development of Macao’s convention and exhi bition industry and business tourism so that it will become the business tourism destina tion of choice in the region. Putting the convention and exhibition industry under the remit of the Tourist Office in stead of other departments, Macao SAR government has fully understood Macao’s and its competitors’ strengths and weaknesses and is utilising it’s unique advantages and re sources to develop a conven tion and exhibition industry different from that of neigh bouring regions.
Confident Venetian
In the Venetian Resort at Macao, there are not only 360,000 square me tres of convention and exhibition facili ties and 2,000 seat exhibition hall, there is also the 300,00 square metre Grand Canal Shoppes, a 15,000 seat theatre to stage a wide variety of top shows to ca ter for guests staying in the 3,000 hotel rooms.
The Venetian has already signed contracts with exhibition organisers to host over 20 conventions and exhibi tions in the first year of the opening of Macao Venetian Convention and Exhibition Centre. Each of the exhi bitions will attract 5,000 to 20,000 visitors representing sectors such as police and security, jewellery, tourism services, leather products, real estate, auto parts, premium consumer goods and luxury yachts, planned conven tions include an investment forum. “Such early commitments made by trade and commerce convention or ganisers prove that the future of con ventions and exhibitions held in a resort complex in Asia Pacific is very promising. This approach will surely make the conventions and exhibitions very successful.” Vice President Wol fram N. Diener is full of confidence in Venetian’s contribution to the growth of Macao’s convention and exhibition industry. His confidence comes from the enthusiastic clients eager to work with the Venetian and more impor tantly from the Venetian’s success of hosting world-class exhibitions in Las Vegas as well as its strong brand.
“Our business philosophy is to have conventions and exhibitions for 365 days of the year.” Wolfram N. Diener says they plan to work with relevant associations, enterprises and public institutions to hold commod ity fairs, conventions and exhibitions, such as education fairs, annual con ferences, product launches and social gatherings. Three parties will assist in the effort, namely employees, busi ness partners and customers. “Not so many diverse activities will be held elsewhere in Asia, not even in Hong Kong.” He also emphasises that the convention centre at the Venetian Hotel is suitable for business people, families or solo travellers because the hotel offers a whole range of amenities including recreational and sports facilities. One of the key objectives for them is to attract frequent patrons.
Convention and exhibi tion industry encour ages more visitors
Brian Cheng, Macao Fisherman’s Wharf Direc tor of Sales and Marketing went to Singa-pore last month to make a presentation on Macao’s convention and ex hibition facilities. He says that their key message was not about things such as the 5,000 square metre Conven tion and Exhibition Centre, with the main convention and exhibition hall taking up an area of 3,000 square me tres with a column-free lobby as high as 6.3 metres able to accommodate as many as 2,800 people at one time. Rather they focused more on the over all environment and facilities of Fish erman’s Wharf. “What we provide is not an in-door convention and exhibi tion space alone, rather it is a unique in-door and out-door tourism and rec reational complex.” Located on the newly reclaimed land in the outer harbour the Fisherman’s Wharf Complex has a total area of 93,000 square me tres and has both eastern and western architecture and various facilities such as recreational, shop-ping, catering and convention and exhibition as well as hotels and yacht terminals.
The monthly occupancy rate of convention and exhibition facilities of Fisherman’s Warf has been 75% in the four months since its opening. More exhibitions and activities are planned for the second half of the year so the overall occupancy rate will be better than expected. Pierre Lau, Manager of the Convention and Exhibition Depart ment, Fisherman’s Wharf says that they will host a large jewellery show for the first time in Macao in September. Shows like this were only held in Hong Kong in the past, but the organisers are at tracted to Macao by its booming econ omy and the good environment and fa cilities of Fisherman’s Wharf. “It would be difficult for us to win such a deal without our wonderful outdoor envi ronment.” Comprehensive tourism en vironment and facilities win convention and exhibition business for Fisherman’s Wharf and these generate more visitors for Fisherman’s Wharf.
At Macao Tower, which opened in 2001, there is a Grand Ballroom capable of holding banquets or receptions for a thousand people. Its exhibition hall can accommodate as many as 100 booths. Its real attraction is the 338-metre Tower where visitors can have a birds-eye view of Macao on the observatory floor at a height of over 200 metres and take part in a series of activities challenging tal ent and courage such as the sky jump.
Tourism helps the growth of the convention and exhibition industry
How effectively Macao’s tourism environment and resources are utilised determines whether it’s convention and exhibition industry will have signifi cant growth and develop into one of Macao’s stronger industries.
Macao has rather scattered conven tion and exhibition facilities and they are located in tourist attractions, such as Macao Tower, Fish erman’s Wharf and the Venetian Resort. It is the consensus of the industry and the SAR government that this must be overcome by utilis ing Macao’s overall tourism facilities and environment. Mar keting and Sales Director Brian Cheng of Fisherman’s Wharf says that with the opening of more convention and exhibition venues in the future, there will be competition between them, but more importantly, venues with differ ent features and supporting facilities will work as a whole to make Macao a more competitive and attractive desti nation while bidding for some of the larger conventions and exhibitions to ensure a successful outcome.
Wolfram N. Diener Vice President for Convention and Exhibition of Venetian Macao, SA
Mr. Wolfram N. Diener, has an MBA degree and graduated from the Pforzheim University of Applied Science joined Hamburg Convention and Exhibition Company in 1993 as the Manager of its international department responsible for its global exhibition and convention busi ness. He initiated various business exhibitions in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia. From 1998 to 2002, he served as the Managing Director for Frankfurt Exhibition (Hong Kong) Companies, responsible for creating and running business exhibitions in Eastern Asia, in particular China. In 2002, he became General Man ager of SNIEC, managing the exhibition centre on behalf of the prop erty owners.
He mentions that he has never known another city, where a large ex hibition venue is only a two minute drive from the international airport or the future Hong Kong Macao ferry port and a customs checkpoint accessing mainland China in his long working experience neither inter nationally nor in China. “This is an almost unparallel advantage.”
Talking about competition between the existing and new convention and exhibition centres in the Pearl River Delta, he says rather confidently, “I am not worried about that at all. Competition is good to event organisers. Macao is going to have even bigger convention facilities than Hong Kong. The Venetian has built the most advanced facilities in the industry, hoping that convention and ex hibition business will increase room occupancy rates and guest flows in restaurants and casinos.” The Venetian’s convention and exhibition facilities are suitable for all kinds of shows and fairs. “With the opening of the Venetian Convention and Exhibition Centre next year, Macao will reach a new milestone.”
Mr. Wolfram N. Diener forecasts optimistically that Macao will play a leading role in Asia’s conven tion and exhibition industry. “Macao is moving towards being a leading player in the convention and exhibition industry in Asia.”
