AsiaWorld-Expo, Asia’s leading exhibition and convention venue, is pleased to announce that visitor numbers to recurrent trade fairs at the venue have increased dramatically since its launch in 2006. This incredible growth into an internationally-renowned MICE events venue has been achieved in the space of just four years. Already an established venue for a number of high-profile international trade fairs, the number of buyers coming for the peak seasons of spring and autumn has increased by almost 40% in the last three years alone with over 300,000 regional and global buyers during these periods, poised for the future growth with the completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2015. Indeed, in autumn 2009, AsiaWorld-Expo proudly recorded a record-breaking number of trade-show visitors, and now welcomes some two million visitors per year.
“As we celebrate our 5th anniversary this year, these encouraging statistics are powerful confirmation that our efforts have paid off since our first year, and that AsiaWorld-Expo offers exactly the right combination of facilities, accessibility and support for today’s discerning and fast-growing MICE industry,” said Allen Ha, Chief Executive Officer, AsiaWorld-Expo Management Limited. “Its proximity to China and the dynamic Pearl River Delta region already makes AsiaWorld-Expo unique in Asia. We’re proud that our continued growth is not only putting AsiaWorld-Expo and Hong Kong on the map as the world’s expo platform, but is also bringing tangible economic benefits to the people of Hong Kong.”
A recent, independent study on the economic impact of the exhibition industry in 2008 commissioned by the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association and conducted by KPMG Transaction Advisory Services Limited reveals that AsiaWorld-Expo plays a pivotal role in Hong Kong’s exhibition industry. For instance, AsiaWorld-Expo accounted for close to 30% of the entire Hong Kong trade exhibition market. In economic terms, the venue contributed an estimated HK$9 billion to the local economy in 2008 alone. This economic success likewise translated into significant job opportunities, with an estimated 18,000 full-time-equivalent jobs provided by AsiaWorld-Expo in 2008. As AsiaWorld-Expo continues to welcome more and more visitors, the number of job opportunities and the value of its economic contribution will continue to rise.
Since its launch four years ago, AsiaWorld-Expo has dramatically increased the overall size of Hong Kong’s MICE market and successfully attracted a number of large-scale events that simply would not have been able to come to Hong Kong previously. In recent years, the venue has welcomed many high-profile international trade shows, conferences and entertainment events. In 2006, in just its first year of operations, AsiaWorld-Expo contributed to a record 50% growth in the net exhibition meterage in Hong Kong. Also, over 90% of the trade shows at AsiaWorld-Expo in 2006 were staged in Hong Kong for the first time, the majority of which have since signed up as annual fixtures.
A highlight of each year is the China Sourcing Fairs. Relocated from Shanghai to Hong Kong in 2006, this annual event has gone from strength to strength at AsiaWorld-Expo, growing from six shows in 2006 to 17 shows in 2010, with over 14,000 exhibitors and more than 144,000 trade visitors each year. In October 2010, the Fairs will introduce yet another new specialist show catering to garments and textiles.
Another high-profile success story is the Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress, the world’s largest dedicated commercial aerospace and aviation showcase. After relocating to AsiaWorld-Expo from Singapore in 2007, this biennial event has recorded strong growth, and now features hundreds of exhibitors, including all the world’s biggest names in aerospace, as well as strong support from Mainland China’s private and public sectors. Indeed, the success of this important biennial event has firmly established AsiaWorld-Expo as the Asian venue of choice for the aviation and logistics sector, and has attracted a number of MICE events on similar topics, such as the Sino-International Freight Forwarders Conference and Exhibition, and the Railway Interiors Expo among many others.
The recent inaugural CARTES in Asia exhibition and congress likewise represented the debut of a high-profile industry event, and attracted a high number of quality buyers from around the world — further proof that AsiaWorld-Expo has become a trading platform of world renown.
Looking ahead, several landmark cross-border infrastructure projects mean that AsiaWorld-Expo is set to become the default hub of the Pearl River Delta region, which itself is forecast to become one of the world’s most important economic zones in the coming decades. Projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which will be adjacent to AsiaWorld-Expo, will give the venue a direct catchment of over 100 million people, and will ensure that AsiaWorld-Expo remains one of the world’s most important MICE venues for many years to come.