At New Year, Hong Kong’s events and exhibitions sector took center stage as fireworks launched from the roof of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, illuminating Victoria Harbour. Despite ongoing global economic uncertainties, early 2012 figures indicate the city’s meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (M.I.C.E.) industry enjoyed a positive performance.
Between January and September 2012, M.I.C.E. arrivals rose 2.9 percent year on year. While visitor numbers from traditional long-haul markets such as the Americas and Australasia declined, arrivals from Europe, Africa and the Middle East increased by 3.6 percent. The strongest growth came from short-haul Asian markets, particularly mainland China.
Hong Kong’s established reputation as a crossroad of East and West, and as a place for networking and deal-making, continues to attract meeting, event and incentive planners. As a hub for global and regional trade fairs and conventions, the city’s vitality and distinct character make it a consistently popular destination that delegates are keen to visit.
Hong Kong has a mature events and exhibitions industry, featuring venues and suppliers with the international experience needed to tailor events for a diverse mix of clients. This deep professional expertise is supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s convention bureau, Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK).
MEHK provides practical assistance such as recommending itineraries, short-listing suitable venues and offering neutral advice. Working with hotels and industry partners, the bureau helps arrange Hong Kong Rewards packages for corporate meetings and incentive groups and, depending on the event’s scale, can support familiarization tours and site inspections.
Examining the city’s infrastructure, Hong Kong’s venue “hardware” stands out. The downtown flagship is the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Recognizable for its distinctive aluminum roof inspired by seabirds in flight, the HKCEC provides more than 984,000 square feet of event space within minutes of the island’s financial, commercial and entertainment districts.
On any given day the HKCEC hosts exhibitions, seminars, banquets, press conferences and product launches, and it is often used for concerts and large-scale shows. In the 12 months leading to June 30, 2012, more than 5.6 million visitors attended 1,224 events at the centre.
Linked to the HKCEC, the 549-room Grand Hyatt Hong Kong buzzes with informal business meetings and offers 25 flexible event spaces suited to smaller gatherings and incentives, including one of the city’s largest ballrooms. Also with direct access to the HKCEC, the Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel features 857 deluxe guestrooms and 14 meeting rooms, making it a strong choice for conferences and corporate events.
Because Hong Kong is relatively compact, many hotels can host small conferences, C-suite meetings and incentive groups. On Hong Kong Island, just minutes by road from the HKCEC, Island Shangri-La provides refined hospitality; its Horizon Club rooms and the Level 56 Horizon Club Lounge include private meeting facilities well suited for executive retreats.
In the Central Business District, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong remains a benchmark for service and event hosting, offering dedicated function hosts and on-call IT support for every event. The Four Seasons Hong Kong, located in the International Finance Centre complex, is a frequent venue for financial services gatherings and is noted for its Michelin-starred dining and comprehensive spa facilities.
Across Victoria Harbour, Kowloon’s skyline is anchored by the International Commerce Centre, home to The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong on its upper floors. Alongside other premium hotels such as the InterContinental Hong Kong, The Langham Hong Kong and The Peninsula Hong Kong, Kowloon’s luxury properties provide excellent meeting and incentive locations with convenient ferry, rail and road connections to Hong Kong Island and Hong Kong International Airport.
Hong Kong’s second major exhibition venue, AsiaWorld-Expo, opened in 2005 near the airport on Lantau Island, adding some 753,000 square feet of exhibition and event space to the city’s offering. Its location next to the airport and the Airport Express station, with high-speed ferry links to Macau and the Pearl River Delta, makes AsiaWorld-Expo particularly convenient for regional trade fairs and sourcing shows.
Nearby hotels such as the Regal Airport Hotel and Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel are popular for regional executive meetings and short-training sessions, especially when attendees have limited time in the city. Both properties offer five-star facilities, access to a nearby nine-hole golf course and easy connections to airport and city transport.
For planners seeking venues that surprise and inspire, Lantau Island beyond the airport offers a striking contrast to the urban core. The island—Hong Kong’s largest outlying island—is a varied landscape of entertainment complexes, mountains, traditional villages, hiking trails and beaches, and it now includes several destination restaurants and hotels.
On Lantau’s west coast, Tai O Lookout restaurant at the restored Tai O Heritage Hotel provides an atmospheric setting in one of Hong Kong’s oldest villages for smaller-group dining and meetings. On the east coast, the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and its surrounding gardens and event spaces offer options for gala dinners and themed corporate gatherings.
D’Deck at Discovery Bay presents a relaxed seaside choice for both small and large events, with a broad alfresco dining area, international restaurant options and proximity to a marina and golf club. D’Deck also organizes unique experiences such as events aboard The Bounty, a replica European tall ship. Resort additions nearby further expand venue choices for incentives and retreats.
For a memorable start to a day of meetings or team-building, the Ngong Ping cable car from Tung Chung provides a 27-minute scenic journey to Ngong Ping Village, which is designed in the style of a traditional Chinese village. Ngong Ping offers indoor and outdoor spaces suited to meetings, team-building sessions and cultural experiences. Overlooking the site is the serene 112-foot bronze Tian Tan Buddha, and the village includes traditional teahouses and other attractions.
From Ngong Ping, delegates can return to Tung Chung by road and reach Central, Kowloon or the airport in less than 30 minutes, making Lantau both an accessible and refreshing choice for incentive programs, conferences and corporate events.