Regional focus
economic powerhouse that the
exhibition industry in this part of
South China is eagerly anticipating.
“We look forward to see what is
going to be included in the Greater
Bay Area blueprint when it is released
in February,” Stuart Bailey, Chairman
of the Hong Kong Exhibition and
Convention Industry Association, told
EW after the SAR’s Chief Executive,
Carrie Lam, visited Beijing with
other Bay Area leaders to discuss the
blueprint and what roles each city
will play.
Bailey reckoned the new
“economic powerhouse” offered
by the blueprint would make Hong
Kong the financial hub of the Greater
Bay while Shenzhen – China’s
Silicon Valley – will lead on hi-tech
innovation, Zhuhai on maritime
and aviation; Macau and Hengqin,
leisure, and the inland areas around
Dongguan, Foshan and Guangzhou,
the manufacturing hubs.
“It’s coming… and the greater
integration and ease of movement
in the GBA will be an advantage for
exhibitions,” added Bailey, pointing
to what would be a region of 67m
people with a combined GDP of
US$1.4 trillion based on KPMG
research.
Another piece of exhibition
wonder that is whetting the appetite
of industry leaders is the mega
Shenzhen World Convention and
Exhibition Centre, which is nearing
completion in Bao’an District
alongside the Special Economic Zone’s
international airport. Bailey said the
first event at the 500,000sqm venue,
which will be the world’s largest
exhibition facility, was expected to be
held in July.
Bailey and other industry
leaders met Shenzhen’s Deputy
Mayor in January who emphasised
the opportunities for exhibition
organisers in the upcoming Greater
Bay. One statistic that dawned on
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
Bailey when he returned south of the
boundary crossing to Hong Kong was
that the average age of Shenzhen’s
population of 20m is 33, offering
a solution to any talent shortage
as Hong Kong faced a greying
demographic.
For exhibition organiser KS Tong,
the bridge and the prospects that the
Bay Area brings likewise can’t come
soon enough. He cited the example of
ITE & MICE Expo, the annual travel-
trade show he runs at the Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“In 2018, eight out of nine
Guangdong municipalities in the
Greater Bay Area were ITE exhibitors.
Namely, Guangzhou; Shenzhen;
Zhuhai; Foshan; Huizhou; Dongguan;
Zhongshan and Jiangmen, plus
Hong Kong and Macau,” Tong told
Exhibition World.
“Also, of our 12,460 buyers and
visitors during three days, 3,377 came
from mainland China and abroad.
Among them a little under 2,000
were from the Guangdong side of the
Greater Bay Area.”
Tong said he expected both the
HZMB and the fast train, which took
a scheduled 47 minutes to travel the
142km journey from Hong Kong to
Guangzhou, and connected to the
national high-speed rail network,
would bring more visitors from
across the Greater Bay Area to his
show this year.
Such hopes have prompted
Tong and his team to upgrade his
conference and exhibition services
for the next event in June. “One of
which is to introduce simultaneous
translation facilities to some of our
purpose-built seminar tools inside the
exhibition halls and more,” he said.
Meanwhile, back in London, or
wherever the Soccerex tour takes
him, Chairman Tony Martin will be
deftly setting the ball up for a shot at
another China event. This time due
to be held in the resort city of Sanya,
on Hainan island (‘China’s Hawaii’) in
May. President Xi will have his fingers
crossed.
Martin Donovan is editor of MIX –
Asia’s Creative Meetings Magazine,
based in Hong Kong.
“In 2018, eight out
of nine Guangdong
municipalities in
the Greater Bay Area
were ITE exhibitors.
Namely, Guangzhou;
Shenzhen; Zhuhai;
Foshan; Huizhou;
Dongguan; Zhongshan
and Jiangmen”
Issue 1 2019
41