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politicians and our government to let them know the situation we ’ re in and also that the exhibition industry is in . It is not only the venue , but the organisers , the contractors , and other stakeholders who are really in deep waters ,” she emphasised .
One result of this has been an ambitious subsidy scheme on which EW has reported on a number of occasions , most recently when it was extended to the end of 2022 .
Hong Kong ’ s stringent quarantine requirements , among the world ’ s toughest , have effectively eliminated international business travel . This is the lifeblood of the territory ’ s business events and , as a result , the industry association there has now successfully had the scheme extended three times .
But more is needed and Lee- Müller noted : “ We have requested the government to give a one-off monetary relief , because no matter how hard we work , and even with the rental subsidies , we are not able to host international trade fairs because the border is still closed ”.
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That call has been heeded and part of the subsidy scheme ’ s funding has been allocated to provide a one-off immediate relief measure to private organisers of exhibitions that have a clear track record of being held in Hong Kong . “ The immediate relief will be equivalent to 20 % of the average annual rental of the relevant exhibitions , subject to a cap of HK $ 1m ( US $ 128,500 ) per event ,” she explained .
Lee-Müller noted the HKCEC would not directly benefit from the scheme . But she said : “ I certainly welcome government ’ s additional relief measures ”, adding that “ it recognises the significant contribution of the exhibition and convention industries to the economy of Hong Kong ”.
She recognised that contractors had been particularly hard hit by the lack of business and that they would play an important role as business comes back . “ When business returns , when we are back to normal times , we need everybody to come back to work together ,” Lee-Müller said . “ So ,
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Above : Monica Lee-Müller
Right : Equipped for health and safety on the HKCEC showfloor
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I think this is the time also to put away our own self-interest ”.
In the longer term , she is confident of the future of Hong Kong . Once Covid is behind us , she remains convinced that Hong Kong ’ s traditional advantages of being a safe location supporting the free flows of people , information , and currency will once again bear fruit .
“ The service standards , the infrastructure , the quick transportation , our efficient banking and well established legal systems haven ’ t changed . Our beautiful venue hasn ’ t changed . So , all these advantages of being a great destination for international trade fairs haven ’ t changed ,” she added . Finally , looking at the bigger picture , the new UFI president is confident in the future of business events . In the last two years , she concluded : “ we also have witnessed how people want to meet and want to do business face to face . Exhibitions and events will not die . Never underestimate the power of the face to face ”.
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