Macau exhibits all the traits of being an exposition nemesis

Amid the mad rush to develop trade fair facilities in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, local exhibition venue operators and industry representatives say Macau is the one eating Hong Kong's lunch.

Rapid development in the gaming, entertainment and hotel sectors is helping the former Portuguese enclave become a venue of choice for trade fair exhibitors.

Macau is a 'tough' competitor, capturing the same market and offering venues at better prices, said Cliff Wallace, managing director of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

'Exhibition space in Macau has the benefit of being connected to affiliated hotel rooms and casinos under the same ownership. So the objective is to draw people to fill hotel rooms and casinos,' Mr Wallace said.

'If the exhibition space can actually lure those people, then the exhibition space will be available at a much lower rate,' said Mr Wallace.

'It's going to make for really interesting competition,' he said, adding that Macau's exhibition operations were similar to those in Las Vegas that 'worked'.

Current exhibitions in Shanghai and Guangzhou, which are predominantly focused on a consumer market with the buying power of 1.3 billion people, would have a hard time stealing Hong Kong's service shows - especially expositions centred on overseas education.