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The drive to position Hong Kong as an international exhibition centre  is  accelerating  thanks to the  AsiaWorld-Expo, which  opened nearly two years ago.

The huge exhibition centre, close to  the Hong Kong International Airport,  is conveniently located for incoming airline passengers and has more than 70,000 square metres of space for exhibitions, conferences, meetings, concerts and other forms of entertainment.

The venue is easy to reach    by  the MTR's Airport Express line.

'Trade people always stay in Hong Kong for a very brief period  so the strategic location of the centre makes it a preferred location for them,' Allen Ha, chief executive of AsiaWorld-Expo Management, said in an interview.

Earlier this month the Airbus A380 - which is the largest aircraft in the world - made a demonstration   flight over  Victoria Harbour before being put on display, along with 10 other aircraft,  at the  airport during the Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress. The exhibitors were stationed at the  AsiaWorld-Expo, but  they and their buyers had  easy access to the exhibition.

Hong Kong staged the event for the first time  thanks to AsiaWorld-Expo's size - 10 ground-level, column-free exhibition halls - and location.

The venue is hoping to attract  more business  by forming closer ties with trade partners and government agencies,   including ones from the mainland.

'The aerospace event had been held in Singapore for the past 20 years. However, the organiser saw the potential of our venue in Hong Kong and sought an endorsement from the General Administration for Civil Aviation of China,' Mr Ha said.   'It also received significant backing from public and private sector enterprises in the mainland to use our venue.'

Other events that have helped raise the venue's profile include the China Sourcing Fairs,  which showcase the latest products from   the mainland,  Hong Kong and the rest of Asia. The fair, organised by Global Sources,  relocated to Hong Kong from Shanghai last year.

The China Sourcing Fairs comprise  three separate shows: Electronics and  Components, Fashion Accessories, and Gifts  and Home Products.

After the trade show  ended, the venue was  praised by mainland exhibitors.

Jerome Liu, of Shanghai Longxin Glasswares,  an exhibitor  at the trade show's Gifts and Home Products section, said: 'Hong Kong can provide a more international platform so we can meet more good quality buyers. The location of this venue  is good and the customer flow is also good,' he said. The venue is pushing to attract other high-profile events from the region.

Last December it  hosted  the ITU Telecom World 2006, which was held outside Geneva  for the first time in its 33-year history.

It was the biggest  trade show and forum  held in Hong Kong and it  attracted nearly  62,000 visitors  from 141 countries,  including 150 exhibitors  from the mainland.

The organiser of that event - International Telecommunication Union (ITU) - also heaped praise on the venue.

Fernando Lagrana, executive manager, ITU Telecom World 2006,  said: 'The dedication and support shown by the AsiaWorld-Expo team and management was very good. We recently had our debriefing at ITU headquarters and reviewed the analysts' reports and what was very clear from our colleagues was that they got excellent support.'

AsiaWorld-Expo's Mr Ha said: 'Being part of China, and given its international network, Hong Kong is a unique platform for exhibitions and conferences.'

He said the next aim of the venue was to host concerts and other entertainment events to  attract the local market. As an inducement to the  public to attend events at the venue, attractive  fares are being offered by the Airport Express.



Venue fast becoming centre of attraction for exhibitions