International Facilities: Worldwide Supply Growing

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 2/13/2006

While the pace of facility construction in the United States has been rapid recently, the worldwide supply has kept up, adding millions of square feet in the last few years. Major players in Europe and Asia led the pack, with massive new buildings coming online to serve the international convention and exhibition market.

Following are some highlights from the past year's openings of new, expanded and renovated exhibit space around the globe.

Although beset by local politics — mainly having to do with the government funding competition for its existing Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre — AsiaWorld-Expo opened on time at the end of last year.

Answering skepticism about the accessibility of the new facility, located on Lantau Island next to Hong Kong Intl. Airport, the city extended the express rail running to the airport and built a stop at AsiaWorld, putting it 24 minutes from downtown. Lantau also has ferries to and from mainland China and Macau.

Differentiating itself from HKCEC, AsiaWorld offers 10 column-free, continuous or divisible halls on one level, meaning it can handle the heavy floor loads that are less appropriate for its downtown counterpart. Observers predict independent organizers will be attracted to its open calendar, not yet dominated by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

• Nonthaburi, Thailand • Completed expansion: September 2005

• Exhibit space: 2,091,029 sq. ft. • Meeting space: 145,775 sq. ft.

Located near downtown Bangkok, IMPACT has a size advantage over its two city counterparts, the Bangkok Intl. Trade Exhibition Centre and Queen Sirikit Natl. Convention Center, with about 540,000 and 280,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, respectively.

IMPACT's latest addition comes in the form of the Challenger exhibition center, so named because it answers the challenge of building the largest column-free exhibit hall in the world. The solution: one massive column supporting the roof over an exhibit hall the size of eight football fields (645,834 sq. ft.).

The new building also has 16 breakout rooms and what it claims is "the most luxurious ballroom in Thailand."

IMPACT has a history of expanding. It began as the Muang Thong Thani stadium, built in 1998 for the 13th Asian Games. The following year, it became the IMPACT Exhibition Centre, and an exhibition management company was formed. One year later, the company opened the IMPACT Convention Center.

The $200 million KINTEX in the province surrounding Seoul is Korea's largest convention and exhibition facility. Its five indoor exhibit halls span 576,311 sq. ft., and adjoin a 3,000-seat ballroom and conference center.

The new center landed a coup by hosting — in conjunction with its grand opening — the ASIA CEO Forum, which attracted decision-makers from corporations, government agencies and exhibition-industry organizations throughout the Far East.

Like a couple of its other recently opened counterparts around the world, KINTEX boasts a single-level, column-free exhibit hall, capable of handling heavy floor loads. The coming weeks will see a packaging and processing equipment show, a commercial special vehicle show, and an auto service equipment show.

Milan had the big facility story of last year. Not only did Fiera Milano Intl. build a functional and beautiful complex (designed by Massiliano Fuksas) in around three years, but it also laid claim to being the largest convention and exhibition center in the world.

At a price tag of ???750 million ($904 million), it seems you get what you pay for.

Planners incorporated a series of elements to make the new center pleasant to use. Each of the 20 exhibit halls in eight pavilions has its own reception area, connected by an elevated, climate-controlled tunnel. The complex is traversed by what designers call the "sail," a glass-encased structure that provides a thoroughfare on one level, shopping and dining on another. One of the parking decks (there are 10,000 spaces in all) even has a heliport.

The facility is already filling up with shows. In February, it will host three international exhibitions, for the textiles, plastics and packaging industries.