Readers Speak: An International Destination?

Macau's been dubbed the Las Vegas of Asia, but the jury is still out on whether it will be the mecca of the international tradeshow business that some of its boosters are hoping for. Thus far, most events held there have targeted mainland Chinese attendees rather than those from elsewhere in Asia, North America and Europe.

That doesn't mean international organizers aren't thinking about the relatively new destination. To find out their thoughts, Contributing Editor Gary Tufel asked a number of tradeshow professionals about Macau's future as an international destination.

“Macau holds a lot of promise, mainly for new-to-market organizers. It has been positioned as the familiar, no-surprise destination; in other words, Vegas in China. So, organizers who have little appetite for risk and a strong desire for penetrating the Chinese market will undoubtedly consider that option while checking out the two convention centers in Hong Kong as well.

“I believe Macau will develop nicely and attract some of the Germans and international organizers. Koelnmesse already has a show scheduled in Macau. Nevertheless, the competition from Guangzhou, Shanghai and, of course, the capital, Beijing, which boasts its first U.S.-managed convention center, will give Macau a run for its money.”

Cherif Moujabber

President

Creative Expos & Conferences

“The new casino and leisure developments in Macau will undoubtedly bring in hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world. For that reason I believe it will become a great venue for public events showing aspirational consumer products, such as cars, computers and games software, and mobile technology. This will fit well with the entertainment atmosphere of Macau.

“In this vein, Messe Frankfurt launched its first fair in Macau in November 2007, Motorworld Macau, for high-performance super-cars, to coincide with the Macau Grand Prix. It was a great success, and we intend to repeat the show again this year.

“At this stage we don't have any plans for further events in Macau, but we rule nothing out. We are well placed in Hong Kong to watch for new opportunities.”

Kate Newman

Head of corporate communications, Asia Pacific

Messe Frankfurt Asia

“We do not plan any events in Macau in the next few years. While we are aware of the brand new facilities that were created there, we see our markets in this region more in mainland China – at least for the next couple of years. In our view, Macau would be an interesting destination for events that draw an unusually high proportion of international (that is, other than Chinese) visitors and exhibitors. In that category, Macau would directly compete with destinations like Singapore and Hong Kong.”

Roland Bleinroth

Managing director

Messe Stuttgart

“The developments in Macau, I believe, are intended primarily for the Asian population that resides within four hours' air flight from Macau. There are approximately 2 billion people within the perimeter. Four hours' air travel around Las Vegas yields 200 million.

“This said, there is no reason why Western interests from Europe and the U.S. would not find Macau an attractive venue managed with Western-style management. It offers a lot of appeal, but is not a threat to any domestic U.S. destinations.”

Steven Hacker

President

Intl. Assn. of Exhibitions and Events

“We were very interested when Macau launched the concept of turning itself into an Oriental Las Vegas. However, we later found out that it lacks the relevant facilities for fairs, and it is also very difficult to recruit professional visitors.

“From my point of view, Macau can currently only hold events and conferences. It is not ready for large exhibitions yet.

“The problem of people and logistics might be solved when the bridge between Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen is finished and people can drive directly from Hong Kong or the mainland to Macau.”

Tony Fung

President

Messe Duesseldorf China

“We are considering doing tradeshows in Macau and have looked at a number of different sectors. It is unquestionably a destination for international shows rather than purely regional events. Convincing organizers that Macau is the Asian version of Las Vegas will take a little time, but I am sure that it will attract brands in specific sectors where it is not competing with established brands from Hong Kong.

“Cologne (Koelnmesse) was one of the first fair companies into Macau, but I have a feeling that their luxury food event failed to attract sufficient numbers. The big German brands are already established on the mainland and happy with the performance of their fairs in the larger cities.”

Sandy Angus

Chairman

Montgomery Exhibitions

“Currently, Reed Exhibitions has one event, G2E Asia, scheduled for June this year at the Venetian Macao. It has more than doubled in size in a year.

“Macau is certainly an up-and-coming destination and becoming more of a serious MICE option for organizers. With more direct transportation links, particularly direct airline services, being established, more international and Chinese visitors will visit.

“There are some world-class exhibition facilities already present. For the next five to 10 years, whether the exhibition industry in Macau is going to establish itself as an international tradeshow destination or one that caters mainly to China will depend greatly on government initiatives and policies.”

Paul Beh

Regional president, Asia South

Reed Exhibitions

“It may be too early for anyone to know what the outcome for Macau as a competitive exhibition venue will be. It really has only started to be developed in the past couple of years and has a way to go before it establishes itself in any category.

“It may very well have the potential of another Las Vegas, but Singapore and other Asian and South Pacific locations are, and may come, along to provide competition.”

Peter Nathan

President

PWN Exhibicon Intl.