For companies looking to expand their business into Asia, Hong Kong has long made sense as a good first step. With a common law framework and well-developed infrastructure, Hong Kong offers fertile ground as firms pursue reach across the region.
Its accessibility—the Special Administrative Region is within a five-hour flight for half of the world’s population—is unparalleled. A number of international businesses base their regional operations out of Hong Kong, providing abundant opportunities for networking and connectivity. And its top-class convention and exhibition spaces are some of the most attractive and well-run in the region. No wonder Hong Kong has for decades been recognized as Asia’s leading destination for meetings, exhibitions, conferences and events, an industry commonly known as MICE.
As Hong Kong’s reputation as the region’s go-to destination for MICE events soared, the range of exceptional venues to hold them has morphed. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) remains the choice venue for international events and consistently wins “Asia’s Best” awards—despite intensifying competition in the region—for its service excellence, professionalism and experience in hosting world-class events. The HKCEC is now home to three of the world’s largest, and five of Asia’s biggest, trade exhibitions. World-class fairs such as Art Basel Hong Kong, Vinexpo Hong Kong and Cosmoprof Asia populate HKCEC’s packed calendar.
Having scooped more than 50 major awards in the space of 14 years, Asia- World-Expo has emerged as a leading exhibition and convention venue in Asia, hosting a high-profile and diverse roster, including the Global Sources Trade Fair, the Hong Kong Masters equestrian event, Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress 2019 and Hong Kong Fintech Week 2019.
The Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kowloon Bay brings a third impressive option to this vibrant mix, as well as six-star hotels with their own cutting-edge conferencing facilities. Add to this the work of a dedicated event-planning partner, Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong of the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Members work tirelessly to aid organizers in designing smooth-running events, from being a super-connector with local trade partners to assisting with hotel bookings and bid proposals, to coordinating hospitality and trade offers, to even arranging dedicated immigration counters at Hong Kong International Airport for mega MICE events. Their experience ensures highly tailored meetings and events move flawlessly from vision to reality.
The 2019 Index of Economic Freedom has ranked Hong Kong the world’s freest economy for the 25th consecutive year. In 2018, Hong Kong was awarded “World’s Leading Business Travel Destination” and “Asia’s Leading Meetings and Conference Destination,” at the World Travel Awards, and “Best City for Meetings in Asia” by Smart Travel Asia. The numbers illustrate Hong Kong’s attraction as a premier MICE destination. In total, 2.3 million visitors participated in “trade” and “trade and consumer” exhibitions in 2018, and more than 69,000 exhibiting companies came to Hong Kong to strengthen their business opportunities.
Hong Kong’s global free port continues to thrive on the free flow of goods, services and capital, and the city remains a rock-solid destination for those wishing to host outstanding exhibitions and events.
