Saturday, 27 January 2024

IT&CMC and CTWC 2024 Featured Destination - Hong Kong

Hong Kong MICE industry leaping to new heights in 2024!

Since reopening border in early 2023, Hong Kong is going from strength to strength with quick recovery as the World’s Meeting Place. With solid fundamentals, strategic location, distinctive culture and constantly upgrading infrastructure, attractions and experiences, Hong Kong as the unmatched bridge between Mainland China and the world has firmly cemented its position as the premier destination for world-class business events.

Event wins reflect strong recovery

Having activated a cohesive and comprehensive growth strategy, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been pulling out all the stops to attract events to the city in close partnership with the industry. The efforts are bearing fruit, with MICE arrivals of the first 11 months of 2023 recovered to 70 per cent of the pre-pandemic average between 2017 and 2018. Hong Kong has won and retained nearly 60 large-scale international MICE events for 2023 and the near future, with 210,000 overseas attendees expected. The most notable win was the IBTM Asia Pacific 2025, set to debut in Hong Kong in spring next year.

Among the high-profile international business events filling Hong Kong’s event calendar this year are those organised by major international financial media, such as Technology for Change Asia organised by Economist Impact Events and Fortune Innovation Forum. Hong Kong will also play host for the first time to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) World Cargo Symposium 2024 and the International Union of Materials Research Societies – The Joint International Conference on Electronic Materials and Frontier Materials 2024. Meanwhile, the WOW Summit and similarly renowned events will repeat their success in Hong Kong. The exhibition scene will be equally vibrant, with the returned flagship trade shows such as Vinexpo Asia 2024, the concurrent APLF Leather & Materials+ and Fashion Access shows, and the inaugural Super Terminal Expo 2024 to be staged.

The bumper event lineup reinforces Hong Kong’s status as the World’s Meeting Place boasting robust core strengths for business events, myriad opportunities and endless stream of hospitality goodies and bleisure experiences.

New excitement and advantages for events to achieve more

The city’s efforts in advancing infrastructure and tourism attractions have been relentless. It is home to two of the world’s largest arts and culture landmarks. The city’s flagship theme parks have been launching new attractions to keep every visit fresh. The state-of-the-art sports complex, Kai Tak Sports Park, and new hotels are in the pipeline. In its ongoing efforts to underscore Hong Kong’s strong appeal and business opportunities, the HKTB has curated creative MICE products and targeted support to inject vitality into the sector.

New infrastructural developments such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the High Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section) have drastically enhanced travel time and capacity to bring the city closer to the vast mainland market. Such unrivalled accessibility helps events in Hong Kong capture the rich business opportunities arising in the Greater Bay Area.

The two major convention and exhibition venues in the city, AsiaWorld-Expo and Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, are undergoing billion-dollar expansion and upgrading that will redefine world-class standards, taking the facilities to a whole new level to cater to the evolving and complex needs of business events.

The new and enhanced attractions offer refreshing experiences for MICE groups. West Kowloon Cultural District, the world-class art quarter, has been added to the city, providing a rich mix of indoor and outdoor art and cultural spaces, including two world-class museums, the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+.

The two flagship theme parks continue to introduce new compelling experiences. Hong Kong Disneyland has launched the world’s first Frozen-themed land, World of Frozen, in addition to reimagining the Castle of Magical Dreams and creating the stage for day shows and a multi-media nighttime spectacle. Ocean Park is operating Asia’s first and only year-round all-weather Water World, where corporate teams can bond over exhilarating water fun.

Kai Tak Sports Park will become Hong Kong’s largest sports zone, with a capacity for 50,000 people in the main stadium. The stadium and indoor sports venues will be completed and operational during the year.

An array of exclusive offers and support

Generous support measures and hospitality goodies are offered to MICE groups. Event organisers can also get the latest relevant policy updates and have all event-related questions answered through the one-stop comprehensivet support from HKTB’s Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK) division, dedicated to helping mainland and global event organisers create memorable programmes and experiences.

The dedicated support program masterminded by the HKTB also covers attractive funding support for events of various scales, open to application by eligible MICE event organisers, trade partners and service providers.

Hong Kong Pavilion awaits at IT&CM

Industry counterparts are invited to meet the HKTB and team Hong Kong at IT&CM China and CTW China 2024 in Shanghai to learn more about Hong Kong’s rich MICE offerings. Authentic Hong Kong-style milk tea prepared by Hong Kong’s champion of the recent KamCha Competition (Greater Bay Area) as well as classic Hong Kong dim sum are served at the Hong Kong Pavilion. Visitors who complete a questionnaire on HKTB’s official MEHK WeChat Mini Program can enter a lucky draw and stand to win sought-after prizes.
* for event updates, program and participation information www.itcmchina.com

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