Special Supplement: Macao to stage mega trade show

Macao has been growing at great speed over the last few years, led by its booming gaming and tourism industries. The city, which is actively developing its hospitality facilities and services, is also emerging as a new and attractive choice for global business conventions and international trade shows.

Kenfair International Limited is taking the lead in capitalizing on the huge business potential of the burgeoning special administrative region. It will launch the brand new trade show Mega Macao between October 18 and 20, to be followed by a spring session next April.

Herbert Ip, chairman of Kenfair International, said: "Macao has an exhibition industry with immense unexploited potential. For our new show, we have lined up over 1,000 leading suppliers from major Asian countries and regions to showcase their wide range of top-notch yet very competitively priced products."

Mega Macao will be the first-ever trade exhibition of its kind and scale to be held in the city. Buyers of toys, gifts, textile and garments, as well as consumer electronics, will find numerous choices at the event and meet with manufacturers from across Asia.

October is the prime time for regional and global buyers to gather in Hong Kong and South China to attend trade fairs and source merchandise. Mega Macao is strategically timed to coincide with the buying period for overseas and domestic buyers. Scheduled between the two phases of the Canton Fair, Mega Macao can expect assured patronage of international buyers on their annual sourcing trip to the Pearl River Delta Region.

Built by the Nevada-based Las Vegas Sands Corp, the two-storey Venetian Convention and Exhibition Center, newly opened in August, is a key part of the mega resort complex - the Venetian Macao. It has 100,000 sq m of conference and exhibition space, of which 75,000 sq m is solely dedicated to exhibitions and can accommodate up to 5,000 booths at a time. Complemented by premier hotel and resort facilities and a wide range of entertainment, gaming, shopping, dining, spa and wellness amenities, the center will be an ideal venue for trade exhibitions, business conferences and other international events.

(China Daily 10/16/2007 page15)