EVENT organisers in one of China’s designated regions for rapid economic development have signed up to use space at a complex in the Greater Bay Area being revitalised as a conference, leisure, dining and retail facility.
Members of the Live Events Association (ILEA) Asia Chapter joined business owners from Macau, Hengqin and Zhuhai at a launch ceremony this week for the “Macau Hong Kong Hengqin Hub” – or MHH Hub.
Representatives from the Economic Development Bureau of Hengqin’s Division of Tourism, MICE and Commerce also attended.
ILEA’s Asia Chapter was one of 19 businesses and organisations that signed up for space at the complex, which will operate under its own MHH Hub brand. Tenants are set to move in over the next few weeks as the site is upgraded with Zhuhai Hengqin Real Estate Development Company overseeing the work.
MHH Hub is located in the Hengqin-Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin, an island between Macao and Zhuhai. The Macao authorities have been tasked with working alongside their counterparts in Guangdong province in developing Hengqin as a non-gaming business and leisure destination serving the Greater Bay Area.
MACAO INDUSTRY LEADER WELCOMES
ADDITION TO ‘NEIGHBOURHOOD’
Liu Qihui, Vice Chairman of the Macau Convention and Exhibition Industry Association, said that with the rapid economic development of Hengqin, the local demand for MICE venues is growing.
He said a ‘One Exhibition, Two Places’ model would become an industry trend, adding that MHH Hub strongly complemented Macao’s exhibition venues. As the facility is in Hong Kong and Macao’s neighbourhood, he said it has broad development prospects and the industry can expect a win-win situation for all parties.
Liu is also director of Nam Kwong Exhibition.
The Greater Bay Area, or GBA, is a region of nine cities and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao. The GBA’s combined population totals more than 70 million people with infrastructure such as the high-speed train network, ferry routes, bridges and highways considerably reducing travel times between the region’s destinations. The economic region concept has also been applied to other city clusters in China.
ILEA past president Sam Shei told MIX that the launch of the MMH Hub would provide an ideal base for business events companies to grow in the GBA. He said the project also enabled ILEA to have a presence in China beyond its stronghold of Hong Kong.
“This is a very important occasion for ILEA; because of this hub, we can officially be stationed in mainland China,” he said.
The 55 kilometre Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is regularly used by members of the ILEA Asia Chapter in travelling to event locations in the GBA.
“Geographically, it is very convenient for all our members entering into mainland China, and especially with the hub being near Hong Kong, Macao and Zhuhai,” Shei said, adding that ILEA member companies will have a location to “operate in mainland China” not only for events, but also operations such as training social media production.
Originally built in 2019, marketing for the mixed-use project had stalled due to the onset of Covid. Following the pandemic, the site fell victim to the property market downturn in China and – like several other construction developments on Hengqin – lay dormant until its revival as the MHH Hub.
China’s top official in charge of Hong Kong and Macao affairs, Xia Baolong, recently visited Hengqin. His visit is seen as encouraging officials in both cities to speed up the island’s development within the Hengqin-Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone.
Hengqin also has a role to play as a base for investment as Macao pursues a policy of diversifying its economy away from a reliance on the casinos and towards hi-tech, finance, biomedical and traditional Chinese Medicine sectors in addition to leisure and sports.
The launch ceremony on April 15 was told that a targeted date of October had been set for the complex to being operations in time for the “Golden Week” following China’s national day.
MHH Hub consists of three towers which have been designated for sectors such as wellness and cosmetics, media production, graphic design, serviced apartments and co-sharing workspaces among other uses. Businesses such as retail, F&B and gyms have already signed up for outlets in MHH Hub’s precinct.
A separate building of nearly 3,000 square metres in total space is set to host live events including TV shows and live-streamed events with the potential to attract “multi-day conferences”. An 800 sqm hall where the signing ceremony took place has a selection of breakout rooms with facilities prioritised for renovation in time for the MHH Hub launch ceremony.
F&B and other outlets at MHH Hub are expected to serve employees at companies in the surrounding area and tourists visiting Hengqin’s resorts and sports facilities such as Chimelong and the National Tennis Centre. It will also serve as a conference venue for Chinese delegates without a Macao visa to meet their counterparts travelling the short distance from the special administrative region.
