Inside Asian Gaming

17 pact of the trade shows industry. Commenting on the US market, it says: “Despite the commitment of billions of dol- lars by a variety of state and local govern- ments, the available national data on con- vention demand is at best scant, murky, and of limited reliability.The national market data regularly employed by consultants comes from a small number of industry sources and often reflects estimates rather than perfor- mance, guesses rather than substance.” A similar picture emerges in the Asian market, with competing convention loca- tions initiating research that unsurprisingly tends to paint a rosy picture of trends in that particular market.A survey on the Hong Kong conventions industry—commissioned by several government-funded industry groups and published in July—wasn’t released to the media. Instead a summary was given to journalists, highlighting what were claimed to be the headline figures, but making it dif- ficult to delve deeper into the statistics. The Hong Kong survey digest claimed di- rect and indirect spending on exhibitions had risen 39% in 2006, compared to 2004 when a similar poll was conducted, representing an annual growth rate of around 18%. The survey found that directly and indirectly the industry contributed HK$26.4bn to the Hong Kong economy last year, with more than 80% of the receipts going to the hospitality sector and to retailers. It was credited with directly employing 2,100 people, and delivering HK$970 million in tax. Crucially, as evidence of the industry’s money-making capacity, the survey found Hong Kong’s international exhibitors stay on average 70% longer than stopover tourists and spend 110% more. Re- gardless of whether there are any negative trends hidden away in the detailed survey, the outlook seems positive. Fostering the conventions habit The aimof the meetings industry in Hong Kong and Macau is to convince Chinese and other Asian companies enriched by the cur- rent economic boom that they and their em- ployees will have the quality of their lives im- proved by picking up the conventions habit. The conventions industry has teamedupwith the hotel and hospitality industries to create a formidable marketing machine focused on cross-promotion and cross-fertilisation. The conventions industry is a key reason why Hong Kong is able to keep hotel occupancy rates consistently high throughout the year and may well do the same for Macau. Being a wily bird, Mr Adelson will be aware of research from the US that suggests more and more women are attending con- ventions and exhibitions and that there’s a growing social trend for delegates to bring their spouses and children along to these events, as a cost and time effective way of having a family break. A recent report from the Travel Industry Association of America in- dicated that the number of delegates bring- ing children along on business trips jumped by 55% in six years. In the United Kingdom, women make up 65% of the meetings mar- ket according to research quoted by EIBTM, the annual Global Meetings and Incentives Exhibition. Mary Power, former Executive Director of the Convention Industry Council stated recently that in the US, travel to busi- ness events accompanied by one or more family members had increased by 13% since 2001.“Now, family time is more often an add- on to a business trip rather than a full week or so away from the office,” she said. By that reckoning, an all-in-one resort such as The Venetian, with built in hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, circus shows and gondola rides, is likely to be far more ap- pealing to Chinese families than the exhaust fume-filled walk from Hong Kong Conven- tion and Exhibition Centre to the racy de- lights of Wanchai. It’s possible though that international bodies, government or official associations and politically sensitive indus- tries such as aviation may prefer to hold their conventions and exhibitions in casino-free Hong Kong rather than Macau. Hong Kong also has a much bigger and better airport than Macau,with many more connections.As one Hong Kong government official rather smugly told Inside Asian Gaming:“You won’t find the WTO [World Trade Organization] holding meetings in Macau.” Mr Adelson’s response to this was to ask: “What’s the WTO?” Joking aside, he’s already got the political resistance to the gaming industry covered with plans to build alternative hotel and conference facilities next door to Macau on the mainland side of the border at Henqin Island—although he is still awaiting approval from mainland authorities to proceed. With the opening of The Venetian Ma- cao, the only real Bridge of Sighs in the Asian conventions market is likely to be the one connecting the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to its local MTR station. Trade show at Venetian Las Vegas The labyrinth of meeting rooms at Venetian Macao