Monica Lee-Müller has been MD of the iconic Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a 306,000sqm venue in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, since July 2012. A veteran of the hospitality industry for 30 years, her impact has long been felt throughout the venue’s management company HML, where she has done much to develop and implement business strategies that enhance and maximise venue occupancy and revenues, for significantly longer than that. She is also an important part of Hong Kong’s wider event industry, a committee member of the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association, of the Working Group on Convention and Exhibition Industries and Tourism, and in non-industry bodies such as being a member of the Ocean Park Corporation board.
This year she celebrates 20 years at the 25-year-old venue. EW caught up with Lee-Müller, the only female member of UFI’s board of management, as she looks ahead to the next five years.
How has Hong Kong’s pitch to international organisers changed in the past 10 years, if at all?
We are a gateway into China – and we are China! Hong Kong is part of China, but more accessible; a platform not only for buyers and exhibitors from China, but for those around the world. We are geographically accessible from most cities around the world, and also have an airport that is so busy and so efficient that it allows us to market ourselves to the world. Obviously the mainland China market is a big one, both as an export market and now as a consumer market.
But Hong Kong has long been established as an international city. For Diversified, an American company, to set up an office here and run five shows in Hong Kong, with a British general manager, is easy. It’s easy to start up a business in Hong Kong. We continue to offer that advantage for organisers.
Hong Kong has been named the world’s most free economy for I don’t know how long. Our accessibility regionally and nationally, our central location, our legal and finance systems, the corruption-free government, they all attract business. Our currency can be exchanged anywhere in the world. The language ability also helps. Both English and Mandarin are used readily in Hong Kong. And the workforce is union free. This is very helpful in the exhibition industry.
And of course there are the mild seasons. We don’t have hurricanes or snowstorms. It is blessed for being so safe, efficient and easy to do business in. Of course there is the occasional typhoon, but if that happens then our staff are prepared. In the past they’ve worked for 24 hours to ensure the show goes on in a typhoon.
What development is taking place in HK today?
Any development that brings attention to the business community is good for Hong Kong and good for us. At the end of the day we’re not marketing the venue alone, we’re also marketing Hong Kong and Hong Kong’s economy.
For instance, the cruise terminal at the old airport started operation last June. It’s also a great development for Hong Kong tourism, bringing more people to Hong Kong through cruises. The old airport will continue to develop in the coming years.
Any new development in terms of art space, museums, performance theatres or other new facilities being built in the city brings benefit to the whole of Hong Kong, and obviously we welcome that. This is what is needed, some new attractions. It’s complimentary, not competitive. We need more coordinated strategic planning for Hong Kong and development such as the West Kowloon Cultural Park will compliment the HKCEC.
But it has to be the result of strategic thinking, a strategic plan. An art hub should focus on arts and culture. In terms of space and facilities and so on, it should be different from what is sitting here in Wanchai. From what I see at the moment, they are complimentary.
Work on an exhibition station is also underway, due to finish at the end of 2020. It took a long time but at least we now have a timeline. There’s a lot going on, but much of it is due to complete in the long term. In the interim period, during which we don’t have new space and no plans for an extension, our viewpoint is different.
My plan in the next five years is to invest in our hardware, facilities and technology, and human resources.
Which event types are you looking to attract? Have you got any particular favourites that joined the venue recently?
Art Basel Hong Kong was a brilliant success. It originally launched under a different name in May 2008 with Lehman Brothers as the title sponsor. In September 2008 Lehman Brothers crashed. But the show survived, and not only did it survive but it grew stronger. In the last five years it was so successful that it was acquired by Art Basel, the world-renowned contemporary art fair. So in 2013, Art Basel Hong Kong was featured for the first time at HKCEC. And they will be back this year.
The whole town was buzzing, and not just in Wanchai. We had so many art fairs and events and auctions, and hospitality events attracting art lovers and collectors. I heard that big and small, there were 200 related events held that week. That was a great example of the economic benefit an event can bring to the city.
Which shows work best at HKCEC and why?
They are all different and there isn’t one type of show that works best. In our last fiscal year, ending June 2013, there were 20 exhibitions here that saw 10 per cent growth in exhibition floor space. In the current global economy this is quite remarkable.
Organisers like Diversified are relatively new to our business. They hold five exhibitions a year at the HKCEC and the reason for their success is that all their shows are in niche markets, enabling them to occupy non-traditional trade show slots like Natural and Organic Products in August and the Learning and Teaching Expo in December – which was very successful. They also have Retail Asia in June, the Seafood Show, and Restaurant and Bar in September.Their new shows are actually in the non-typical trade show season, yet they continue to grow.
How do you work with the Government in Hong Kong?
The Hong Kong government established a working group for the convention and exhibition industry, as well as tourism industry, last year. I sit in the working group committee. This demonstrates government support and commitment to the convention and exhibition industry. It launched a study into further development and demand for the convention and exhibition industry in Hong Kong, so that we may know what the stakeholders and organisers need.
We must know what will facilitate growth in this industry. We’re looking forward to gathering information from the users, organisers and suppliers such as logistics providers, to take Hong Kong’s exhibition industry forward.
How is Hong Kong competing, directly or indirectly, with mainland China?
When I joined in 1994, HKCEC was the largest venue in Asia in terms of space. Now it’s 27th just within China, in terms of size. So competing on size, in floor area, is no longer and has never really been our patch.
Our quality is to be a bespoke venue in Asia. Our vision is to be among the best in the world. Also, just keeping this huge building clean, tidy, safe and functionable is a challenge.
What should today’s venue managers keep at front of mind when trying to attract international organisers?
We really need to get back to basics. We need to treat our organisers as our partners. We must understand their need. We must think like them – what is important to the organiser? Something as basic as a clean toilet and clear signage. In English. Back to basics.
It’s important for the organiser to sell the destination to their exhibitors and buyers. Venues must be built where the market demands, to the needs of the organisers, and they have to be carefully maintained. Just cleaning the building is quite hard if you have 100,000sqm or 200,000sqm of rentable space. Not only to build the building, but to update the hardware, and to keep your people. How do you get your people being enthusiastic and responsive about their job? You can easily hire a team who are lazy. You have to engage your people, but the talent pool seems to be getting smaller. Training and nurturing good people is crucial.
Remember, you’re not just renting the square metres; it’s the total venue experience. And this starts with the customer, think like an organiser – they are your partner not your client.
And finally, there’s no point marketing a place until it’s of an international standard. I have seen this in many places. Get the standard right otherwise you’re wasting your advertising dollars.
What is HML’s mission in the mid-term future?
It’s no secret that the HKCEC is quite full, that a lot of events are unable to get tenancy here. We’ve expanded twice but we’re actually quite booked out – we’re totally full during the peak season. So in the next five years, knowing we won’t have any new space, what we must do is continue to advance our facilities.We must upgrade our service standard and offering to customers to ensure that they stay, that they can continue attracting buyers and exhibitors.
Having said that, we still have some availability in some off-peak season. What we’re looking to do is be very selective in promoting the venue for new events that could work on a flexible schedule, and with a very niche theme. We’re running on average 120 exhibitions a year, of which 100 are annual recurring exhibitions so we’re running a lot of successful exhibition topics. We’re looking for events less sensitive to the typical April or October buying season – probably in the early months such as January and February.
In 2014 we have four new events including Cartes Asia in May, and Natural and Organic Products Asia in August. This is not the typical peak season for us but it also depends on the size and event pattern.
What do you do to relax when you’re not at work?
Most days I hop in and out of the exhibition centre. I love to be a part of the activities. I love to travel, but I don’t have much time. But I live in the countryside, 45 minutes from the centre, in the mountains facing the sea, so it’s the best of both worlds.
This was first published in issue 1/2014 of EW. Any comments? Email exhibitionworld@mashmedia.net
