Alliance by Three Leading Asian Venues Breaks New Ground

Three top Asian venues, namely Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Suntec Singapore), Nippon Convention Center (Makuhari Messe) and Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) have come together to offer a combination of world-class exhibition and convention facilities in Asia, thereby providing a single channel of easy access to one of the fastest growing regions in the world. The three partners have called the new alliance, Asia Pacific Venues Alliance (APVA).

Using the play of calligraphy in its logo, Asia Pacific Venues Alliance is contained within a globe of the world and the colour red is used to reinforce the Asian imagery.

The Alliance aims to bring key client benefits like the combined knowledge and expertise of the three venues, easier access to information on all three venues and knowledge of the three convention and exhibition markets at their finger tips.

The APVA partners have also agreed to undertake joint marketing programmes, common research activities, as well as hold regular exchanges of knowledge on markets they are operating in and the marketing and operation aspects of their venues. The partners are also working towards benchmarking and standardising customer service and operation processes, as well as the development of preferential rates for cross selling the venues and for referrals.

Mr Warren Buckley, Chief Executive Officer of Suntec Singapore, said, "While we have been involved in joint marketing programmes with partners like hotels and airlines, this is the first time that Suntec Singapore is working so closely with other convention and exhibition venues. In fact, this is a landmark development not just for us, but for Asia as well since it serves to strengthen Asia's position as a whole in the international market. Through this Alliance, we are also able to increase the speed and efficiency of marketing our venues, in addition to reaping a whole host of other benefits for clients and our organisations. The cooperative is in line with Suntec Singapore's strategic direction of cross-national marketing."

Mr Yasumasa Iwasaki, Executive Managing Director of Nippon Convention Center commented, "I hope that the activities of this alliance will promote the expansion of many exhibitions and conferences into East Asia. This calls for our own endeavours to fit "globalisation and speed", the concepts which are necessary for the 21st century. For us at Makuhari Messe, this is also a good opportunity to enhance our international outlook in our marketing and operations projects."

Mr Wolfram Diener, General Manager of SNIEC added, "After securing admirable progress in the China market, we have started to reach out to the overseas markets and this Alliance makes it possible for us to pool our resources with our partners to develop new competencies and to enhance the value we offer to our customers. Creativity and partnership are vital success factors that will take us forward in a constantly changing environment and we are confident that this bold initiative, which encourages an open communication between the venues, will give each a stronger identity and brand strategy to help attract the international MICE market to Asia."