Asia World-Expo (awe) in Hong Kong
In this essay, I would like to evaluate a convention center called AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) in Hong Kong. It is opened in 2005 and becoming one of the major convention and exhibition venue in Hong Kong. To critically analyze the venue, I would like to use some of the site selection factors cited from Crouch and Ritchie model (1998). Throughout this essay, some comments will be given in order to suggest the area of improvement of the venue.
Accessibility
To start with, AWE is considered to have an excellent location since the venue is located in Chek Lap Kok Island, close to the Hong Kong International Airport. It is a major airport in Asia which handles around 900 flights per day and connects to about170 destinations worldwide. According to the press release of the airport in 2011, it is rewarded as the no.1, the world’s best international airport in 2011 (World Airport Awards, 2011). According to AWE official website, the venue is located on the Airport-Express line at the AsiaWorld-Expo station. From the station, it takes only one minute to the airport and 28 minutes to Central, the business district in Hong Kong. Apart from this, a number of bus routes are available to travel directly from major districts in Hong Kong to the convention venue and express bus route is also available at Tung Chung Bus Terminus. Also, AWE partnered with two leading cross border bus companies which enable visitors from the nearby mainland regions like Guangzhou and Shenzhen could easily access the venue (Asia-World Expo, 2012). With this great transportation network, I believed international visitors could easily access the venue.
Local support and Extra-conference facilities
According to the Crouch and Ritchie model (1998), extra-conference facilities refer to recreation, sightseeing shopping and entertainment facilities. The local government developed these facilities in the Lantau