楊長華專訪 - The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

Advertorial 特 約 專 題Shared ExperiencesHKCEC management company shares its expertise for overcoming challenges during economic uncertaintiesART HK has been so successful and will be replacedby the first Art Basel in Hong Kong in 2013World-class events such as Vinexpo Asia Pacific at the HKCEChelp raise Hong Kong's international profileThe Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC)is one of Hong Kong’s great success stories. The venuehas been voted Asia’s Best for nine times. Since opening in1988, it has hosted 40,830 events and welcomed over 75 millionvisitors. Last fiscal year (July 2011 – June 2012) alone, it hosted1,224 events.There is no doubt that HKCEC benefits from the manyadvantages that other businesses operating here enjoyed– proximity to China, the rule of law and the ease of doingbusiness, among others. However, it has also faced its fair shareof challenges. Monica Lee-Muller, the new Managing Director ofHong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre(Management) Ltd (HML), the professionalprivate management company responsible forthe daily operation of the HKCEC, shares howshe turns challenges into opportunities.Retaining TalentHML employs over 930 staff and has littletrouble recruiting employees. However, likemany businesses, it faces challenges retainingstaff. Some of its employees have worked atHML for over 10 years, and possess valuableexperience. To carry forward their expertise,Monica says the company has to start itssuccession planning early, at all levels in theorganisation, to groom young star performerswho can progress up the career ladder. Theyidentify potential management early on, makethem aware of the opportunities to grow within the organisation,offer specific training, sometimes outside of Hong Kong andchallenge them with small projects with responsibility to buildconfidence and give them valuable experience.Listening to CustomersTempting as it may be for businesses to stick to a proven model,Monica stresses it is vital that businesses listen and respond toindividual customers’ needs. Citing the example of ART HK’sfirst edition, which was a tremendous success, the organiserthought there was room for improvements in the area of FoodMonica Lee-Müller,HML's managing director& Beverage (F&B). Other shows have praised this aspect ofHML’s service, despite this, HML listened to this one customer’sview and sent their F&B Director and Executive Chef to visit theleading art fairs in the U.K. to observe and bring back new ideasfor ART HK.Investing in technology upgradeIn order to maintain and improve HKCEC’s competitiveness inthe face of competition from newly-built and expanding facilitieselsewhere, HML is also investing in enhanced equipment andtechnology. HML upgraded HKCEC’s Wi-fi system last yearand made it the first venue in the region tooffer free Wi-fi service for up to 3,000 usersat any one time. Other upgrade projects forexample are audio and visual equipment andair-conditioning system, etc. The investmentamount is considerably high during economicuncertainty, demonstrating HML’s commitmentto upholding the venue’s reputation for qualityhardware and service. Monica said, “TheHKCEC is here for the long term.”Caring for the communitySustainability has become an important factorfor many businesses’ operations. HML hasworked closely with its customers to reduceenergy demands whilst maintaining the qualityof the shows with positive results. They havetaken this a step further by initiating their ownprogrammes, such as providing more eco-friendly menus forcustomers and employees, and working with local charity FoodAngel to donate food that was not served. In addition they haveinvested in a waste decomposer for their kitchens to processunconsumed ingredients into organic fertilizer for the use of localfarmers.These challenges that HML has faced are similar to thosefaced by many other businesses. Its response has been tolook beyond the challenges, and turn them into competitiveadvantages. This approach has allowed it to continue to innovateand grow, even during economic uncertainty.The Bulletin 工 商 月 刊 September 2012 27