Beyond the Exhibition Hall: AWE’s Waterfront Debut Offers a Glimpse of What’s Next
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] From private jewellery viewings to stepping aboard a yacht, the Festival of Connoisseurs took visitors beyond the conventional exhibition hall. This luxury festival is the first exhibition supported by a HK$100 million government fund, spearheaded by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau to attract large-scale,…
From November 4 to 6, the Festival of Connoisseurs took place at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), offering visitors a unique waterfront experience in Hong Kong. Organized by Informa Markets, the event marked a significant investment in a new exhibition setting - the AWE Waterfront, featuring a dedicated pier.
The festival showcased a "sea-and-land dual-stage" format, allowing visitors to explore the event both on land and aboard yachts. Along the waterfront, guests could board yachts, examine their design and craftsmanship, and meet brand representatives. Luxury cars and dining experiences also added to the outdoor offerings.
The AWE Waterfront's development involved meticulous planning and preparation, including site visits to international yachting events and advanced engineering and design work. The construction process, which included prefabrication of components, was completed in just three weeks.
The waterfront site presented various engineering challenges, such as wave conditions, airport height restrictions, and seabed characteristics. The teams accounted for these factors by developing a temporary wave attenuation system comprising six large flat-top pontoons and floating wave barriers. They also carefully planned berthing positions, anchoring arrangements, and floating access walkways to ensure safe exhibition operations.
Connected to AWE's vision for a world-class airport-city destination, the Waterfront offered a glimpse of the future Airport Bay Marina. The indoor-waterfront combination at the festival demonstrated AWE's ability to develop innovative exhibition formats, moving beyond traditional boundaries. AWE CEO Irene Chan expressed excitement about bringing this land-and-sea exhibition concept to Hong Kong and investing in dedicated berthing facilities and waterfront upgrades.
With plans for a larger festival edition in June 2027 and a "City as Your Showroom" approach across five or six Hong Kong districts, AWE aims to create connected experiences in various venues, integrating exhibitions, conventions, sporting events, live entertainment, and public experiences within a single programme. The Phase 2 expansion of AWE, targeting completion by the end of 2028, will see the Super Arena designed for international productions, major live events, and elite sporting competitions, with flexible staging configurations.
The expansion will also increase the exhibition space from approximately 70,000 square metres to 100,000 square metres, while maintaining the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces to create synergy with SKYTOPIA.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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