AsiaWorld-Expo gears up to refresh audience experience

Upon the easing of Covid restrictions in Hong Kong, AsiaWorld-Expo(AWE) has actively partnered with organisers to present an array of live entertainment events attracting over 10,000 audiences per show, rebuilding trust and confidence for event organisers and the public, as well as showcasing the best practice of embracing the bounce back of events with large-scale facility upgrades.

As such, AsiaWorld-Expo kickstarted a HK$600 million venue-wide renovation project last year, bringing a full range of benefits to organisers and visitors. Among the numerous upgrades across the whole venue, the major revamp of AsiaWorld-Arena was unveiled to create an extraordinary live entertainment experience for performers and concert goers.

AWE has fully upgraded facilities to enhance audience experience, including setting up new retractable seat riser to offer high flexibility for creative stage design; upgrading acoustic panels to provide the best live experience; and introducing touchless devices to prevent transmission of virus through physical touch points such as UV built-in escalator.

Other industry-first enhancements include the upgrade of ICT with Wi-Fi 6 (a first in Hong Kong’s MICE Industry), hybrid solution Mobile Studio, an array of smart solutions for sanitisation including Sterilisation Robot, air handling unit with UV light, ozone water disinfection system and 3-in-1 disinfection installation CLeanTech.

Convertible washrooms can also be seen at the renovated venue, of which over 100 washrooms in the venue were renovated to rectify long queues at female washrooms; 75% male washrooms have installed partitions to allow quick conversion to female washrooms if needed; smart toilet signages were also introduced.

To get ready for hosting large-scale business-to-consumer (B2C) events such as the “Music Is Live” concert on 27 Sep 2021, the VIP lounge and backstage were also fully renovated, including showering and resting facilities, to deliver a best-in-class experience for artists, speakers, and working crew.

Furthermore, AWE has also collaborated with Commercial Radio Hong Kong (CRHK) in 2021 for two popular live shows: Music Is Live 2021 and Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation 2021 (USCA 2021), to create massive awareness via online and offline publicity. With the presence of local boy band MIRROR, it successfully attracted a huge number of fans, and mileage on traditional and social media was exponential.

Noticing concert goers used to arrive at the concert venue earlier on the event day to show their support to their famous singers, AWE specially designed an engagement programme for visitors, which upgraded the overall concert experience. Taking Music Is Live as an example, new installations were set up at the venue to engage visitors, including the Mobile Studio that enabled DJs to interact with fans prior to the concert, which extended interaction beyond 8,500 on-site audiences to 50,000+ online via Facebook Live. Tailor-made photo backdrops and props were provided for free on-site, attracting hundreds of audiences to “check-in” and take photos, creating a concert journey with joys and memories.

To create finer visitor experience, AWE has introduced the AsiaWorld-Expo app which offers unlimited free Wifi and cater to visitors’ needs more comprehensively, special dining discounts, and other event-oriented activities like lucky draws or member-exclusive promotions, bringing an all-round experience to everyone. On the other hand, AWE invited business partners to join the CRHK shows and arranged a ‘mingling section’ at the VIP lounge, using the “Seeing is Believing” concept to re-engage and showcase the brand-new AWE.

This article is sponsored by AsiaWorld-Expo.