The three-day “Asia Performance Entertainment Expo”, organised by the Asia-Pacific Live Performance Industry Association (APLPIA) and held at the Cotai Expo Hall of The Venetian Macao, concluded yesterday, attracting over 10,000 visitors and holding 108 business matching activities, a statement by the organiser said.
According to the statement, the expo has created a cross-market platform for the Asian live performance industry through a series of exhibitions and seminars. Having gathered some of the most renowned professionals and experts in the show business of the Asia-Pacific region, the statement said that the event could assist Macau with its pursuit of becoming the “City of Performing Arts”.
The opening ceremony on Friday was officiated by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macau Director Wan Sucheng, Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) President Vincent U U Sang, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Leong Wai Man and Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, as well as APLPIA co-chairpersons Florence Chen (陳淑芬) and Brian Marcar.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Ao Ieong underlined the importance of the development of the entertainment and performance sectors for Macau’s appropriate economic diversification. She said that strengthening cross-regional collaboration would provide a “bigger stage” for local talents in the sector to learn from their counterparts from other Asia-Pacific countries and regions, so as to promote Macau’s role as the centre of performing arts in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
In her opening remarks, Chen said that the APLPIA chose to host the expo’s maiden edition in Macau in the hope of establishing a platform for stakeholders in the performance industry to meet and discuss the possibilities of further cooperation, thereby promoting the development of the industry in the Asia-Pacific region. Chen added that she expected the expo to become an annual event in Macau, in order to foster a long-term partnership with industrial leaders across Asia.
APLPIA and Bank of China Macau Branch representatives signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation during the opening ceremony, followed by a tour of the exhibition booths guided by Chen and Marcar for the government officials and other invited guests.
On day one of the event, the musical “The Storm Show” produced by Chen, premiered at The Venetian Theatre, followed by a panel discussion where Chen as well as the original author Ma Wing Sing and various Hong Kong actors appearing in the movie shared their insights into the film production process.
The expo, which featured about 200 exhibitors from the entertainment and performance industry, has generated more than HK$100 million in revenue, the statement added.
This photo provided by the Asia-Pacific Live Performance Industry Association (APLPIA) yesterday shows visitors at the expo.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U (right, front) and APLPIA Co-chairperson Florence Chen tour the exhibition booths on Friday. – Photo: Gabriel Tam
