Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

I had an amazing time at the HK Book Fair 2015 which was located inside the HKCEC. There were a lot of people but the staff and signs were very helpful. I brought my cousins along and was able to use the senior and kids line for ticketing.
As a visitor, with proper documentation, you can get in for $ 10 to check out the book fair.
I highly recommend checking out the different fairs and conventions — they will most likely take up a full day.
There is still a lot of construction in the area outside the convention so be prepared for extra traveling/​walking time.

Very impressive and large convention center, and it hosts the large Hong Kong Fair every year that features lots of cool gadgets and electronics of the latest invention. If you are ever nearby, make sure to come by the Intel booth. Right around the convention center, there are good eats as well but tend to be quite crowded during conference times. I would recommend eating right around 11 AM or after 2 PM. In between, you will be waiting for at least 30 minutes to get seated. You can pay using Octopus card or cash only. Enjoy your convention if you are around!

It’s a very interesting place. For any average HKer, you’d never think HKCEC is a «cool» place per se, but you’d certain visit here a few times every year.
Be that the most popular Art Basel, Book Fair, Food Festival, or events with specific theme like Comic Con, Game Con, Wedding Show (uh, I haven’t been to THAT yet), HKCEC always hosts the highest quality events. I can’t help thinking that their management team should take a very large portion of credits.
For those who are old enough to remember Book Fair prior to the time where «young models» steal the show, it was actually quite a decent event, and remarkably with the most epic queue in the history of queuing. Now that I have had my «experience» of queuing, I believe the time and arrangement for tens of thousands of people queuing has been done right. I have seen events that can’t even handle ¹⁄₁₀^th of guests.
Inside HKCEC, it feels as new as it was in 1997, when it was first opened. Funny that while I haven’t visited the whole building in one setting, but when I looked at the floor map, I realized I have been to most of the halls/​places already throughout these years, in various events.
There are certainly some new development here in Hong Kong. Central Harbourfront, Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, West Kowloon Culture Area… all of them target as the «next big thing» in the exhibition/​event/​festival hotspot. But in terms of convenience and experience, HKCEC is still the best in HK, if not in the world.

I remember the first time I went to Hong Kong, this building was still under construction and I told my parents that I needed to come here once it was completed. At that time I saw photos of how the building would look like and it was very near to my father’s apartment (he was living there at that time) so it holds a memory for me.
Once it was ready, I flew there by myself and it was one of the first stops. Looks magnificent from the outside, inside was just normal, nothing to shout about, it was a typical convention centre, no difference from other countries. Taking the ferry from TST to Wanchai, you won’t fail to see this building.
It will always be part of my childhood days no matter what especially during the year 1997, when Hong Kong was handed over to China.
This conversation also hold some special events, so do check it out!

So in terms of convention centers this is pretty standard, however I was just here for ArtBasel and I need to comment on that.
The exhibit was absolutely flawless and I must commend the Hong Kongers for creating a connected Convention center that is not only versatile but useful.
You can walk through a myriad of connected passages directly from the Wan Chai station as well as grab a bunch of busses out front. There is also valet parking for those who prefer to drive or are staying at the nearby hotels.
Overall very easy to navigate. I did like that I was able to find a couple of outlets to charge my phone as my battery had drained completely through posting on twitter and instagram throughout the show.
I def can’t wait for another breathtaking artshow and I’m sure the center does well with all other exhibits it hosts.

The HKCEC is home to many of Hong Kong’s events and rightly so. The space is big and modern. It has a great view of Victoria Harbour. There are plenty of hotels around it. The facility is well maintained.
But I actually find the HKCEC really hard to get to. Coming out of the Wan Chai MTR station, there is a footbridge that you can walk along all the way to the convention center but it’s kind of a trek. Also, there isn’t a vary wide variety of stuff to eat in the convention center. You have to leave the center and go to one of the neighboring buildings to find coffee and food.

If you ask anyone the most historic moment of Hong Kong history, I am pretty sure ninety percent of people would say the handover in 1997. So what do most people remember about that day? Yes. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
is the exact spot where Britain handed over Hong Kong to China. I remember watching the television that day when the British flag was gradually lowered and the Chinese flag was raised. The final moment that ended the 150 years of being colonized and officially returned to China who promised us 50 years of unchanged. (well… hmm…) Also, with it striking appearance that looks like a seabird soaring into the sky, signifing the prosperity of Hong Kong, it has also become a major landmark in Hong Kong.
If the above are still not interesting enough for you to go snap a picture, please notice that every year it has also housed countless international exhibitions including Book Fair (which has just ended yesterday), Food Expo where you can enjoy a great array of gourmet as cheap as one Hong Kong dollar, Comic Fair that attracts tons of youngsters cos-​playing, etc. Make sure you also check their website for more details.