Matrade centre to open soon

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) expects its soon-to-be-opened Matrade Exhibition and Convention Centre (MECC) to complement the existing major exhibition facilities at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). 

“If talk that the Mines Exhibition Centre is closing down is true, the country will run short of exhibition space. So we are not actually competing with PWTC and KLCC,” Matrade director (management services) Jamaludin Hussain told StarBiz. 

He said including the 13,000-sq m MECC, Kuala Lumpur currently had only a total of 46,000 sq m of roofed exhibition space.  

So in terms of roofed exhibition space, Kuala Lumpur was way behind Hong Kong (390,000 sq m), Singapore (124,000 sq m) and Bangkok (76,000 sq m), he said. 

Jamaludin, however, added that Matrade was leading an initiative to expand exhibition space in Kuala Lumpur to be at least on par with neighbouring capitals like Singapore and Bangkok.  

Housed on the ground level of the 24-storey Menara Matrade, off Jalan Duta, MECC also has a connecting 20,000 sq m of open space area and an amphitheatre.  

The tower also houses the headquarters of Small Medium Industry Development Corp.  

Jamaludin Hussain with a model of Menara Matrade

“MECC is primarily aimed at promoting exports and facilitating Malaysian companies, especially small and medium enterprises, to do business and networking,” Jamaludin said, adding that it allowed more opportunities for trade-oriented exhibitions to take place. 

According to Jamaludin, Matrade rents out MECC at 20% to 30% lower than rates at PWTC and KLCC, but confines the venue strictly to trade-eccentric events. It also allocates a permanent exhibition space for 400 local companies at the exhibition hall. 

Matrade has contracted the management of MECC to Angkagraf Sdn Bhd, a private event management company. 

Angkagraf managing director Abdullah Bahari said the first major event at MECC would be the Malaysian International Furniture Fair 2007, which would be held concurrently at PWTC and KLCC on March 6-10. 

He said the company had secured a long list of international trade fairs for MECC this year, including a Matrade-led exhibition called the East Asian Business Exhibition 2007.