5,500 Sibos Delegates Headed For HKCEC

(Hong Kong, 10 September 2009) Over 2,000 workers are currently placing the final touches on the preparations for Sibos 2009 which will open in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) on Monday (14 September).  It is estimated that in excess of 5,500 delegates will attend the meeting which continues through Friday 18 September.

Sibos is one of the most prestigious international exhibitions and conferences available to major international cities with venues comparable to the HKCEC.  The event is the annual forum of SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Inter-Banking Telecommunications headquartered in Brussels and 22 offices in major cities throughout the world including Hong Kong.

The HKCEC’s business development efforts to lure this important meeting to Hong Kong have been led by Deputy Managing Director, Ms Monica Lee-Muller.  The first contact was made over seven years ago when a formal expression of interest was presented to the Sibos executives.

Panos Tzivanidis, SWIFT’s Head of Sibos and Events, stated, “the HKCEC was chosen because of its professional management and team as well as the many internal operational components under the HKCEC’s management that were required to meet the very sophisticated and complex needs of our exhibition and conference.  Hong Kong as a city, with its superb infrastructure, as well as the extraordinary central location of the HKCEC were also important in making our decision, as was the commitment  to the expansion to the HKCEC, which has just opened.  What has occurred already during the planning and preparations has more than proven that the choice of the HKCEC was an excellent one and that this will be one of the most successful events in our history.”

Well over 85% of the delegates will be travelling to Hong Kong from outside Hong Kong and Mainland China.  Lengthy stays by the delegates for this meeting and over 50 special related business and social events throughout the city assure the city of an extraordinary positive economic impact far exceeding most international conferences and meetings held in Hong Kong.

Ms Lee-Muller stated, “the success of leading this effort to bring this important conference to Hong Kong and the HKCEC is a career high for me.  The management and staff of the HKCEC can be proud for demonstrating throughout the last several years its capabilities which has contributed greatly in securing this prestigious event.  I am confident that it will be one of our greatest successes in achieving the HKCEC’s vision, in part, to host some of the world’s most renowned events.”

About SWIFT

SWIFT is a member-owned cooperative that provides the communications platform, products and services to connect over 8,500 banking organisations, securities institutions and corporate customers in more than 200 countries. SWIFT enables its users to exchange automated, standardised financial information securely and reliably, thereby lowering costs, reducing operational risk and eliminating operational inefficiencies. SWIFT also brings the financial community together to work collaboratively to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest.

www.swift.com and www.sibos2009.com

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Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Limited (HML) is a member of NWS Holdings Limited. NWS Holdings Limited ("NWS Holdings", Hong Kong stock code: 0659), the infrastructure and service flagship of New World Development Company Limited (Hong Kong stock code: 0017), embraces a diversified range of businesses in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Macau. Its Infrastructure portfolio includes Roads, Energy, Water and Ports projects. Its Service & Rental division comprises Facilities Rental (the management of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and ATL Logistics Centre), Contracting (Hip Hing Construction Group and NWS Engineering Group), Transport (New World First Bus, Citybus and New World First Ferry), etc.

Issued by Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Ltd.

Media enquiries regarding Sibos/SWIFT, please contact:

SWIFT’s communication agency for the Asia Pacific region, Upstream Asia’s
Ms Jennifer Shay or Ms Jowie Law
Tel: +852 2973 0222

E-mail: jennifer.shay@upstreamasia.com / jowie.law@upstreamasia.com