Marko Roscher, project leader at the office is starting a five-month journey around the world in early August. The main focus is getting to know other countries and cultures. But the 25-year-old wants to also use this trip to further his future career, and therefore also has visiting appointments at event centres in Hong Kong, Singapore, Perth and the USA. This is reason enough for the EVVC to support this idea and agree to give him leave. Ultimately, all interested parties will be able to benefit from Marko Roschers experiences: The EVVC is accompanying journey virtually by publishing the reports from the event venues.
The two last stages of my trip around the world, that included visits of great event centres, give me the opportunity to compare the sunny west of California and the sparkling, vibrant east coast - the modern Moscone Center in charming San Francisco meets the elegance of the Radio City Music Hall in spectacular New York.
I have so much information this time around, that I am again not quite sure where to begin. Maybe I should mention that my report spans two continents this time. My journey takes me to Sydney and its Acer Arena and to Los Angeles to the Convention Center.
Let's start in sunny Sydney. When I arrived at the vast grounds of the Summer Olympic Games in 2000, I called Tim Worton, who guided me in the right direction. Tim Worton, Group Director Arenas for AEG Ogden, took some time to show me the Acer Arena with all its particularities. At first I thought, “It can’t really take that long, after all it’s “only” an arena! Afterwards I should still have some time for sightseeing in the Olympic Park!” But obviously I slightly underestimated the size of the location and Tim Worton’s know-how, as we had about 1.5 hours time to chat about the characteristics of the Arena and the live entertainment industry in Australia.
Australia is indeed big - big enough for three different time zones, different climate zones and a great warmth and friendliness with which you will be welcomed here. No matter if you are welcomed in the Darwin Convention Centre in the north or in the Melbourne and Olympic Park in the south - the next two stops on my trip around the world.
Quite a few regulations, very clean and organized, very little traffic - not the typical characteristics at our previous stops, but Singapore – my final stop in Southeast Asia for the time being – is different. The SUNTEC Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre is also a bit different. On a small island like Singapore, space is limited, which means buildings rise high into the sky. As in Hong Kong I come across a small spatial miracle on six floors. Two large divisible exhibition halls on the 6th and 4th floor, conference rooms and a theatre in the 2nd floor as well as 31 meeting rooms in the 2nd and 3rd floor. In between, many areas for engineering, catering and in-house restaurants as well as a truck ramp for access to the 4th and 6th floor.
By hosting the World Expo 2010 Shanghai has made many improvements in the infrastructure, which are directly noticeable to visitors when they enter the metro station. On arrival by Metro on the EXPO grounds, one is struck by the sheer size. After a brief orientation you will discover a “UFO” which seems to have landed near the glorious Chinese Pavilion, the World Expo Culture Center.
After the aircraft landed on Chinese soil, the Asian culture was brought closer to me as I was greeted with a “friendly Ni hao” at the Pudong International Airport on 5th August 2010. My journey through Shanghai has taken me to two interesting venues that the city has to offer next to many other sights and culinary delights: The Forum at the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) and the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC).
