Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre

Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, commonly known as KITEC and formerly called the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre or HITEC, was a mixed-use commercial and entertainment complex at 1 Trademart Drive in Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The property combined convention and exhibition facilities, concert and performance venues, offices, restaurants, retail tenants and leisure attractions. It was developed by Hopewell Holdings Ltd. and became one of Kowloon Bay's identifiable venues for trade shows, business functions, concerts, banquets and other large-scale public events. The centre's event infrastructure included several flexible venues, among them Music Zone @ E-Max, Rotunda 1, Rotunda 2, Rotunda 3 and Star Hall. These spaces could be adapted for exhibitions, concerts, banquets and corporate functions. The complex also contained a conference centre with 17 meeting rooms and an auditorium with 702 tiered seats. Star Hall, the principal performance venue, occupied a four-storey, approximately 2,800-square-metre column-free space and could accommodate up to about 3,600 people. Its scale made it a notable indoor concert venue in Hong Kong. KITEC's commercial offer extended beyond events. The E-Max shopping mall provided Chinese and Western dining options, cafés and a range of specialist and general retail uses. Listed tenants and attractions included Hong Kong Bowling City, Kowloon Bay Integrated Auto Mall, Premier Home Forum, PetMax and Starbucks. The Metroplex, an independently operated cinema at ground level, opened on 14 February 2014 with nine screens and total capacity exceeding 1,100 seats. The property also supplied office accommodation, ranging from units of approximately 56 square metres to whole floors of about 9,300 square metres, and parts of the Registration and Electoral Office had operated from the centre. The venue's identity was therefore broader than that of a conventional exhibition hall: it functioned simultaneously as an event destination, shopping and dining complex, entertainment venue and office property. Its location in Kowloon Bay placed it within a major commercial and industrial district of East Kowloon and supported its use for both trade-oriented activities and mass-market entertainment. The centre hosted concerts and other public events, including FanFan's We Are Friends Concerts in August 2009. In 2021, a consortium led by Billion Development acquired the venue for a reported US$1.4 billion with plans to redevelop the site into three Grade A office buildings. The redevelopment plan ultimately ended KITEC's role as an operating exhibition and entertainment complex. KITEC ceased operations at 17:00 on 30 June 2024. Its closure marks the end of the venue as a branded multi-purpose events destination, although the site is intended for a different commercial use.

Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre was developed by Hopewell Holdings Ltd. as a large mixed-use property in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong. It was initially known as the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre, or HITEC, before adopting the KITEC name. The development was designed to serve several overlapping functions: trade fairs and exhibitions, conferences, concerts, banquets, retail, leisure and office occupation. The venue's principal events infrastructure included flexible halls and rooms such as Music Zone @ E-Max, Rotunda 1, Rotunda 2 and Rotunda 3. It also provided a conference centre with 17 meeting rooms and a 702-seat tiered auditorium. These facilities allowed the property to accommodate business events as well as public entertainment. Star Hall was the complex's major performance venue. Its four-storey, approximately 2,800-square-metre column-free layout supported audiences of up to about 3,600 people and made it suitable for concerts and other large productions. A documented event associated with the venue was FanFan's We Are Friends Concerts in August 2009. KITEC also operated as a commercial and leisure destination through the E-Max shopping mall. Its tenant mix included restaurants and cafés, Hong Kong Bowling City, Kowloon Bay Integrated Auto Mall, Premier Home Forum, PetMax and Starbucks. The Metroplex cinema opened on 14 February 2014, adding a nine-screen entertainment attraction with capacity of more than 1,100 people. Office accommodation was available in sizes ranging from approximately 56 square metres to a full floor of roughly 9,300 square metres. The Registration and Electoral Office had also used portions of the property. The complex's ownership and future changed in 2021, when a consortium led by Billion Development acquired it for a reported US$1.4 billion. The buyer's redevelopment plan called for three Grade A office buildings, replacing the existing mixed-use events complex. As a consequence, KITEC ended its operations at 17:00 on 30 June 2024. The closure ended the site's operation as a branded exhibition and performance venue and placed it on a redevelopment path focused on office real estate rather than events, retail and entertainment.

1. 2024Operations cease

   KITEC ended operations at 17:00 on 30 June 2024, concluding its life as an exhibition, entertainment, retail and office complex.

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2. 2021Acquisition and redevelopment plan

   A consortium led by Billion Development acquired KITEC and announced plans to redevelop the site into three Grade A office buildings.

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3. 2014The Metroplex cinema opens

   The Metroplex opened at the E-Max mall on 14 February 2014 with nine screens and capacity exceeding 1,100 seats.

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4. 2009Documented FanFan concert events

   FanFan's We Are Friends Concerts were held at the venue in August 2009, illustrating Star Hall's role as a major concert facility.

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A large mixed-use destination combining trade and exhibition infrastructure with concerts, entertainment, retail, dining and offices in Kowloon Bay.

• Convention and exhibition spacesEvents and exhibitions

  KITEC provided multi-purpose spaces for exhibitions, concerts, banquets, business functions and other programmed events. Its event facilities included Music Zone @ E-Max, three Rotunda venues, an auditorium with 702 tiered seats and a conference centre containing 17 meeting rooms.

• Star HallConcert and performance venue

  Star Hall was KITEC's principal performance venue. The four-storey venue covered approximately 2,800 square metres, used a column-free design and could accommodate audiences of up to about 3,600 people. It was used for concerts and other large-scale public events.

• E-Max shopping mallRetail and dining

  E-Max formed the retail and dining component of the complex. It included Chinese and Western restaurants, cafés and a varied tenant mix that included bowling, automotive retail, home furnishings, pet-related retail and Starbucks.

• The MetroplexCinema2014

  The Metroplex was an independently operated cinema at the ground floor of E-Max. It opened in 2014 with nine screens and total capacity of more than 1,100 seats.

• Office accommodationCommercial real estate

  The complex offered office units ranging from approximately 56 square metres to entire floors of around 9,300 square metres. Portions of the Registration and Electoral Office also operated from the property.

• 2024Closure of the operating venueStrategy

  The acquired property was scheduled for transformation into a new office-led development.

  What changed. KITEC ceased operations at 17:00 on 30 June 2024.

  Aftermath. The KITEC brand stopped operating as a public exhibition, performance, retail and office destination.

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• 2021Acquisition by a Billion Development-led consortiumM&A

  The existing KITEC property was acquired as part of a plan to change the site's commercial use.

  What changed. A consortium led by Billion Development bought the venue and planned to redevelop it into three Grade A office buildings.

  Aftermath. The redevelopment plan led to the eventual discontinuation of KITEC's exhibition, entertainment, retail and office operations in June 2024.

  Reported acquisition price. US$1.4 billion (2021)

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• 2024KITEC ends operations ahead of redevelopment

  The complex stopped operating at 17:00 on 30 June 2024, ending its use as an exhibition, performance, retail and office venue.

  Other
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• 2021Consortium led by Billion Development acquires KITEC for redevelopment

  A consortium led by Billion Development bought the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre and planned to replace the existing venue with three Grade A office buildings.

  M&A
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• 2014The Metroplex opens at E-Max

  The Metroplex cinema opened at the ground floor of the E-Max mall with nine screens and capacity exceeding 1,100 seats.

  Product launch
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1. Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre
2. KITEC official website