A NEW 6,400m2 convention centre scheduled for launch in 2H2015 is rising at Iloilo Business Park in Iloilo City, on a plot of land donated by Megaworld Corp.
The 450 million peso (US$10.6 million) project led by the Iloilo City government will comprise a main hall on the ground floor which can accommodate up to 3,700 pax, as well as function rooms on the second floor for up to 500 people. It will be able to handle top of the range catered events.
With its location within Iloilo Business Park, the future convention centre will be surrounded and supported by business, retail and residential properties. Three new business towers, with projected capacity of 7,000 jobs/seats, are expected to be ready by end of 2014.
Richmonde Hotel and a Courtyard by Marriott property are also being built to support convention business, while a new retail property, Festive Citywalk, is due to complete by 2015.
Hotels and malls are emerging elsewhere in Iloilo City too, while the local government is coordinating the construction and expansion of roads, power capacity and upgrades to the city’s fishing port.
Jericho Go, first vice president for business development and leasing at Megaworld Corp, said the convention centre would put Iloilo City in a position to bid for the 2015 APEC Ministerial Summit in the Philippines.
Twice-weekly flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and Singapore via Cebu Pacific, launched last November, have also strengthened opportunities for business and leisure travel from the region, Go noted.
He also revealed that Megaworld may bring in other hotel operators and build an outdoor arena, a driving range, a wakeboarding park, sports facilities and other developments to “complement” business opportunities in Iloilo City.
