P2.4-B convention center opens at SM Mall of Asia next year

SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), the investment holding firm of retail tycoon Henry Sy, is set to open on May 2007 the country’s largest privately-run exhibition and convention center, a project within the 60-hectare SM Central Business Park that includes the Mall of Asia complex.

In a statement, SMIC said the SMX convention center, which broke ground in March this year, will rise on a 46,074-square meter space. The company has earmarked P2.4 billion for this project.

The three-story convention center will house a main lobby with VIP rooms and a concierge. The ground level will be convertible into four halls, while the third level will have six halls and nine meeting rooms.

SMIC said commercial shops will be located along the perimeter of SMX Convention Center and a second level bridgeway will connect it to the Mall of Asia.

SMIC will also soon develop an adjacent 15,000-seating capacity sports arena in addition to the single-story OneEcom Center. These structures form part of an ambitious project to turn the SM Central Business Park into the country’s foremost and only central business district by the bay, integrating business park facilities with entertainment, recreational, tourism, and residential land uses.

The OneE-com Center, which will open in July 2007, will consist of four multi-purpose buildings that will cater mostly to technology-based companies engaged in software development and business process outsourcing (BPO) such as contact centers, animation, and medical transcription. It is touted as the most promising next-generation hub for BPO firms.

The 105,857-square meter structure will be able to accommodate not just BPOs but various types of office tenants as well which include those engaged in financial services, consulting and tourism-related services.

The Mall of Asia, the centerpiece of the SM Central Business Park, already houses the first Philippine call center of the world’s largest computer maker, Dell Inc. Not too far away is another call center, Teletech, which is housed in Building F of the SM Corporate Offices.

Other elements of the business park include hotels, office and residential clusters, as well as a ferry terminal.