GEORGE TOWN, Jan 28 — Property developer SP Setia Bhd expects to complete the Setia SPICE Convention Centre project for Meeting, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) by year-end and become operational by March 2017.
Its Acting President and Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Khor Chap Jen said as Penang flourished into an international business hub, there was a need for a convention centre of this scale to cater for MICE activities.
Boasting a sprawling 0.4-hectare green rooftop for jogging, strolling and exercising, he said the SPICE Convention Centre could accommodate 400 banquet tables for a large scale event.
He said the convention centre was one of the five components for SP Setia’s Subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition Centre (SPICE), which included the SPICE Aquatic Centre, SPICE Arena, SPICE Canopy and SPICE Hotel.
The gross development value for the five components is about RM650 million, he said in his welcoming address at the opening of the SPICE Aquatic Centre by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng here today.
Khor said except for the SPICE Hotel, the rest of the facilities would be operational by March next year.
“After SP Setia undertook the public-private partnership project five years ago from then Penang Island Municipal Council, we added three more components to the Penang International Sports Arena, which are a convention centre, a hotel and retail outlets.
“In return, SP Setia was granted a 30-year concession by Penang Island City Council to manage and operate the place upon its completion,” he said.
However, Khor said the final component of Setia SPICE, namely the 25-storey SPICE Hotel, would begin once it obtained approval from the authorities.
“Equipped with 253 rooms, the business-class hotel is targeted to begin operations by 2019,” he said.
