Cebu International Convention Center
One of the most sophisticated buildings that can be found in Cebu is the Cebu International Convention Center. This is where the 12th Asean Summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit was held. The 28,000-square footed and 3.8 hectare building cost about US$10 million and is located in the property of the Mandaue City Reclamation Area of Metro Cebu.
Timeline
The site is actually where the intended sports complex, known as “Cebu Mega Dome”, is to be situated. A contest for its design was held with the “spinning disc” entry of Architect Alexus Medalla winning the whole competition. However, the whole project was halted after some complications ensued.
It was during the late 2005 when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced that the city of Mandaue will host both the 12th ASEAN Summit and 2nd East Asia Summit in the last month of 2006. It was actually the country Myanmar’s turn to host the event but they backed out. Instead, the Philippines, which is scheduled to host the twin summit on Decenber 2007, was tapped to handle the occasion.
Since the intended location for the event lacked the international standard for a convention center (especially with complete amenities for prestigious international events), Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia revived the old “Cebu Mega Dome” project but with an enhanced design instead of the originally-planned sports stadium. The “spinning disc” approach, however, would remain.
Weeks later, a new design was introduced and was ultimately considered since it was less expensive and easier to construct. With a limited time for it to get started, the whole construction started on April 2006 with the intended building conclusion before the scheduled meet on December 2006. However, a typhoon named “Utor” came to visit. This is when the President moved the Summit meeting to January 12-15, 2007.
The convention center was finished in about four months sometime in the late November, a few weeks right before the scheduled occasion. Examinations and check-ups were conducted to make sure everything is set. And finally in January 6, 2007, the Cebu International Convention Center was officially inaugurated.
The convention center is highlighted with its International Media Center, a long line of Meeting Rooms, a large Plenary Hall and an Exhibition Hall for future events. The 12th Asean Summit and the 2nd East Asia Summit went well accordingly.
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