Hainan Asia Pacific
Brewery in
a Festive Mood
Impressions of the festivities during the official opening
of the Hainan brewery.
THE 21 ST CENTURY'
year, but later this will be expanded
to 3.5 million hectolitres. The brew
ery is located on a 22 hectare site in
the Jinpan Industrial Zone, just out
side Haikou. Currently, HAPCO brews
beer for the island of Hainan, as well
as the whole of southern and north
ern China.
MILESTONE
Naturally, the opening of the brewery
is an important milestone for HAPCO.
The new production facility is the
first brewery to be built on the island
of Hainan. To ensure maximum publi
city for the brewery and its brands,
the company spent six months pre
paring for the two weeks of festive
events that marked the inaugura
tion.
A relay run around the island was
held two weeks before the opening
of the brewery, going through Haikou,
Qiongshan, Qionghai, Sanya, Basuo
and Haikou. In towns along the route,
large numbers of spectators visited
exhibitions devoted to the brewery.
The crowds were also treated to a
lion dance, a parade by a military
band and free beer sampling.
COUNT-DOWN
At the same time, a count-down cere
mony took place on one of the
busiest stretches of road in Haikou.
For ten days, passers-by could see the
seconds ticking away on an enor
mous three-sided electronic board.
The Hainan Daily published a 16-
page full-colour supplement about
the brewery, which was eagerly read
by the local population. In a similar
vein, the brewer's Marketing Depart
ment negotiated a three-part docu
mentary about HAPCO, which was
shown on local TV during the three
days preceding the inauguration.
The opening ceremony itself
included a colourful fireworks show
and ethnic dance, accompanied by a
drum band and an orchestra. Upon
finishing the last leg of the Round-
the-Island Run, the runner handed
over the HAPCO corporate flag to the
Singaporean Ambassador, who then
declared the brewery open.
