Highly anticipated expo set to take over Genting’s Arena of Stars

photo: MOTAC facebook

GENTING HIGHLANDS: A whopping 50,000 tickets have been sold for the highly anticipated Hasbro Trans­formers Expo Malaysia 2014, which kicks off this Friday at the Arena of Stars, Resorts World Genting.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the expo was expected to draw a record 250,000 visitors and more over the Chinese New Year period from Friday until Feb 16. He noted that only 27 international expos have been held worldwide so far, while the Malaysia expo was the largest to date in Asia.

“I am equally happy to note that the world’s iconic movie and toy brand, Hasbro Transformers, is celebrating its 30th anniversary in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014,” he said before launching the event at Resorts World Genting yesterday.


He said he was confident that with the good weather and upcoming major developments, Malaysians and regional visitors would flock to Genting, which received over 20 million tourists annually. Nazri also expressed pride that Malaysian artists had created the special 7m-tall figurine of Optimus Prime and the 5.4m-tall figurine of Bumblebee as some of the exclusive highlights of the expo.

There will also be a showcase of more than 1,520 limited edition Transformers figurines and memorabilia contributed by Transmy, a group of Malaysian Transformers fans. Also making an appearance is a Chevrolet’s Camaro, which transformed into Bumblebee in the films. Fans can also enjoy a walk through the 3D Tunnel experience, 3D Mapping as well as an interactive augmented reality experience.

Later at a press conference, Nazri said he had enjoyed all the highlights of the expo, which will feature 10 zones showcasing everything about Transformers.
“This is actually my first Transfor­mers experience. “Transformers was created in 1984. I was already a serious politician then. Now I am beginning to understand what it is all about,” he said.

Genting Malaysia Bhd president and chief operating officer Datuk Seri Lee Choong Yan said he was also excited about the ongoing transformation of its outdoor theme park under the RM5bil Genting Integrated Tourism Plan (GITP) launched last Dec 17.

“The new world-class Twentieth Century Fox World Park, estimated at RM1bil, is expected to open sometime in 2016. During this interim period, we will continue to offer world-class entertainment, with the Transformers Expo being just one of the many international attractions featured this year,” he said.

Expo organiser Target Exposition Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Raymond Tew said over RM5mil had been invested into setting up the event, including the augmented reality interactive game, which cost over RM500,000 to construct.

Tickets are priced at RM45 for children aged between four and 10, as well as senior citizens aged 60 and above. Adults will be charged RM55, while a family of two adults and two children can opt for the RM180 Family Package. For ticket purchase, visit www.rwgenting.com and www.MyDeal.com.my. Event details are available at www.transformersmal.com.my.
-thestar online.