THE name is far from romantic, but wedding bells are in the air for the developer of a new conference centre scheduled to open in Phnom Penh early next year.

The Modern 2 Centre, named because of its National Road 2 location, is hoping to woo wedding parties as well as organisers of exhibitions, conferences and meetings when it opens on January 7, according to Mann Navy, an assistant to the owner.

The centre, which is being promoted as a business centre as well, is owned by Ministry of Labour, Vocational Training and Education Secretary of State Othsman Hassan, founder of local developer Hassan Cambodia Development Limited.

“I strongly believe that our business will be successful because only we have a modern wedding party building like this,” Mann Navy said.

The two-storey centre – located on a 1-hectare block of land in Chak Angre Krom commune in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district – cost nearly US$1 million to build, she added, and has the capacity for 2,500 guests per night at 250 tables.

The average cost of function space was $17 per table, not including food and drinks, though Mann Navy said a special discount was available for the first 50 couples to book.

The opening follows hot on the heels of another conference-cum-wedding banquet centre opening in Phnom Penh. The US$4 million Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre on Koh Pich by the Tonle Sap river opened in late October following a race against time to complete development ahead of the wedding season, which generally runs from October through March.

Hassan Cambodia Development Limited is also planning to develop a 2.5-hectare block of land in Tuol Kork district that was at the centre of a dispute earlier this year over compensation for residents.