By LI MEI 

THIS landmark is a very special conference venue. In September 2016 the Hangzhou International Expo Center in Zhejiang Province made headlines on its debut as the primary venue for the G20 Summit. Since officially opening to the public a month later, business has boomed. As at the end of February 2017, the expo center has hosted nearly 300 conferences and over 500,000 sq m of exhibition space, receiving around 600,000 visits. The arena is fully booked right up to the year 2022. Its remarkable achievement is not only a miracle in the convention and exhibition industry, but also adds impetus to this field.  

A Glorious Start

On September 4-5, 2016, leaders of the G20 member countries and eight guest nations, along with seven representatives of international organizations, shared their thoughts and proposed strategies for addressing global challenges at the Hangzhou International Expo Center. This remarkable venue witnessed the expounding of Chinese wisdom and an increase in the reach of China’s influence.  

Since the G20 Summit, the venue has become a center for a diverse range of groups to hold various kinds of events. For example, mayors of major cities from the Yangtze River Delta gathered in the expo center last December to discuss ways to facilitate regional economic integration and transform the region into a world-level city cluster. The expo center provided excellent services to the symposium, demonstrating its commitment to the high-end convention and exhibition industry.

Moreover, the Global E-commerce Leaders Summit, held last October, decided to use nearly 20,000 sq m of the space for exhibitions and 5,000 sq m for conferences. At the expo center, experts and e-business giants from all over the world envisioned the future of cross-border e-commerce. In February 2017, the expo center again drew attention when a large number of sports stars came to attend the provincial sports award ceremony.   

Holding important activities enables Hangzhou International Expo Center to really stand out. A key project, jointly constructed by the management committee of Qianjiang Century City and North Star Events, the expo center presents an image of professionalism and exemplary quality. The architecture blends international trends and local characteristics, so combining great competence with limitless potential.

Outstanding Appearance and Competency

To showcase Chinese design elements during the Hangzhou G20 Summit, modern and classical styles were combined in the architecture of the expo center. Every detail – from the exterior to interior design – represents China’s grandeur, but also a sense of peace and righteousness. Perfectly integrating the grace of a responsible world power with the exquisite charm of Hangzhou City into this magnificent building, embodying refinement, originality, style and special local features, shows extraordinary creativity.

A hanging garden in the venue, the largest of its kind in Asia, is a focal point of this impressive building. Covering an area of 65,000 sq m, the garden merges artistic creativity with the aesthetic orientation of Hangzhou.  

In addition to its visual appeal, the expo center boasts the capacity for various forms of activities. The complex, which covers an area of 850,000 sq m, is equipped with 61 conference rooms of different sizes, a 10,000-sq-m multifunctional hall constructed without pillars, and 90,000 sq m of exhibition space. These diverse spaces offer various possibilities for business events, such as Dongfeng Honda’s vehicle debuts with live music performances, the fashion shows held at the China International Silk Fair and Women’s Wear Fair, and the China Wedding Expo.

Innovation is inherent in the conference and exhibition industry. Versatile facilities give innovative ideas free rein, while integrated development of the tourism, commerce, and cultural industries brings vitality to the venue. Nothing is impossible for an innovative mind. 

Laying Foundation for Industrial Development

Last November, the expo center hosted the China (Hangzhou) International Auto Supplies Exhibition, the country’s fourth biggest expo and the largest in East China for car accessories. At the beginning of 2017, the China Huaxia Housing and Furnishing Expo and the China Wedding Expo were held in Hangzhou for the first time. Both chose Hangzhou International Expo Center as their long-term partner to host a number of expositions throughout the year. Data provided by the organizer of the China Wedding Expo reveal that the total volume of business amounted to RMB 441 million during the two-day event.  

“We are concentrating on expanding the Hangzhou market by channeling more events here from all over the country,” Tang Xue, president of the expo center, said. “This year, for example, we are going to host the International Forging Congress, the annual meeting of Chinese Dental Practitioners, an expo for the express delivery and logistics industry, an Adidas purchasing meeting, and the Lenovo Suppliers Conference.”

Tang added that it is the comprehensive competence of Hangzhou that makes people want to hold their events here. The Hangzhou International Expo Center underlines that attraction by being the city’s first super-large-scale venue.

In 2016, Hangzhou, ranked the 10th in GDP of all Chinese cities. Against the backdrop of a booming economy, the local market for conferences and exhibitions continues to expand and improve. Located in the Yangtze River Delta, an area boasting some of the most vibrant exhibition spaces in China, Hangzhou has the advantage of a good location and an industrial base. The local conference and exhibition industry follows the thinking that businesses perform as a group, the market operates according to its rules, and local administration provides support.

Backed by the national “Internet Plus” program, the conference and exhibition industry has been strengthened in terms of comprehensive capability by a series of reforms that have regulated development, established reliable brands, and facilitated quality projects. To some extent, the Hangzhou G20 Summit injected a dose of progress into the industry.   

Favorable policies have further encouraged growth in the industry. Last November, Hangzhou became the first city in China to create a slogan for itself – Hangzhou: Inspiring New Connections. The slogan demonstrates Hangzhou’s confidence in the conference and exhibitions market. Making Hangzhou into a major world center for conferences and exhibitions is an important part of the city’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). The importance of this goal was further stressed during Hangzhou’s CPC Municipal Congress last February.    

Hangzhou’s development has long revolved around the West Lake, though now it intends to advance local progress by utilizing the resources of the Qiantang River that flows through the city. Having hosted the G20 Summit, the city is looking forward to welcoming the Asian Games in 2022.

The Hangzhou International Expo Center is poised to take the lead in the conference and exhibition industry and fully realize its potential. The center’s value does not simply lie in being the first ever super-large-scale venue in the city, but also in its contribution to the development of sustainable conference services, its promotion of the urban tertiary industry, its stimulation of regional industrial upgrading, and its contribution to urban economy and social development.  

“The value of the platform should be stressed in the future development of the conference and exhibition industry. Hangzhou International Expo Center aims at linking itself and the city to resources in the hospitality industry and tourism,” Tang Xue said. “As part of the ‘Conference and Exhibition Plus’ scheme, various industrial forms in the city are expected to connect and progress together. Furthermore, the progress of the entire region will be elevated through industrial restructuring, the extension of industrial chains, and leapfrog development.” All in all, a promising prospect lies ahead.