In recent years, Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry has maintained a good development momentum with expanding scale and improving facilities, becoming an inseparable part of the city’s modern service sector. The development of the convention and exhibition industry has played an active role in perfecting the capital’s functions, optimizing the industrial structure and enhancing the city’s radiation capabilities.
First, improving hardware facilities lend greater support to convention and exhibition industry. Besides reconstruction and expansion of the existing convention-exhibition facilities, Beijing has also constructed a series of new convention-exhibition facilities. Part of the Olympic venues used for conven- tion-exhibition purposes has especially enhanced the bearing capacity of Beijing’s convention-exhibition facilities. By late 2009, Beijing is equipped with 5,718 conference rooms, up 56.0% over 2005, including 179 big ones with over 500 seats, up 88.4% over 2005. The available area of theses conference rooms amounts to 831,000 square meters, 210,000 square meters more than that of 2005, or up 33.8%. The operation of China International Exhibition Center (new venue) and China National Convention Center together with the construction of a large-scale exhibition hall in Jiuhua Spa & Resort have partly alleviated the shortage of largescale exhibition facilities in Beijing. By late 2009, the total area of professional exhibition venues in Beijing stood at 569,000 square meters, including 354,000 square meters for available exhibition halls, up 73.5% or 150,000 square meters more than that of 2005.
Second, Beijing becomes more internationally influential as an exhibition city. In recent years, the number of international conventions and exhibitions hosted in Beijing is on the rise. In 2009, by hosting 224,000 conventions, an increase of 25.3% compared with that of 2005, Beijing reaped revenue of RMB 7.25 billion, up 115.5% over the year 2005. The international financial crisis has forced many companies to cancel self-run exhibitions. In 2009, 1,216 exhibitions were held in Beijing, down 14.4% over 2005 yet with expanding scales. The revenue from exhibitions reached RMB 5.19 billion in 2009, up 129.9% compared with that of four years ago.
Rapidly developing economy and consummating convention venues have poured into Beijing increasing number of conventions and earned it the reputation of “convention capital”. As more and more conventions are hosted, the number of people attending the conventions also jumps sharply to 16.153 million in 2009, which suggests that every conference room in Beijing accommodated 39.2 conferences throughout the year. Enjoying the superiority of being China’s capital, the international metropolis serves as the venue for many important conferences at home and abroad. Even at the time when the global economy was on the decline due to the financial crisis, Beijing still witnessed a drastic rise in the number of conventions.
Statistics from the International Congress and Convention Association indicate that among the global cities

hosting international conferences in 2009, Beijing moved up to No. 10 with greater influence in the international platform. Beijing has thus become a genuine “convention capital” both at home and abroad.
Third, industrial clustering and rational spatial layout make the convenion-exhibition industry more competiive. Beijing’s convention and exhibition ndustry keeps developing and shows a rend for industrial clustering. In 2009, with professional exhibition venues accounting for 50% of the city’s total, Chaoyang District hosted 70.7% exhibitions of the city’s total. Chaoyang, Haidian, Dongcheng and Xicheng are he four relatively concentrated districts n Beijing for hosting conventions. In 2009, hotels and restaurants in these our districts took up a proportion of 54.2% of the city’s total, and conferences hosted 54.7%. The exhibition venues, hotels and restaurants had stimulated he development of the surrounding convention and exhibition service enerprises, which accounted for 80.9% of the city’s total and generated 88.4% revenue of the city’s total.
The north-central part of Beiing including Chaoyang, Haidian, Dongcheng and Xicheng has now become a heartland for conventions and exhibitions. Over the years, industrial clusters have taken shape, which not only facilitates resource sharing, but also exerts a pull effect on the development of related industries. The new venue of China International Exhibition Center s situated in the airport area of Shunyi District, laying a solid foundation for Shunyi to develop cultural and creative ndustries featuring the convention and exhibition industry.
Fourth, convention and exhibiion brands become more mature and more influential. Through cultivation and development, Beijing has built more professional and more influential convention and exhibition brands both at home and abroad. Among the largescale international professional exhibiions, exhibitions on cooling, machine ool, textile, automobile, printing, metallurgy and communications remain world-leading. An array of brand exhibitions including Beijing International Automobile Exhibition, China Interna- tional Building Decorations & Building Materials Expo, China International Sports Goods Show, China Int’l Clothing & Accessories Fair and China International Machine Tool Show are held in the new China International Exhibition Center. For the largescale international conventions and exhibitions, such as China Beijing International Hi-tech Expo, China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair and BeijingHong Kong Economic Cooperation Symposium, the government sticks to a connotative development path with prominent brand effect.
Opportunities for Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry
Over the upcoming five years, Beijing will usher in a critical period for scientific development and a new phase defined by adjusting the open competition pattern, transforming economic development mode, perfecting urban layout and morphology, accelerating society transformation and enhancing competitiveness. The convention and exhibition industry will embrace both opportunities and challenges, but the former outweighs the latter. In the next five years, Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry will embrace four golden opportunities for development:
First, after a successful Olympics and New China’s 60 anniversary celebration, global resources intend to concentrate in China and Beijing due to Beijing’s rising international influence and unprecedented attractiveness. As an important destination where international high-end resources are likely to shift, Beijing enjoys more opportunities and becomes able to accommodate headquarters of international organizations, regional headquarters, as well as international conventions and exhibitions, which provides valuable historic opportunities for multifaceted and multi-layer cooperation in the convention and exhibition industry.
Second, the global financial crisis makes the governments and regions across the world desire for closer economic cooperation. Expanding inter- national cooperation provides precious opportunities for the convention and exhibition industry to have an international presence. Deepening cooperation among Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions serves as a good start for Beijing to extend its planning on the convention and exhibition industry to a wider range.
Third, the 12th five-year plan period is critical for Beijing to turn itself into a world city and to earnestly implement the “People’s Beijing, High-Tech Beijing and Green Beijing” strategy, which will bring about golden opportunities to the city’s convention and exhibition industry. Based on the scientific outlook on development and its functions as the capital, Beijing will spare no efforts to build itself into a world harmonious and livable city defined by advanced socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, attracting international activities, world-class enterprises’ headquarters and high-caliber talents. This will embody all the requirements of the“People’s Beijing, High-Tech Beijing and Green Beijing” strategy and provide valuable opportunities for making Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry stronger.
Fourth, Beijing’s development strategies during the 12th five-year plan period to establish an innovative cooperation platform, accelerate transferring innovation achievements, cultivate high-end new industrial zones and advance upgrading cultural and creative
industries will generate valuable opportunities for the convention and exhibition industry to shift to a connotative development path.
Prospects of Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry
During the 12th five-year plan period, with larger quantity and scale, better overall performance and improving environment, Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry will consolidate its position as an emerging industry and a new economic growth point.
First, to guide the convention and exhibition industry with planning. Under the guidance of the Development Program, Beijing will rationally plan the quantity and layout of the venues, properly enlarge the convention and exhibition space, and achieve comprehensive utilization of the venues by expanding their functions; preferential policies and publicity campaign will optimize the environment and enhance the comprehensive competitiveness of the convention and exhibition industry; energetic cultivation of market entities will enhance the competitiveness of the convention and exhibition entities; introduction of more high-caliber talents and a sound system for cultivating professional convention and exhibition talents will help to build a professional team required by the convention and exhibition industry.
Second, to enhance the competitiveness of the convention and exhibition industry with preferential policies. Learning from the experience of Germany, Japan and Hong Kong and in accordance with the actual needs for transforming economic development mode and for industrial development, Beijing will formulate a full range of clear industry-promoting policies and preferential policies on financing, bidding for hosting activity, project publicity, policy-related subsidies for brand convention and exhibition cultivation and preferential taxation in a bid to cultivate and build convention and exhibition brands and to encourage bidding for hosting and introduction of international convention and exhibitions. With lower business operating costs and better environment for convention and exhibition, Beijing will activate and prosper its convention and exhibition market.
Third, to stimulate the development of the convention and exhibition industry with brand building. During the 12th five-year plan period, Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry will step onto a connotative development path with equal importance attached to both quantity and quality. Beijing’s convention and exhibition resources will be integrated to form a scientific and sustainable pattern for brand building. The key exhibitions with great potential will be cultivated for better quality and greater effectiveness. There will emerge in Beijing a batch of convention and exhibition brands delivering the capital’s image and conforming to the transformation of economic development mode and the industrial development orientation. More and more important international brand conventions and exhibitions will be hosted and introduced, which will lend a forceful guidance to and exert a greater impact on the whole industry.
Fourth, to boost the development of the convention and exhibition industry with innovative services. Based on the features of the convention and exhibition industry, Beijing will upgrade in an all-round manner the public service level of the convention and exhibition industry and perfect the public service system integrating legal construction, policy support, environmental improvement and market cultivation. The capital will provide better hardware facilities in the convention and exhibition venues, improve the urban supporting service functions, and attach great importance to the soft environment of the convention and exhibition industry by providing efficient and quality services in terms of security, transportation, customs, commercial inspection and communications. With a sound management system and the establishment of a coordination mechanism, Beijing will strengthen communications with authorities concerned under the central government, nationwide trade associations and relevant international organizations to better coordinate the development of the convention and exhibition industry. By bringing the role of the trade associations into full play for greater self-discipline in the industry and by innovating the communication mechanism between the government and enterprises for better reflection of enterprises’ appeals, Beijing will push forward the sound development of the convention and exhibition industry with an equal, open and just market environment and order.
Fifth, to upgrade the influence of the convention and exhibition industry with international publicity. Learning from other cities across the world in developing the convention and exhibition industry and based on Beijing’s industrial restructuring and key industry development orientation, we will timely initiate international publicity programs for the convention and exhibition industry to explore international marketing channels. One theme will be chosen for the annual multi-channel publicity of Beijings convention and exhibition industry in different regions or countries. Thus, relevant international convention and exhibition organizations and agencies will be attracted to cooperate with the city and more international merchants and overseas professionals will attend the conventions; and policies related with introducing international conventions and exhibitions will be unveiled to promote international exchanges and cooperation for Beijing’s convention and exhibition industry. Meanwhile, by building world-renowned self-created brands in the convention and exhibition domain, Beijing will bolster its image and international influence for conventions and exhibitions.
(Author: President of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Beijing Sub-council)