Events industry now a staple of Zhuhai economy

The rapid innovative development of Zhuhai's exhibition and convention industry led to a gross economic gain of 13.4 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) last year. This accounts for 6.02 percent of the city's GDP, according to a development report recently released by the Convention & Expo Bureau.

Tiangong-II space lab at 11th Airshow China [File photo]

The exhibition industry developed steadily last year with economic returns exceeding 10.47 billion yuan ($1.5 billion). A total of 3,831 exhibitors attracted 933,700 visitors at 32 exhibitions in 2016, covering more than 811,400 sq m with 391,400 sq m of indoor areas and 420,000 sq m outdoors.

Zhuhai initially shaped a series of brand exhibitions assembling products of sea, land, and air led by Airshow China. This is supported by RemaxWorld Expo, China (Zhuhai) International Boat Show, Green Power Expo China, and International UAV Expo. It is designed to further enhance Zhuhai's brand strength and comprehensive influence in the Pearl River Delta Economic Circle.    

Wal-Mart China "Year Beginning" Meeting 2016 at the Zhuhai International Convention & Exhibition Center [Photo / southcn.com]

The convention industry became a new highlight with rapid growth in both quality and scale last year. Economic returns reached 2.94 billion yuan ($426 million). This was accomplished via the organization of 2,982 large-scale conferences, which is 1,554 more than 2015 with year-on-year growth of 108.8 percent. The conference participants reached 475,000 in number, increasing by 25.2 percent over the year before. Relying on the favorable urban environment and advanced hardware facilities, the number of ultra-large conferences with 10,000 attendees or above doubled to six.

In the meantime, the city's large-scale convention organizing capacity showed obvious enhancement. Annual meetings of world top 500 multinational enterprises such as Wal-Mart, AstraZeneca, Volkswagen, and BMW were all held here, marking Zhuhai's increasingly remarkable advantage as a convention city.

Zhuhai's convention and exhibition industry is expected to usher in a new development opportunity this year with the near completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and acceleration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The report points out that innovation-driven and opening-guided strategy will be implemented to strengthen cooperation with cities of the Greater Bay Area and develop Zhuhai into a convention destination with high-end professional exhibitions led by Airshow China.