Venue of import expo most popular in Shanghai

The first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. [Photo/IC]

The National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) was the most popular exhibition hall in the city in 2018.

Based on data from the center's management company which was released on Friday, the exhibition facility had in 2018 held 111 exhibitions and events with a combined exhibition area of 6.5 million square meters, the largest among all large exhibition halls in Shanghai.

Built in 2015, the venue hosted the inaugural China International Import Expo last year. The six-day exhibition attracted more than 3,600 companies and international organizations from 172 countries and regions, as well as more than 400,000 buyers from home and abroad.

The success of the China International Import Expo expanded the influence of Shanghai as a world-renowned city of conventions and exhibitions, according to the company. The combined exhibition area of international events in Shanghai exceeded 14 million square meters in 2018, close to the combined exhibition scale of Beijing and Guangzhou in 2017.

Tang Guifa, president of the company, said the venue will strive to be an international first-class pavilion and continuously upgrade its facilities to meet growing demand.

Tang Xiaofan contributed to this story.