On March 12, the foundation-laying ceremony for the major exhibition hall of the China International Purchase Centre in the Huaqiao International Service Business Park was held on the site of the project. The foundation laying of the major exhibition hall of the China International Purchase Centre in the Huaqiao International Service Business Park is a sign that the function of exhibition service of the Huaqiao International Service Business Park has reached a new level. As one of the key projects that Suzhou will develop in 2009, the construction of the major exhibition hall of the China International Purchase Centre will further promote the international image of the Huaqiao International Service Business Park and will accelerate the progress of development and construction in the Business Park.

The MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) industry is known throughout the world as a “booster of the city economy.” It has greenness, smoke-free and sunshine, just what the development of a modern city needs, and it also has pushing effects to the development of a city. As a demonstration region of Jiangsu province for the development of modern service industry, the Huaqiao International Service Business Park is developing the modern service industry to achieve the general goal of “constructing it into a satellite business city of the international metropolis Shanghai.” So far, it has introduced over 80 large modern service projects with a total investment of over 30 billion yuan. Relying on the Business Park’s advantages of location, industry and policy, the orientation of the China International Purchase Centre is confirmed as an exhibition and trade center of domestic and foreign products, which contains many functions of the modern service industry such as conference economy function, networking function, internationalization function, and the commercial business, recreation and entertainment functions. With the adoption of an operating model in which normal exhibitions are combined with theme exhibitions, online E-business is combined with real object exhibition trade and imported commodities are combined with exported commodities, it will serve the enterprises of China and foreign countries, promote the exchange and development of Sino-foreign trade, and will have great significance for boosting the city feel of the Business Park. With the great support provided by China’s Ministry of Commerce, the China International Purchase Centre will also carry on exhibition and trade activities of international advanced technologies and equipment.