Pudong sees more influential and large international exhibitions

Pudong held 184 exhibitions last year, a 17.95 percent year-on-year increase, that accounted for 22.83 percent of the total in Shanghai, according to the commerce commission of Pudong New Area.

Exhibition area reached 7.09 million square meters, up 28.5 percent year-on-year, and accounted for 63.89 percent of Shanghai’s total exhibition area.

By the end of 2012, Pudong had an exhibition area of 326,000 square meters, including 100,000 sq m of outdoor space. Venue facilities have also been improved, attracting another 36 middle- and large-sized exhibitions. The improvements have helped Pudong take the lead in the exhibition industry in Shanghai, said a head of the exhibition office of Pudong’s commerce commission.

The commission has established a series of preferential measures to increase international exhibitions.

The commerce commission also cooperates with other departments to simplify exit and entrance procedures to attract more foreign exhibitors.

Other sponsors and service companies, such as VNU Exhibitions Asia and Messe Düsseldorf China, also enjoyed the preferential policies from January to March this year.

Operating revenue growth

The 10th Shanghai International Information Exhibition took place in the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). The exhibition is one of the brand exhibitions supported by Pudong, said Ma Xuejie, deputy director of the commerce commission, in a press conference.

Pudong will promote three or four well-known international conferences or forums. It is predicted that the area will host more than 220 exhibitions covering an area of 8 million sq m by 2015. The number of meetings will eventually reach 20,000 with 2.1 million people in attendance, Ma said.

Besides the economic growth brought by exhibitions, exhibition hall operating income is also considerable.

SNIEC, an exhibition property, had 640 million yuan ($102.98 million) in rental income in 2012, an increase of 98.99 million yuan, or 18 percent, year-on-year. The rental income accounts for 10 percent of the company’s total income of 6.9 billion yuan. The service income of SNIEC was 230 million yuan according to an annual report recently released by Shanghai Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone Development Company.

Ma said Pudong will continue to develop the exhibition industry in the next five to 10 years.

Visitors experience new technology at a home appliances expo at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on March 19. Photo by Lai Xinlin / Asianewsphoto