Booming MICE sector propels city's internationalization

Conventions pave the way to the future through improved infrastructure and service growth

Australia lobsters with big claws, fresh Chilean king crab and one-meterlong tuna from the deep sees... these are rarely seen at markets in China, but were exhibited at the 21st China Fisheries & Seafood Expo held in early November in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong province.

The three-day event, the largest seafood expo in Asia and the second largest in the world in terms of its scale, featured 34,000 square meters of exhibition space, over 1,300 exhibitors from 44 countries and regions and more than 30,000 visitors from around the world.

The expo is just one of the numerous major MICE events (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) that Qingdao has hosted this year.

"With an increasing number of high-profile events held in Qingdao, the city has garnered continued global publicity and grown in stature as a destination for MICE events," said Feng Wenqing, head of the Qingdao Convention and Exhibition Office and chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Qingdao Sub-council, also known as CCPIT Qingdao.

The number of exhibitions in Qingdao has increased on average by 10 percent annually over the past five years.

"Most importantly, a number of major events gained worldwide attention," Feng added.

In July, the 2016 Civil Society 20, also known as C20, opened in Qingdao, attracting more than 170 non-governmental organizations from more than 50 countries and regions.

Garnering a letter of congratulations from President Xi Jinping, the event is the highest-level summit Qingdao has held since it hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers' meeting in 2014.

The 2016 Airport Cities World Conference & Exhibition was held from November 15 to 17 in Qingdao.

More than 400 participants from over 20 countries and regions, including representatives of airports, government officials, real estate developers, financing and investment companies, attended the conference.

"The MICE sector has taken big strides forward during the past few years thanks to the city's growing economy, sound infrastructure, convenient transportation and especially the city's ambitious goals and action taken to become an international city," said Feng.

As Qingdao is a hub city of the Belt and Road Initiative, the booming MICE industry provides important communication support for the city's internationalization strategy, Feng added.

The official said that the city had set its sights on cultivating 10 top-level exhibition events that have global influence by 2020.

"Our goal is to build Qingdao into a famous exhibition city in Northeast Asia," he added. The city wants to become an international trade hub in East Asia by 2021 and an international coastal metropolis by 2049.

Policy support

Sensing its huge potential, Qingdao has launched an array of policies to further boost the MICE sector in the city. For example, the Circular on the Development of Qingdao High-end MICE Sector is the first of its kind in the country.

As early as 1991, the city began hosting the annual Qingdao International Beer Festival. After 26 years, it has become Asia's largest beer festival and has been recognized as one of the top 10 festivals in China by the Asia Events Fortune Forum.

To boost marine cooperation, Qingdao hosted the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform, which is a new high-level program under the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives.

Proposed by Premier Li Keqiang, the program is expected to connect countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations more closely in marine sectors.

Sun Jiazheng, vice-chairman of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and president of the China NGO Network for International Exchanges said: "The charm of Qingdao makes everybody fall in love with the city."

"It has provided sufficient support for our meetings, thanks to its state-of-the-art infrastructure, thriving service culture, beautiful coastal views and dynamic innovation," Sun said at the C20 conference in July.

Mei Xiaodan, chairman of Dalian BIT Congress, helped to operate two major international conferences in Qingdao this year: the Global Congress of Knowledge Economy and the World Ocean Congress.

"Qingdao implements great strategies not only to encourage domestic meeting organizers to host international conferences, but also to introduce international event organizers to new initiatives and conventions in the city, and has achieved outstanding results," he told China Daily.

"The international convention industry in Qingdao is embracing a farsighted, international vision of its construction of convention hardware and software, by increasing its pool of talented experts and teams, further improving its service and communication systems and upgrading convention-related technologies at exhibitions and conference centers."

Roland Brouwer, chief representative of the Netherlands Business Support Office Jinan & Qingdao, called the high-level international MICE events of Qingdao "a great help to our work".

"Dutch companies are always happy to come to Qingdao as it is a nice coastal city with a good environment and climate," Brouwer told China Daily.

"More Dutch companies are coming for the exhibitions. We help organize delegations, our own national pavilion, seminars and networking receptions. We can promote Qingdao among Dutch companies to bring Qingdao into the big picture."

xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/15/2016 page12)