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Exhibition sector continues expansion

(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-01-16 10:15

SHANGHAI: China's exhibition industry will continue its rapid growth as the sector is further regulated, especially in the area of intellectual property rights (IPR), according to a report released yesterday.

Multinational exhibition companies are teaming up with domestic firms to tap the lucrative Chinese market, where trade fairs are gaining increasing attention from both domestic and overseas companies, the report said.

But overseas exhibition firms were advised to adopt an innovative approach to cooperation and seek new partners if they aimed to take a share of the sector, which has seen an influx of international players.

According to the annual report on China's exhibition industry compiled by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the country hosted more than 3,800 trade fairs last year, which raised 14 billion yuan from direct sales.

That was a big jump from previous years, thanks to the nation's strong trade volume and solid economic growth. The number of trade fairs in China was 1,000 in 1997, 2,000 in 2002 and 3,000 in 2004.

Foreign exhibition firms are active in the Chinese market and are organizing more fairs in response to clients' needs to expand their business in the market.

"China's fast-growing economy is boosting quick development of the exhibition industry," said Wan Jifei, chairman of the CCPIT, at the opening of the third China Expo Forum for International Cooperation, during which the report was released.

"The number of trade fairs is escalating every year, new exhibition centers are being built, courses are being set up at universities and colleges, and training and research institutions for the industry are emerging," he said.