Exhibition industry proves its competence

The long-anticipated 2015 Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo is showcasing the competence of Xinjiang’s exhibition industry, said event officials.

The event began on Wednesday and runs through to Aug 16 in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

“The event has reflected the sector’s take-off thanks to a slew of supporting policies in recent years,” said Li Jingyuan, deputy executive director of the 2015 EACT Expo organizing committee.

Recent policies, including the visionary strategies and action plans for the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st century maritime Silk Road Economic Belt made by three government ministries and instructions on boosting the exhibition industry issued by the State Council, have provided the autonomous region with unparalleled opportunities.

Previous government policies and moves have paved a solid foundation for the sector in previous years including the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), the 19 provinces and municipalities as well as central State-owned enterprises’ paired-assistance to the autonomous region.

As a barometer of economic growth, the exhibition industry has played a role in demonstrating Xinjiang’s economic growth.

The EACT Expo this year is an expansion of the China-Eurasia Expo, a professional commodity trade show.

The next China-Eurasia Expo will be held in 2016. It was rescheduled to be held biennially instead of annually after the 2014 event in accordance with the central government’s instructions.

According to Li, the China-Eurasia Expo yielded international business cooperation projects worth $23.4 billion and consolidated projects of 892.6 billion yuan ($146 billion).

About 1.23 million visitors from some 6,000 companies from 60 countries and regions have taken part in the four sessions of the China-Eurasia Expo, which has a combined area of 350,000 square meters.

After the events, a series of exhibition companies have forayed into Xinjiang.

Currently, 60 companies in Xinjiang are active in the exhibition sector and each year 100 exhibitions take place in the autonomous region, including some country-level renowned agricultural, coal and machinery equipment expos.

Li said a full portfolio of exhibition industries involving a multiple of sectors has taken shape in Xinjiang and are opening a new chapter for the autonomous region.

“The EACT plays a pivotal role to enhance the international trade relations and client resources for the influential China-Eurasia Expo. In the meantime, the upgrading efforts are expected to best achieve the targets to build the twin expos into ones that are more market-oriented and professional,” he said.

The organizing committee is testing the water in terms of the transformation of the expo.

A professional exhibition company has been set up to operate exhibitions, meetings, festivals and event businesses.

The company is a joint venture among the government in Xinjiang and private investments from Beijing and Tianjin.

“More moves on the market-oriented operations are in the pipe line,” Li said.