Hangzhou International Event and Exhibition Culture Workshop & Innovation and Development Conference 2021 takes place in Hangzhou, China

HANGZHOU, China, June 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hangzhou International Event and Exhibition Culture Workshop & Innovation and Development Conference 2021 (hereafter referred to as the "Conference") was held at West Lake Expo Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China on June 18, 2021. Meant to serve as a Global Digital Exhibitions Center for Global Digital Trade Services, the Conference was jointly hosted by the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of China, the Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), with Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce acting as the organizer. Nearly 100 big names, leaders and specialists from the Chinese conferences and exhibitions sector attended the event, at which they talked about how to approach the next stage of development of the sector in Hangzhou where the focus will be the enhancement of service quality.

The establishment of IAEE China Council in Hangzhou receives worldwide attention

On the afternoon of June 18, IAEE announced the establishment of IAEE China Council in Hangzhou and held the first council meeting at Hangzhou Xinqiao Hotel.

IAEE, the leading association for the global conferences and exhibitions industry, was organized in 1928 as the American Society of Exhibition Executives to represent the interests of trade show and expo managers. Currently, IAEE has over 13,000 members in more than 50 countries and regions worldwide. As of the end of 2020, Chinese firms that had joined the association numbered 57. In addition, IAEE has made the Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) Learning Program available in China through its long-term partnership with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. Globally, China boasts the highest number of conferences and exhibitions professionals who have received the CEM designation at over 1,300. IAEE has been providing services to Chinese firms operating in the sector since 2019, when the association completed its registration in China in compliance with the country's relevant laws and regulations.

According to IAEE Asia Council chairman and WeMeet CEO Gu Xuebin, after nearly a year of preparation, IAEE has completed the process and obtained approval from the Board of Directors to launch IAEE China Council in Hangzhou, with the aim of providing better services to Chinese firms involved in the sector. The China Council consists of 20 heads of leading Chinese conference and exhibition organizers, with Donghao Lansheng (Group) president Chen Huifeng acting as Chairman and Hangzhou Exhibition Group chairman and general manager Li Jian as Vice Chairman.

IAEE has also signed an agreement with Hangzhou Convention and Exhibition Development and Service Center in an effort to deepen its cooperation with Hangzhou, further boost the development of the local conference and exhibition sector and strengthen business trade exchanges among Chinese and international firms providing services within the sector. As per the agreement, both parties will jointly develop training programs to enhance the professional and cross-cultural communication skills of practitioners based in Hangzhou. Additionally, they plan to work together to further strengthen the city's role as a conference and exhibition destination and enhance its international reputation by conducting research on the sector at the local level, developing marketing campaigns, and planning and organizing economic and trade meetings or forums at various locations across the city.

The establishment of IAEE China Council in Hangzhou is expected to bring more opportunities to the local conference and exhibition sector. It will also help to assure sustainable, quality growth of the sector by comprehensively enhancing the full industry chain.

Thought leaders gather in Hangzhou with the goal of transforming the city into a digital conference and exhibition capital

The second expert session and featured seminar hosted by Hangzhou-based research organization Hushan Jiahui Think Tank was held at Hangzhou Xinqiao Hotel on the morning of June 18. The event was attended by a number of distinguished guests, including honorary chairman of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), director of the National Exhibition Industry Standardization Technical Committee and secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Industries Association Chen Xianjin, Donghao Lansheng (Group) president Chen Huifeng, China Trade News editor-in-chief Fan Peikang, and IAEE Asia Council chairman and WeMeet CEO Gu Xuebin. During the event, the thought leaders shared their insights on how to transform Hangzhou into a digital conference and exhibition capital that can better serve the global digital trade community, in addition to giving advice on how to increase the city's international visibility through the hosting of the coming Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.

In addition, they engaged in in-depth discussions on a number of topics surrounding Hangzhou's participation in the establishment of a global digital trade center. The topics included talent development, the build out of an industry ecosystem, the setting of standards, the making of rules, infrastructure services, the business environment, and the digital revolution. The aim of the discussions is to help the city create a digital trade development system, a regulatory model and a business environment that are unique to Zhejiang province, while inspiring innovation across the local conference and exhibition sector and exploring a transformative path for the sector as it faces both opportunities and challenges.

Industry-first 6.18 Digital Conferences and Exhibitions Event officially kicks off

The 2021 Conference was held in several phases using a hybrid model (online and offline) and included a rich lineup of events.

As part of the Conference, the 6.18 Digital Conferences and Exhibitions Event & "Digital and Smart Conferences and Exhibitions" Platform Launch Ceremony took place at West Lake Expo Museum on the afternoon of June 18. In addition to the Cultural Event, the organizer hosted a series of events during which they fully leveraged Hangzhou's favorable digital environment and available digital media (for communications) through institutional cooperation, joint development of a digital platform and resource sharing. The events, a series of on-site and live streamed training courses and product promotions, included a showcase of 16 co-branded products displayed at the ADM exhibition, and special promotions launched at Taobao Live with the goal of driving the development of the industry chain while, at the same time, persuading more event organizers to choose Hangzhou for their next conference or exhibition. The lineup of exclusive events all scheduled on the one day of June 18^th is something not to be missed by anyone involved in or with a serious interest in the conference and exhibition sector.

The Conference was held concurrently with a number of other events, including the plaque unveiling ceremony for the Conferences and Exhibitions Talent Training Center, the Outstanding Next-Generation Conferences and Exhibitions Professionals of Hangzhou Awards ceremony and the Roundtable Dialogue on Transforming Hangzhou into a Digital Conferences and Exhibitions Capital.

Conferences and exhibitions are not only a vehicle for social and economic development, but also a key bridge connecting production with consumption, supply with demand, and the domestic market with its international counterparts. The success of the Conference is expected to strengthen the role of the sector in promoting the economic development of Hangzhou while helping to transform the city into a conferences and exhibitions center. By attracting more premium resources and facilitating the linking and integration of Chinese and international industry chains, the Conference is also anticipated to accelerate the establishment of Hangzhou as the go-to destination for international meetings and conferences, the city of choice for the hosting of international competitions as well as the Conferences and Exhibitions Capital of the World.

SOURCE Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce