CHENGDU, China, April 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The last year saw many achievements for Chengdu's meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry. According to data from the Chengdu Municipal Statistics Bureau, Chengdu hosted 530 major exhibitions, conferences and forums in 2014, of which 214 were exhibitions, 45 more than a year earlier or a year-over-year (YOY) growth rate of 26.6 percent, and 113 were international conferences and forums, 8 more than a year earlier, or a YOY growth rate of 7.6 percent. The events took up 3.25 million square meters of space in the aggregate, a YOY growth rate of 8.0 percent, of which 49 were international in nature, occupying 1.74 million square meters, a YOY growth rate of 16.0 percent. Direct revenue derived from the industry for 2014 totaled 6.95 billion yuan, up 14.9 percent year-on-year while overall revenue (direct plus indirect) revenue reached 58.4 billion yuan, up 14.5 percent year-on-year.
Last year, Chengdu successfully hosted the 15th Western China International Fair, the 12th Michelin Challenge Bibendum, the 2014 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) & World Expo on Intelligent Robots and Systems, the 90th China Food and Drinks Fair, 2014 Chengdu Creativity and Design Week, the 72nd API China & PHARMPACK & SINOPHEX, the 15th International Furniture Fair Chengdu and the 17th Chengdu International Automotive Exhibition.
During the year the industry experienced a notable strengthening in international cooperation. In January 2014, the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Expositions formally became a member of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), the second international exhibition organization the bureau has joined following membership in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). The new tie-up will help Chengdu expand its international marketing efforts, promote further collaborations with likeminded partners worldwide and enhance its global presence by taking advantage of the international resources and channels of the IAEE.
In April 2014, the bureau signed a memorandumof understanding on strategic cooperation with Reed Exhibitions (China), the world's leading exhibition organizer. Chengdu is the second city in China to sign such an MOU with Reed Exhibition following Shanghai. A month later, the bureau signed an MOU on strategic cooperation with the world's second largest exhibition company, UBM Group. Chengdu plans to deepen its cooperation with these international exhibition giants in the future.
Chengdu's MICE industry, in a move to embrace more development opportunities, plans to continue the implementation of its five-point strategy for development of the city with a focus on transformative reform and innovation. Under what is being termed as the "new normal" of the Chinese economy, Chengdu's MICE industry has given itself a set of new objectives, backed by new ideas, new measures and a new dynamic, as it moves towards the goal of building a city known worldwide as a destination of choice for international exhibitions and conferences.
SOURCE China Council For the Promotion of International Trade Chengdu Sub-council
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