The 20th West Lake International Expo deemed an outsized success

HANGZHOU, China, Nov. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Since opening its doors to the public on October 20, the 20th China Hangzhou West Lake International Expo has witnessed the signing of agreements for 27 projects, with a value, in the aggregate, of 10.1 billion yuan (approx. US$1.45 billion). Over 1.1 million visitors, a mix of domestic tourists as well as guests from more than 60 countries and regions, attended the event. The expo was deemed by all concerned to have concluded successfully with great results. In addition to the eye-catching lineup of activities, this expo's many exhibitions were well organized, attended by many professional buyers and purchasing agents, demonstrating the city's achievement in transforming itself into an international gateway city, representative of a modern definition of Chinese culture and civilization.

I.  Promoting Hangzhou as it takes its place alongside the world's international cities, and making new breakthroughs in becoming a venue of choice for international conferences

Focusing on further promoting the city as a new destination for global conferences, this year's West Lake International Expo enhanced international cooperation. The success of some of the conferences that regularly take place in Hangzhou, including the Computing Conference, the Leisure Industry Expo, the Cultural & Creative Industry Expo, Money20/20, the ChinaSourcing Summit and the Citizen Leisure Festival, serve to attract other global players to consider and choose the city for their next event. The expo's organizers invited over 1,000 VIPs from government agencies, the business community and the world of academia, among them, former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, 2010 Nobel Laureate and Fellow of the British Academy Christopher A. Pissarides, Turing Award recipient Whitfield Diffie and London Deputy Mayor for Business Rajesh Agrawal, as well as senior executives from renowned multinational firms, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Standard Chartered, VISA and Amazon. At the expo's various events, they discussed international hot topics.

II.  Promoting industries to enhance quality and increase efficiency, while making new breakthroughs in hosting industry conferences

Focusing on Hangzhou's priorities in terms of industrial development, this expo organized a series of industry brand exhibitions, showcasing the high-quality development of the city's economy and society. Aiming to become the number one city in China in terms of a digitally-driven economy as well as the "'Internet+' innovation and entrepreneurship center with global influence", the expo was also a key proponent in the establishment of the China (Hangzhou) Cross-Border E-Commerce Pilot Zone and a pilot National Innovation Demonstration Zone, as well as the organizer of a series of key projects, two of the most important among these being the Computing Conference and International E-commerce Expo.

III.  Promoting the transformation of the conference and exhibition industry, while making new breakthroughs in market-oriented events

Taking the opportunity to deepen the reform of the conference and exhibition management system, the expo aggressively promoted the transformation of the industry towards one with a fully market-oriented approach, with the government exiting from the list of organizers, in a move to boost new development of the industry at the local level. The expo also played a leading role in expanding domestic demand. It held its own series of "conferences and exhibitions within an expo", including an auto show and gourmet festival, further stimulating interest, enhancing visibility and promoting demand.

IV.  Promoting the building of additional exhibition resources, while making new breakthroughs in holding conferences with established brands

The West Lake International Expo led the way in initiating a series of projects with known brands, taking the city several steps closer to establishing itself as an international exhibition capital and a desirable venue for competitive events. With several years of experience under its belt, the expo has firmly established itself as a known brand with recognized international stature. The expo has been focused on establishing a standardized mechanism for international cooperation in the hosting of conferences, deepening its cooperation with associations with global reach, including the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI), in a multi-pronged effort to bring a series of top international conferences and exhibitions to the city, improve the overall quality of exhibitions, increase awareness of future events, promote the West Lake International Expo as a brand, and inject new meaning and fresh ideas into the what it means to host a successful event.

V.  Close to the people and benefiting the people, while making new breakthroughs in what it means to hold a conference for the people

With dedication to the all-important goal of delivering benefits to its patrons and supporters, the people of Hangzhou, as well as to assuring a memorable experience for anyone who attends the event, the expo holds to the mantra that the conference is for the people and by the people, that all the results of the conference will be shared with the people, and that the people shall be invited to inspect the results, assuring an event is one that has deep meaning for Hangzhou and all of its residents. The Citizen Leisure Festival is the single event within the expo meant to express the commitment to this mantra with a lineup of thrilling, eye-catching events, among them activities centered on the tasting of local gastronomical delicacies and teas, exhibits of  flowers, tourism resources, pets and the area's intangible cultural heritage alongside performances depicting meaningful aspects of that heritage, in addition to a variety of participatory activities, including the throwing of colored powder on participating joggers and mountain bike riding.

SOURCE Hangzhou West Lake Expo Organizing Committee