【China Economic Net】The 83rd Annual Conference of the International Exhibitions Association, attended by over 50 countries, was held in Shanghai.

Source: China Economic Net.

China Economic Net, Shanghai, November 10, reporter Shen Zejin. The 83rd UFI Global Congress opened today at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai. A total of 595 official delegates from more than 50 countries registered for this congress, and total attendance exceeded 900, making it the largest UFI annual congress in history by number of participants.

At the opening ceremony, a memorandum of cooperation was also signed for UFI to establish a permanent office in Shanghai. Sergey Alexeev, current president of UFI, and Zhong Xiaomin, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, signed the memorandum. Andres Lopez, UFI President for 2015, incoming president Corrado Peraboni, UFI managing director Kai Hattendorf, Shanghai Vice Mayor Zhou Bo, Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Industries Association president Chen Xianjin, and Xu Xingfeng, representative of the Ministry of Commerce, witnessed the signing.

Shanghai Vice Mayor Zhou Bo said that Shanghai's exhibition industry has developed rapidly in recent years and the city has become the world's largest city by exhibition venue area. Shanghai also ranks first among Chinese cities in both number of exhibitions and exhibition area. The city's total exhibition venue area has reached nearly 1 million square meters. Last year, Shanghai held 851 exhibitions of various types, with total exhibition area of 15.13 million square meters. International exhibitions accounted for 74.29 percent of the city's total exhibition area, the market-oriented operation rate reached 97 percent, and the level of specialization reached 92 percent.

Zhou Bo said the convention and exhibition industry has played an important role in promoting Shanghai's industrial restructuring, stimulating consumption and strengthening international exchanges and cooperation, and has become an important part of Shanghai's modern service industry. In its planning, Shanghai has proposed building itself into an international exhibition capital. The city has made clear that by 2020, Shanghai will basically form an exhibition industry development system with concentrated resources, rational layout and optimized industrial ecology, and will largely build itself into an internationally renowned exhibition city with complete functions, sound institutions, orderly safety, distinctive advantages and global influence. To this end, Shanghai will continue working to build a high-level public service system, improve the internationalization and competitiveness of the exhibition industry, create a transparent, fair and efficient market environment, and improve the policy support system for the exhibition industry. The 83rd UFI Global Congress in Shanghai is an important milestone in the internationalization process of Shanghai's exhibition industry.

According to Chen Xianjin, president of the Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Industries Association, UFI is the world's most important international exhibition industry organization. Its members include the most important enterprises in the global exhibition industry, its exhibition certification forms an international standard for the industry, and its annual congress reflects the major concerns and development trends of the global exhibition sector.

In January 2014, the Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Industries Association, through the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, submitted to the Shanghai Municipal Government a proposal for Shanghai to host the 83rd UFI Global Congress in 2016. After receiving support, the association submitted a bid to UFI in March 2014, and Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong and others signed written letters of support. After competition, Shanghai stood out among four candidate cities in Asia and Africa and successfully won the right to host the 83rd UFI member congress.

Chen Xianjin said this congress is highly international, covers a broad regional and enterprise chain, and features frequent exchanges through more than 30 activities. It is of great importance to Shanghai's effort to build itself into an international exhibition capital. The gathering in Shanghai of the world's most important and largest group of exhibition industry professionals for face-to-face exchange will also strongly promote the development of the exhibition industry nationwide. The international exhibition industry will further understand China's and Shanghai's economy and exhibition industry, and Shanghai's international city image will be further enhanced.

UFI President Sergey Alexeev said that the congress has enormous value for the global exhibition industry and helps define the future of the industry. This year's congress will focus on different chapters and networking opportunities. Participants hope to exchange views on what is changing the industry. When five 2016 UFI Next Generation Leadership Grant winners from Germany, India, Iran, Dakar and the United States take the stage, attendees will listen to the ideas of the younger generation and how they will navigate the waves of change. Under the theme Chain Reaction: Transformation in the Exhibition Industry, the congress directly addresses many changing facts in the industry, such as the challenges brought by data, political instability and shifts in the global economy.