I. Industry Development

In 2017, Shanghai's convention and exhibition industry developed steadily overall. A total of 842 exhibition, conference and event projects were held, with total area of 17.644 million square meters. The number of projects increased by 3.18 percent year on year, and total area increased by 9.95 percent.

Among them, 767 were traditional exhibition projects, with total exhibition area of 16.89 million square meters. In addition, as the convention and exhibition market has become more segmented in recent years, venue projects have also become more diversified. Independent conferences and events, separate from meetings and activities attached to exhibitions, have gained a place in some venues. In 2017, 75 such conferences and events were held in venues, with total area of 754,000 square meters. Starting this year, the association has counted this part of conferences and events separately.

The development of Shanghai's convention and exhibition industry in 2017 was as follows.

1. Exhibition Projects

In 2017, Shanghai held 767 exhibition projects, with total exhibition area of 16.89 million square meters. Among them, nine major venues held 561 exhibition projects, with total exhibition area of 15.445 million square meters. Another 206 projects, totaling 1.445 million square meters, were held in technology and art venues such as the Science and Technology Museum, China Art Museum and museums.

Table 1. Exhibition Projects Held in Shanghai in 2017

Shanghai exhibitions in 2017 showed the following characteristics.

1. The three major venues dominated the market

As small venues further transform, venues for economic and trade exhibitions have become more concentrated, and the three major venues have gradually taken a dominant position in the market.

In 2017, the total exhibition project area undertaken by National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai New International Expo Centre, and Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center reached 13.26 million square meters, up 8.25 percent from 12.25 million square meters in 2016. Their market share has exceeded 85 percent.

2. The two major Pudong venues were close to saturation, while National Exhibition and Convention Center still had significant room for growth

Calculated on the basis of an average venue rental period of seven days per project and 365 days per year, the rental rates of Shanghai New International Expo Centre and Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center in Pudong reached 63.1 percent and 54.4 percent respectively in 2017, leaving limited room for further growth. The rental rate of National Exhibition and Convention Center in Puxi was about 24.8 percent, leaving significant room for growth.

3. The number of exhibitions became stable, while scale grew steadily

In recent years, the total number of exhibitions hosted by Shanghai's major venues has fluctuated only slightly and remained generally stable. With some venues continuing to transform, the number of exhibitions is expected to increase slowly in the coming years.

Although the number of exhibitions has remained relatively stable, the total exhibition area of Shanghai's major venues has continued to grow steadily. The growth rate in 2014 was about 5 percent. Since the opening of National Exhibition and Convention Center in 2015, the annual growth rate of total exhibition area at Shanghai's major venues has remained above 7 percent.

II. Conferences and Events

Data from major venues in recent years show that conferences and events are gradually becoming a new growth point. Some venues hosted more conferences and events than in previous years, and their formats became more diverse. In addition to traditional conferences, events and forums related to exhibitions, independent conferences and events such as corporate annual meetings, job fairs, product launches and competitions also grew noticeably.

Representative venues include National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center, Convention and Exhibition Center of International Sourcing, and Auto Exhibition Center. These conferences and events already account for a considerable share of operating revenue and have become a new growth point. According to the association's statistics, in 2017 Shanghai's major venues hosted 75 such conferences and events, with total area of 754,000 square meters.

III. Exhibition Venues

After Shanghai International Exhibition Center stopped undertaking exhibition projects in 2016, Shanghai lost another exhibition venue in 2017. Due to the Xuhui District functional replanning of the area around Shanghai Stadium, East Asia Exhibition Hall was demolished. Shanghai's indoor exhibition venue area decreased from 779,200 square meters to 753,600 square meters. In addition to the 4,500 square meters lost from East Asia Exhibition Hall, some halls at Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center and ShanghaiMart changed functions, reducing area by 7,500 square meters and 13,600 square meters respectively.

Table 2. Area of Shanghai's Major Exhibition Venues, as of the end of 2017