The exhibition and convention industry worldwide has constantly and severely suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic. UFI estimates that the exhibition scale in Asia has dropped by more than 75% in 2020 compared to that in 2019. At the beginning of 2021, the exhibition and convention industry in China has managed to make a breakthrough and lead the pack in the world’s uphill struggle for recovery.

In the first half of this year, the epidemic in Shenzhen has eased. Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Shenzhen World) has delivered 18 exhibitions by June, covering an exhibition area of 1.809 million m2, and including some large exhibitions such as ChinaPlas, the biggest rubber and plastic exhibition in Asia, Gift Show Spring Edition, attended by more than 200,000 buyers, and SIMM, the most influential industrial exhibition in the field of manufacturing and equipment in Southern China. In order to show gratitude for support and trust from cooperative partners within the industry, and in line with the venue’s focus on customer relation management, Shenzhen World organized a gratitude banquet in March and received great feedback. There will be 47 exhibitions in the second half of 2021, covering an area of 2.14 million m2, and the numbers are still increasing.

As a core city of the Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen boasts a massive industrial base. The pandemic has brought business opportunities to cities with advanced e-commerce such as Shenzhen, and before you know it, cross-border e-commerce has become a new engine that drives Shenzhen’s foreign trade development. Statistics show that 70% of cross-border e-commerce companies are in Southern China, among which 80% are in Shenzhen. The first China (Shenzhen) Cross-border E-commerce Exhibition (CCBEC) will make its debut in Shenzhen World in September, with a scale of more than 100,000 m2. The exhibition will be jointly held by China Merchants Exhibitions, Messe Frankfurt (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd, Beijing Talent-Expo Co.,Ltd and OCT Bay Area Development Co., Ltd. There will be 11 categories of products, more than 3,000 top-level suppliers, and influential forums and summits held during the event, bringing all-round resources, services and business opportunities to cross-border e-commerce and promoting the digital transformation and upgrade of the traditional foreign trade industry.

In September, China (shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF), known as the“the top 1 cultural exhibition in China ”is to be held in Shenzhen World for the first time, with an estimated exhibition area of 120,000 m2, up by 20,000 m2 from its last edition. ICIF, jointly organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and other official institutions, is the only state-sponsored, international and comprehensive exhibition of China’s cultural industry, with exhibitions and trade set as its core and the aim to build a trade platform for cultural products and projects in China.

In the golden autumn of October, the 29th Gift Show (autumn session) is to be held in Shenzhen World, with an exhibition scale of 300,000 m2, showing an increase of 120,000 m2 compared to that of last year. The exhibition, known as “the flagship exhibition in the field of gifts and home-ware in China”, has always been a popular attraction with the offering of business gifts and trendy consumer goods  to hundreds of thousands of buyers in October each year. No doubt, the location of Shenzhen, with its significance in trade and commerce and its position as a transportation hub, promotes the fast growth of the exhibition. Meanwhile, Shenzhen World has the confidence to provide the exhibition with advanced hard facilities and comprehensive services.

In November, the 19th China International Agricultural Products Fair (CATF) will land in Shenzhen World, with an exhibition scale of 320,000 m2. As the only agricultural event organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, CATF is the largest and the most authoritative comprehensive agricultural exhibition across China. Its moving to Shenzhen represents a recognition to the huge agricultural market and high-quality consumers in the Greater Bay Area. Facing a consumer market of more than 20 million people, this time CATF will provide a even bigger stage for premium agricultural products in China to move towards greater market-orientation, internationalization, branding and digitalization.

The year of 2021 is full of hope, when the pandemic brings not only crises but also opportunities. Confronted by the pandemic, Shenzhen World will face up to the challenge and move ahead hand-in-hand with fellows in the industry.