Tradeshow Facilities: China's Gateway Cities

China appears primed for tradeshows — lots of big cities with modern infrastructure, exhibition facilities, hotels and services; skilled foreign and domestic show organizers; and a vast population, much of which is just beginning to take advantage of the prosperity resulting from the country's rapid development. Contributing Editor Gary Tufel profiled three of China's largest and fastest-growing cities that actively host tradeshows.

Dongguan (also known as Guangdong), a city of 1.6 million people in Guangdong Province, boasts the Guangdong Modern Intl. Exhibition Center (GDE) and the Dongguan Intl. Conference & Exhibition Center.

The GDE, opened in 2002, covers 330,000 square meters (3.5 million square feet), including four separate exhibition halls providing 150,000 sq. m. (1.6 million sq. ft.) of exhibit space. Its conference center offers 11 rooms. By comparison, the Dongguan exhibition center has 23,900 sq. m. (250,000 sq. ft.) of exhibit space.

The GDE hosts about 30 tradeshows a year, as well as cultural events such as the Vienna Symphony and the Hong Kong Top Ten Singers. But tradeshows are big at the GDE, and "big" is the key word. They include the Famous Furniture Assn.'s Intl. Famous Furniture Fair, spanning 200,000 sq. m. (2.1 million sq. ft.); the Guangdong Auto Exhibition and Trade Fair, 40,000 sq. m. (430,000 sq. ft.); and the Dongguan Intl. Machinery & Materials, Plastics, Packing & Rubber Exhibition, 50,000 sq. m. (538,000 sq. ft.).

Guangzhou, with a population of more than 10 million, is the capital of Guangdong Province and its economic, scientific, technological, educational and cultural center. The largest city in South China, it's adjacent to Hong Kong and Macau and, because it borders the South China Sea, a southern gateway to China.

The Chinese Export Commodities Fair includes the Liuhua Complex, spanning 60,000 sq. m. (645,800 sq. ft.) of exhibit space, and the Pazhou Complex, with 130,000 sq. m. (1.4 million sq. ft.).

There's also the privately owned and managed downtown Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Center, with one hall offering 17,600 sq. m. (189,000 sq. ft.) of exhibit space and another with 25,000 sq. m. (269,000 sq. ft.), as well as a conference hall and business center. Nearby are two five-star hotels, an airport and other transportation services.

Shenzhen, with 10 million residents, is an economic and geographic "hinge" between China's mainland and the rest of the world. China's first special economic zone, Shenzhen claims the country's highest per capita gross domestic product and the title of top importer and exporter on the Chinese mainland.

The city, served by 148 domestic and 11 international air routes, is adjacent to Hong Kong and a major transit point between Hong Kong and inland Chinese cities.

Shenzhen's economy is driven by the high-tech, modern logistics and financial services industries — and exhibitions: In 2004, Shenzhen hosted more than 100 of them in its 1 million sq. m. (10.7 million sq. ft.) of exhibit space.

Shenzhen's municipal government, which follows preferential policies supporting organizations holding exhibitions, funds the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center. Located downtown near countless hotels, it's the city's largest single building, covering about 220,000 sq. m. (2.3 million sq. ft.) and featuring nine exhibit halls on the first floor, with 105,000 sq. m. (1.1 million sq. ft) of exhibit space, 25 meeting rooms and a function hall that can accommodate 3,000 people.