Exhibition center getting back to business

THE National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai is to host activities during the city’s Double Six nightlife festival starting from June 6.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the center has strictly implemented government policies and reduced or waived fees for 119 commercial and office tenants, said Fang Hui, the NECC’s general manager of operations.

To date, 85 of the center’s 99 tenants have resumed work and 54 of the 56 businesses in the NECC Plaza have reopened for business.

Tang Guifa, president of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) Co, said it had contacted major exhibition venues about the recovery of the exhibition industry.

By sharing their exhibition schedules, the venues will try to meet the needs of exhibition hosts in deferring and organizing events so as to protect their peers and minimize the damage to the convention and exhibition industry, Tang said.

“Under the guidance of the Shanghai Convention and Exhibition Industry Association, we will launch an initiative together with the Shanghai New International Expo Center, the World Expo Exhibition Hall and the Shanghai International Exhibition Center, calling on the convention and exhibition industry peers to jointly make efforts in the prevention and control of the pandemic, and at the same time provide the industry with schedule resources, optimize on-site service measures, and maintain the living environment of micro, small and medium-sized convention and exhibition enterprises,” Tang said.

“We will strive not to leave any deferred event to be canceled due to lack of schedule and venue.”

The center said the China Machine Tool Exhibition, which was held at the end of February or March in previous years, will be launched on July 1 this year, to become the first exhibition at the center after the outbreak.

The Shanghai Commission of Commerce, the Administration of Culture and Tourism and the Administration of Press and Publication will jointly hold the first Shanghai nightlife festival in June to boost the city’s nighttime economy.

During the festival, the China International Import Expo Bureau and the NECC will hold a series of themed activities in five sectors — food, exhibition and trading, art performance, cultural and creative products, and a retrospective of CIIE highlights.

Fang said medical personnel attending the event can get a CIIE souvenir by showing their professional certificates.

Around 45 exhibitions have approached the NECC about schedules in the second half of the year, including the Shanghai International Ad & Sign Technology & Equipment Exhibition originally scheduled for March, the China International Food Ingredients Exhibition, and the 83rd

Reed Sinopharm Exhibitions originally planned for April.

Six exhibitions have decided to move to the NECC this year, including the 29th Shanghai International Hospitality Equipment & Foodservice Expo (also known as Hotelex Shanghai 2020).

“After

the

pandemic, exhibitions will no doubt face a big change in terms of form. That is, traditional offline fairs will gradually make efforts to combine online with offline, making full use of advanced technologies and well-developed online platforms to better promote the exhibitions through various channels,” Tang said.