Chengdu, famous for spicy food, genteel teahouses and giant pandas, has a brand new attraction

Chengdu, the laidback home of the equally laidback giant pandas, is reaching out to the world, and the world is taking notice.

The inland city, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China, is successfully turning itself into a world-renowned convention and exhibition center and thus an international metropolis, local officials say.

Chengdu New International Convention & Exposition Center. Chengdu has become a popular choice for many major conventions and exhibitions in western China. Photos Provided to China Daily

Entrepreneurs take part into the 2013 Fortune Global Forum held in Chengdu.

The latest data show that Chengdu held 502 major events in 2013, including 104 international conventions and 53 international exhibitions. The number of international events increased by 43, a 38 percent increase from 2012.

The events generated direct revenue of 6.05 billion yuan ($1 billion), up 20.5 percent year-on-year. Indirect revenue reached 51 billion yuan.

The plan for the city's convention and exhibition industry is to hold more than 500 high-level events every year and to create more than 10 world-class convention and exhibition brands by 2015. Revenue from the industry is expected to reach 10 billion yuan by 2015 and generate indirect income of 80 billion yuan.

"The municipal government views the year 2013 as a breakthrough for Chengdu's exhibition and convention industry," says Mu Tao, director of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Expositions.

The city held two top financial events last year - the 2013 Fortune Global Forum and the 12th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention - making it the only city in the world to hold the two events in the same year.

Chengdu was the first city in central and western China to host the Fortune Global Forum. More than 600 business leaders from top companies around the world gathered to share opinions on new trends in the world's largest developing economy.

"It's not an accident that we picked this city in West China," says Andy Serwer, managing editor of Fortune. "Chengdu has been the perfect city for us because it represents so many trends.

"Chengdu is the ideal location and a perfect city for the event thanks to a number of attributes: its ability to attract multinationals, its 15 percent gross domestic product growth as well as its advantages in transportation, education and resources," says Serwer.

According to the Chengdu government, At least 74 business deals were signed with Fortune 500 companies or large multinationals during that event, worth a combined value of more than 112 billion yuan.

The 12th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention took place between Sept 26 and 27, the second time it had been held on the Chinese mainland. It attracted more than 3,000 Chinese entrepreneurs and industry leaders from 105 countries and regions. During the convention, 241 business deals worth 132 billion yuan were signed.

"Compared with previous such conventions I have been to, this one was well organized in terms of transportation, accommodation and meetings," says Zhang Yongqing, managing deputy auditor of the Chinese General Chamber in Thailand.

Zhang says Chengdu has huge development potential. Flying to the city from Thailand is now as quick as flying to Shanghai or Guangzhou.

"The relevant government departments in Chengdu, as well as the exhibition halls, hotels and other service providers, all tried their best to hold these conventions and exhibitions. They made it all a pleasant experience fur us," says Cao Xiuhua, chairman and CEO of the Across China Communication Group, a Beijing-based company that was part of the organization of the 2013 Fortune Global Forum and the 12th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention.

The policy support, advanced infrastructure and international airlines have made Chengdu one of the leading cities in the convention and exhibition industry, she said.

First choice

Chengdu has become the "first choice" for major conventions and exhibitions in western China, local officials say.

Apart from the Fortune Global Forum and the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention, other major events the city hosted in 2013 included global food and hospitality trade show FHC China, the 2013 PATA Travel Mart, the 21st International Conference on Nuclear Engineering and the 35th International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research World Congress.

FHC China was held in Chengdu on Nov 18 last year, the first time it had been held in western China. The event has been held for 16 years and attracts the world's top suppliers of retail and hospitality equipment as well as hundreds of buyers from China and overseas.

"As a regional hub and one of the fastest-growing cities in China, Chengdu has huge potential for consumption," says Bo Jinning, general manager of China International Exhibitions Ltd, the organizer of FHC China.

Bo believes the strong exposure Chengdu can provide will help exhibitors promote their businesses in the western China market.

"The support from local government departments was also an important reason why we put FHC in Chengdu," he says.

To support the organizers, the local government created a special service organization. The Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Expositions unites other related departments such as customs, police and intellectual property authorities to provide the organizers with booking exhibition sites, exhibition booths, publicity and promotion, transport and public security.

The 2013 Pacific Asia Travel Association Travel Mart, also came to western China for the first time, when it was held in Chengdu on Sept 16, 2013.

The travel mart is a top trade fair in the Asia-Pacific region, bringing together many international sellers and buyers and providing a platform to showcase travel products and services around the region.

You Yong, chief manager of Sichuan Airlines in Vietnam, says he was satisfied with the organization. "The service at the mart is that considerate air services, accommodation and car rental services are easy to find there.

"Many people are interested in the 72-hour visa-free policy that took effect on Sept 1 in Chengdu," said You, who came to the travel mart with other overseas colleagues to promote the airline's international flights and domestic routes.

Chengdu was the fourth city on the Chinese mainland to adopt the 72-hour visa-free policy, which allows transit passengers from 51 countries who have valid visas and a flight ticket to a third country to stay up to 72 hours.

Jose JoSepth, an Indian buyer on his first visit to Chengdu, says the good service, the giant pandas and the face-changing in Sichuan opera impressed him greatly. "People here are warm and hospitable," he says. "It's just a pity, most people don't speak English."

According to the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Expositions, in 2014 a series of new international events will be staged in Chengdu, including the X Games, the Michelin Challenge Bibendum and the Ninth Conference on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship Organizations.

Local events

Chengdu is also fostering its own world-class convention and exhibition brands.

One of the top four auto shows in China, the 2013 Chengdu Motor Show was the biggest in its history, covering 140,000 square meters and occupying all nine halls and the outdoor area of the exhibition center.

Leading automakers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz from Germany, Jaguar Land Rover from Britain, Infiniti from Japan and Chrysler from the United States expanded their presence as exhibitors and debuted a variety of new cars.

The 14th International Furniture Fair Chengdu, the third-largest such event in China, brought together more than 800 enterprises from 11 countries and regions. The four-day event attracted 170,000 dealers and generated trade volume of 11 billion yuan.

"Chengdu's local convention and exhibition brands have been developing very fast in recent years," says Jiang Dan, general manager of Chengdu New East Exhibition Co Ltd.

"However, compared with the first-tier cities in the industry, Chengdu's local brands remain to be improved, not only in number but also in scale and influence."

Chengdu has hundreds of enterprises but only some of them are able to organize a convention or exhibition, says Jiang.

Chengdu New East Exhibition, the organizer of the International Furniture Fair Chengdu, is one of the few major convention and exhibition companies in the city.

"Convention and exhibition companies in Chengdu need to step out, bring in more professionals, cooperation and advanced ideas," Jiang says.

Chengdu also needs larger and better-equipped exhibition halls to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of local exhibitions.

Last year, the exhibition area for the furniture fair in Chengdu broke 120,000 sq m for a third time. All nine halls of the Chengdu Century City New International Convention & Exhibition Center, built in 2005, cover only 110, 000 sq m.

Jiang's company had to make use of the outdoor area of the exhibition center. "This year we have decided to divide the fair into two parts and hold them at separate times," he says.

Other major local events include the China International Software Cooperation Conference, the China Chengdu International Urban Modern Agricultural Expo, the International Festival of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Chengdu, China, and the China International Food and Tour Festival.

Ambitious plans

To guide the development of its convention and exhibition industry, the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Expositions formulated a "five-point strategy" that emphasizes marketing, quality, internationalization, branding and standardization, says the bureau's Mu.

According to the strategy, the market will play a more important role while the government will provide mainly guidance and services. The government will also support and foster leading enterprises in the industry.

Chengdu will introduce more major events through improved cooperation with international organizations, ministries, commissions, national industry associations, universities and research institutes, Mu says.

The strategy also calls for bringing in more established convention and exhibition companies to help the city improve the professional level of its expo industry. The bureau of expositions has signed agreements with the China International Exhibitions Ltd and German company Koelnmesse (China) Ltd for further collaboration.

Domestic exhibition companies Space Idea International Exhibition Group and China CYTS M.I.C.E Service Co Ltd have opened branches in Chengdu. The city is also improving infrastructure for the conventions and exhibitions.

As the current Chengdu Century City New International Convention & Exhibition Center no longer meets the demands of an increasing number of events, new exhibition and convention centers have been built or are under construction.

The New Century Global Center, officially opened last September and said to be the largest multiplex in Asia, has an 18,000 sq m arts center, a convention center covering 8,000 sq m and two five-star hotels with a total of more than 1,000 rooms.

The Western China International Expo Center, the largest in central and western China, will cover 500,000 sq m, including a 200,000 sq m convention space.

The achievements in the convention and exhibition industry have enabled Chengdu to win the favor of organizations from home and abroad.

The International Congress and Convention Association accepted the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Exposition as a member on May 27, 2013.

On Jan 10, the bureau signed a framework agreement with the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, the world's largest exhibition industry association, to become one of its members. This is the first international exhibition organization Chengdu has joined.

Contact the writers at liyu@chinadaily.com.cn and pengchao@chinadaily.com.cn