The 2018 Chongqing Convention Industry Trade Fair was held in Chongqing on Feb 3.

Fifty-three projects were signed at the fair, with a total value of 11 million yuan ($1.75 million). Covering fields of conventions, incentive travel, exhibitions and festival events, the projects are expected to stimulate consumption topping 100 million yuan.

The 2018 Chongqing Convention Industry Trade Fair is held at the Wyndham Chongqing Yuelai Hotel. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

The fair, organized by the Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Center, had a theme of "building Chongqing into an international convention center with its resources".

The convention industry is an important platform for opening up and communication in Chongqing and plays a positive role in promoting the development of all related industries.

The Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Center signed cooperation agreements with CCT International Convention and Exhibition Co Ltd, the China Meetings Industry Convention and China Smart Mice Group. They will establish long-term and steady cooperative relationships and devote themselves to the development of the meeting industry in Chongqing by integrating resources and services.

According to statistics from the Chongqing Commerce Commission, Chongqing held 496 conferences and exhibitions in 2017, utilizing a total area of 8.77 million square meters. The direct revenue reached 15.28 billion yuan ($2.43 billion) and stimulated consumption of 118.16 billion yuan ($18.78 billion). Last year Chongqing won the title of "The Most Influential Destination of Conferences and Exhibitions in 2017" and was named a "Top 10 MICE City in the Conference and Exhibition Industry".