Global exhibition organizers put on a show of confidence

The economy may be slowing, but the events business is holding up as the service sector develops.

The economic outlook for this year may be muted, but for the Chinese exhibition industry, it is likely to be yet another period of steady growth.

Figures are not yet in for last year, but the China Exhibition Industry Development Report 2014, released in October 2014 by the department of trade in services and commercial services at the Ministry of Commerce, and China Convention and Exhibition Society, shows that the sector's value was 387 billion yuan ($62 billion) in 2013, up 10.6 percent year-on-year. The industry accounted for 1.5 percent of the value of the tertiary sector.

A total of 7,319 shows were held in 2013, up 1.8 percent, and the exhibit area grew 4.5 percent to 93.9 million square meters.

And according to the 13th Global Exhibition Barometer released by The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry last July, 60 percent of the polled Chinese exhibitors said they expect turnover to increase in 2015.

In addition, 72 percent of those exhibitors said that the impact of the global economic downturn that began in 2009 is over or will be by the end of 2015.

And to meet growing demand for staff, many higher education institutions, including vocational schools, offer specialized courses and majors. According to the China Convention Exhibition Event Society, 229 higher educational institutions offered exhibition majors as of 2014.

Lyu Jijian, deputy director of the department of trade in services and commercial services at the Ministry of Commerce, said that the exhibition industry is an important component of the modern service industry and serves as a bridge between production and consumption. It helps boost regional economies and ancillary services.

"The exhibition industry has become a new driving force of economic growth. Human resources, materials, funds, technology and information are all collected at various exhibitions. Catering, accommodation, transportation, retailing, tourism and a number of other service industries have gained vitality. The exhibition industry also plays an important role to help transform economic growth pattern, optimize industrial structure and upgrade the country's economy," he said.

The large scale of the nation's exhibition industry has attracted many world-leading companies in the sector.

Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO of Messe Munchen GmbH, which is one of the world's largest exhibition companies, long ago brought the construction sector's flagship show to China.