CHINA — Fira de Barcelona is focused on its commitment to China as a strategic market. It organized two new shows in the country in the last four months — Alimentaria Chengdu, Sept. 19-20 and Smart City Expo Hangzhou Sept. 25-29.
China remains ones of the world’s most important exhibition markets and the fact that the country is returning to pre-pandemic activity is good news for the trade show industry.
“China continues to be a strong market, and our shows are doing better than expected even with some negative geopolitical headwinds being present,” Michael Duck, Executive Vice President Commercial Development, Informa Markets, said.
The first Chinese edition of Alimentaria, Fira de Barcelona’s food and beverage show, jointly organized with Sichuan International Expo Group, featured 100 exhibitors, presentations, cooking demonstrations and masterclasses.
An innovation hub included brands showcasing their latest launches and a networking area. A group of 330 hosted buyers were also brought to Alimentaria Chengdu.
The following week, the first edition of Smart City Expo Hangzhou that took over from Smart City Shanghai, was held. It focused on emerging cities in Asia and how technology can contribute to their sustainable development. Two hundred experts were on hand sharing environmentally sustainable strategies and technological innovations including artificial intelligence, green technology, energy transformation and urban renewal.
More than 80 companies exhibited products and solutions related to sustainability.
Related. ITB China Reports 60% Growth
Fira de Barcelona efforts in China were amplified three years ago when it began managing the Xuzhou and Nanchang exhibition centers as part of the Greenland – Fira joint venture.
This year, these venues hosted more than 70 events, including the 21st China Livestock Exhibition at Nanchang Greenland International Expo Center, and the fourth International Intelligent Automobile and New Energy Exhibition and the third International Construction and Machinery Show at the Xuzhou Greenland Huaihai International Expo Center.
Fira Barcelona has two venues with 431,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space. Since 2021, it also manages the CCIB (Barcelona International Convention Centre), with 108,000 sq. ft.
Reach Michael Duck at michael.duck@informa.com
