As a major exhibition platform for China's opening-up to the outside world, the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services will be held in Beijing in just one month, and various tasks are currently in the sprint stage. How is the preparation progress of this year's Service Trade Fair? What are the highlights of various exhibition displays, promotion and negotiation activities? The reporter conducted on-site visits and interviewed relevant officials to understand the latest developments.
Gengyang: High proportion of international exhibitions
The 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will be held from September 12th to 16th at the National Convention Center and Shougang Industrial Park, with the theme of "Global Service, Mutual Benefit and Sharing". During this period, a global service trade summit, exhibition, negotiation and promotion, achievement release, and supporting activities will be held.
The reporter learned that this year's Service Trade Fair has extensively invited foreign countries and regions, well-known enterprises, institutions, and professionals to participate in the exhibition, strengthening exchanges and discussions on service trade policies, standards, rules, and other aspects. Currently, 93% of the exhibition area for comprehensive and special exhibitions has been completed. 72 countries and international organizations have established offline exhibitions under the name of national governments or headquarters, among which 12 countries and international organizations have independently held offline exhibitions for the first time. Siemens, Google, Amazon, GE Healthcare, and other Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders will showcase their advanced technology and market influence products at the China International Fair for Trade in Services.
Zhou Ling, Deputy Director of the Beijing International Service Trade Affairs Center, introduced that at this year's Service Trade Fair, international organizations such as the Global Service Trade Alliance, the World Tourism Cities Federation, the China Hospital Association, and the China Standardization Association, as well as national industry associations, will hold several themed forums including the Global Service Trade Enterprise Summit, the 2024 World Tourism Cooperation and Development Conference, the Capital International Medical Conference, and the 8th China Service Trade Standardization Forum. A series of important reports and initiatives are planned to be released.
Hanning, Commercial Counsellor of the Norwegian Embassy in China and Head of the Norwegian Innovation Agency in China, stated that the Service Trade Fair is an important exchange platform for the global service industry. He looks forward to further promoting innovative services, international cooperation, and in-depth exchanges of ideas and practices at this year's Service Trade Fair.
It is worth mentioning that this year's conference focuses on the actual needs of exhibitors and enterprises in handling entry and exit business. Entry and exit service counters have been set up at the service trade fair site (National Convention Center and Shougang Park) to provide policy consultation and convenient handling of entry and exit documents for exhibitors; Cooperate with banks to provide convenient payment services for foreign attendees at the service trade fair.
Update: Exhibition focuses on 'new and specialized'
The exhibition of this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services highlights new quality productivity and focuses on "new and specialized". Ai Yinfang, deputy director of the China International Economic and Technological Exchange Center, said that the service trade fair will focus on demonstrating new quality productivity, new models and new formats of integrated development with modern service industry, high-end manufacturing industry and modern agriculture, covering AI and metaspace technology, satellite Internet, large data and computing, financial technology, digital culture and tourism, smart education, smart sports, smart construction, energy conservation and carbon reduction technology and other contents.
The reporter learned that the exhibition area planning for many special topics has been completed, with exhibition areas set up around cutting-edge technology achievements such as high-level autonomous driving in telecommunications, computer, and information services; For the first time, a dedicated area for intelligent networking, human resources, cross-border e-commerce, and security services has been established in the supply chain and business services.
In terms of achievement release, more than 60 companies and institutions will participate in the event. Siemens' photon counting CT products, humanoid robots based on big language models, and a large number of new technologies and products will be showcased at the conference.
According to the plan, the host country France will organize 10 companies for industry exchange and dialogue during the Service Trade Fair, and will also hold multiple special events on investment, sports, healthcare, and more. The guest provinces of Sichuan and Hainan will hold themed day promotion activities to create a Samsung heap naked eye VR experience, showcasing high-tech products and services such as "sea, land, and air".
Showcasing corporate image and embracing global trends, the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is increasingly becoming an international level exhibition and display platform. As a wine company, French Cartier Champagne is preparing to participate in the Service Trade Fair for the first time this year. Gao Li, the general manager of the company's China region, said with anticipation, "The Service Trade Fair is a global level platform for service trade exchange. Participating companies can better understand market conditions and industry trends, further showcase their brand image and product characteristics, strengthen integration with the service industry and emerging industries, and lay a foundation for their next development
Trendier: Featured venue clusters showcase their true appearance
Exhibition halls are key carriers for hosting various exhibitions and displays. As a perfect example of the combination of industrial style and Olympic elements, the Shougang Park of the China International Fair for Trade in Services has formed a unique venue cluster. In order to meet the needs, Shougang Park will further expand its space and improve the quality of the venue.
Zhou Yiwei, General Manager of Capital Exhibition (Group) Co., Ltd., introduced that this year Shougang Park has been upgraded to a "new type of settlement style" exhibition space, with 14 modern exhibition halls. The four blast furnaces have been transformed into a comprehensive exhibition hall integrating exhibition and conference functions. The transformation not only continues Shougang's unique industrial style, but also effectively utilizes land resources and blast furnace space. The upgraded 14 modern exhibition halls present the "Shougang Park Service Trade Fair 4.0 version", with a more compact layout and wider roads.
In addition, Shougang Park has also optimized and improved the night lighting system, creating an overall night landscape of "two axes, two zones, two lakes, and multiple centers".
Yin Yuan, the deputy district chief of Shijingshan District, said that the government department has planned in advance the relevant flow lines, catering, accommodation and other supply guarantees after the venue renovation and upgrading, and improved the supporting supply of surrounding public services. Emphasis will be placed on strengthening local security measures in urban environment, security transportation, public services, social services, etc., and continuously optimizing the functions of Shougang Park and surrounding cities.
Entering Shougang Park, the construction work related to the Service Trade Fair is underway intensively, and the facility exhibition hall has already revealed its true appearance. The reporter saw that the exhibition group of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) complements the iconic landscapes of Shougang Park, such as Qunming Lake, Ski Jumping Platform, and Steel Blast Furnace, achieving a perfect integration of rich industrial heritage and modern exhibitions.