In the year 2009, 177 exhibitions were staged in Qingdao, stimulating 15.7 billion yuan consumption. During the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, Qingdao’s exhibition industry enjoyed an 18.5 percent year-on-year growth, and the centers ranked the seventh most used in China. The president of the Messe Muenchen International (MMI) once said that staging an international convention in a city is just like having an airplane pouring money down on that city from above. Qingdao has tasted the benefits.

The number of exhibitions held in Qingdao has been increasing gradually throughout the 11th Five-year Plan, with an average growth rate of 18.5 percent. In 2006, 61 exhibitions were held in the Qingdao International Convention Center; 71 in 2007 and 76 in 2008. In 2009, the number jumped to 177. In the first three quarters of 2010, Qingdao International Convention Center has already staged 82 exhibitions, enjoying a 15.38 percent increase correspondingly.

Hosting international conventions also brings the city other benefits. In 2009, the 177 conventions attracted 2.2 million guests from home and abroad to Qingdao, raising total revenue of 15.7 billion yuan. Zhu Yuetao, deputy director of the Development Office for Qingdao’s Convention and Exhibition Industry, states that consumption is stimulated during the conventions, as foreign guests will spend money on food, accommodation, transportation, travel and entertainment during their stay in Qingdao. International organizations generally acknowledge that if a city’s direct input in a convention is one, the monetary benefit it receives will be nine, though this ratio varies from place to place. In Guangzhou, the ratio is 1: 12.5; while in some other places, it may be 1:4 or 1:5.

Statistics from 2009 showed that the utilization rate of Qingdao International Convention Center is around 40 percent, higher than the national average of 27 Percent, considering the indoor exhibition area in Qingdao is only 47,500 square meters, ranked 27th domestically, the utilization rate is high, indicating the influence and vitality of Qingdao.

By Audrey and Fu Bo