Digital resources used to ensure maritime event is a success as local government aids expo industry

The 2020 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum, held in the West Coast New Area of Qingdao from Sept 22 to 27, set a new benchmark in event organizing in China after the outbreak of COVID-19, organizers said.

In light of the pandemic, the forum was held both offline and online with the help of Tencent cloud services. All foreign participants attended the forum online, according to the event organizers.

"Having evaluated prevention and control measures of COVID-19 around the world and considered development trends of the expo industry, we launched the marine-centered gathering both online and offline," said Liu Hongkuan, deputy general manager of Huangfa Group, one of the event organizers. "We would like to provide a showpiece of online expos for our peers."

The forum, with the theme of "openness and connectivity for a smart future", comprised of a main forum, four subforums, one startups competition and the East Asia Marine Expo 2020. Participants from more than 70 countries and regions attended. Five industrial reports were released and 24 key projects were contracted.

Over the course of 32 speeches and one senior dialogue－covering topics such as marine economy, port trade, marine technologies, ecology and environment, culture and tourism－global participants exchanged ideas about cooperation in the maritime sector.

A key part of the event was the East Asia Marine Expo 2020. Covering 60,000 square meters of floor space, it attracted more than 770 exhibitors to display more than 50,000 items. This made it one of the largest marine-centered professional trade events in China, which covered the entire industrial chain. The online expo attracted nearly 1,000 enterprises from around the world.

For the first time, personalized matchmaking and pre-expo invitation services were provided to buyers and sellers so they could make the best use of the expo resources. Matchmaking services were also available for online participants.

The forum is of great significance to promoting cooperation and development in the maritime sector in East Asia, said Phinij Jarusombat, former deputy prime minister of Thailand and president of the Thai-Chinese Cultural & Relationship Council in a video presentation.

He said he admired Qingdao's capacity to host such a big event amid the pandemic.

The global expo industry has been seriously affected by the outbreak of the virus. The West Coast New Area has been making efforts to support the resumption of the expo business since early 2020. It released approval procedures and disease control and prevention measures for the industry in May to help guide business back to normal.

In addition, walk-throughs have been organized so relevant government departments have a better understanding of event organizing and are able to set plans to resolve specific problems.

In the first few months of 2020, officials of the local government visited 28 key expo businesses to learn about their difficulties and then issued supportive policies.

In May, 35 expo-related companies, which achieved outstanding results in supporting the local expo industry development in 2019, received more than 14 million yuan ($2.05 million) in subsidies and awards from local government, much earlier than the planned payment date.

"The fund can help companies relieve cash flow pressure and stabilize their operations," said Liang Liang, deputy director of the expo service center in the West Coast New Area.

"The government support boosted our confidence," said Jing Fangyu, general manager of the West Coast branch of Himice Communications Group, which specializes in event management. "Our operating income in August and September has exceeded that of the same period in 2019. We will promote digitalization and merge online and offline businesses to support the local expo industry development."

Expo businesses in the West Coast New Area have been recovering well over the past few months.

According to Dou Chao, deputy manager of the on-site operation department at the Qingdao Cosmopolitan Exposition International Convention Center, the number of expo bookings has increased since July. "We have hosted 12 expos and will host another 11 in the next few months," Dou said.

Dou revealed that despite the effects of the pandemic, the number of high-end expos held at the Qingdao Cosmopolitan Exposition International Convention Center this year is estimated to be similar to that of 2019.

A grand signing ceremony for key industrial projects is held during the 2020 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum last week. CHINA DAILY

Machines on display attract visitors' attention at the East Asia Marine Expo 2020. YU FANGPING/FOR CHINA DAILY

A marine engineering robot is displayed at the expo in Qingdao, Shandong province. YU FANGPING/FOR CHINA DAILY