020advertorial - High-profile Guests From Home And Abroad Land On Xiamen For Mice Week

Clockwise from top: The Xiamen MICE Cooperation Conference gathers attendees from across China and overseas during the eighth Xiamen MICE Week. Foreign buyers ask for product information during the exhibition. A group of delegates relax at the stand highlighting Fujian province.

The eighth Xiamen MICE Week, a key platform that aids the city's convention and exhibition industry, has showcased its strength in boosting cooperation and driving high-quality development.

Held from Friday to Sunday in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions)-themed event focused on key industry topics such as cross-Strait urban MICE cooperation, the global expansion of exhibitions, MICE tourism and a business-friendly environment. It brought together representatives of governmental authorities, associations and enterprises from nearly 40 domestic and international cities.

Through forums, city promotions and networking sessions, participants explored innovative pathways for the industry and shared their insights to help promote its high-quality development.

At the Xiamen MICE Cooperation Conference, a highlight event held on Saturday, high-profile guests from the exhibition industry at home and abroad shared opinions on industrial transformation, technological innovation, culture-empowered development and urban development. Most guests recognized that the development of the exhibition industry is closely related to technological revolution and the development of economic industries.

Three matchmaking sessions were held during the Xiamen MICE Week, in which a large number of business insiders reached preliminary cooperation intentions. The China Xiamen MICE Supply Chain Fair organized by the Xiamen Convention and Exhibition Association provided a display platform and created cooperation opportunities for exhibition-related enterprises.

"Xiamen is one of the most popular tourist cities in China, and also a city full of soul, open spirit and deep connections with Serbia. Therefore, we have chosen this place as the location for the House of Serbia project," said Danijel Nikolic, chairman of the Belt and Road Institute Belgrade Assembly and assistant secretary-general of the government of Serbia during the event. He added that the project will become a new platform for the presentation of authentic culture, tastes, thoughts and people.

The event was hosted by the Xiamen city's bureau of commerce and the Xiamen city's bureau of convention and exhibition; and organized by the Xiamen MICE Industry Promotion Center and the Xiamen Convention and Exhibition Association. Since its establishment in 2015, the event has attracted more than 6,000 professionals from more than 30 countries and regions.

Event-friendly City

The exhibition industry acts as the barometer of economic development and a window to showcase a city's image. It has a wide-ranging influence and great development potential, making it an important platform for promoting higher-level opening-up and the economic development of a city.

Official data show that in 2024, Xiamen hosted a total of 193 exhibitions, covering an area of approximately 2.46 million square meters. Along with 4,593 conferences, the industry has helped generate an economic benefit of about 31 billion yuan ($4.2 billion).

According to the 2023 results of its Exhibition City Competitiveness Index released during the China Exhibition City Industry Cooperation Conference in Chengdu in 2024, Xiamen's convention and exhibition industry ranked 10th nationwide in the most competitive exhibition city category. At the fifth International Convention and Exhibition Branding Conference held in Beijing, Xiamen was honored as an Event-friendly City.

According to the Xiamen city's bureau of commerce, being an event-friendly city involves being friendly to organizers, professional buyers, exhibitors and audiences. It is reported that Xiamen is promoting the transformation of its exhibition attraction model, shifting from providing normal services to creating additional value.

More attractions

"This year's exhibition has seen many breakthroughs, making us even more excited for the next edition," said Lai Guoxiang, founder of China Xiamen International Stone Fair, when he concluded the 25th session. As a representative local exhibition brand, the stone fair received more than 150,000 attendees.

Shuitou town, located 53 kilometers from Xiamen, is a major base for stone trading, processing and production. About 60 percent of China's stone imports and exports pass through Xiamen, leading many stone enterprises to set up a branch in the city. The stone fair, centering on foreign trade business, has been promoting domestic consumption and bridging the domestic and international stone markets, Lai said.

Reflecting on the fair's inaugural event in 2001, Lai said: "In the early stages of development, our main concern was survival. At that time, we did not have the capacity or ambition to challenge the other major exhibitions in the industry. We focused on local market development from the perspective of industrial advantages and local demand."

To facilitate foreign attendees' participation, the exit-entry administration department of the city's public security bureau set up a desk that provided on-site consultation and business services for foreign exhibitors at the stone fair's international exhibition hall.

Moreover, Xiamen is offering convenience to foreign exhibition participants. The local airport and Wutong Port provide 24/7 entry and exit services.

"Xiamen boasts top-notch exhibition facilities, excellent technological foundations, a favorable business environment and strong government support, all of which are highly attractive to overseas exhibitors," said an official from the city's bureau of commerce.

In the future, Xiamen plans to enhance exhibition support services and strengthen international and domestic exchanges, the official said.

Industry service

The exhibition industry connects industry on one end and the market on the other. Xiamen's exhibition industry benefits from excellent support services, a favorable business environment and its close ties to the city's manufacturing enterprises.

In mid-April, Huang Guocai, general manager of Xiamen ITG Feichi Exhibition, was preparing for the Xiamen Industry Exposition, a representative exhibition brand in Xiamen, which is to take place on May 9.

"This year's exhibition will continue to focus on Xiamen's industrial system, promoting integration between industry and exhibitions to empower the real economy," Huang said. It is the original intention behind the Xiamen Industry Exposition: to drive the digital transformation of traditional industries by showcasing the latest industrial innovation and applications.

"Exhibitions serve as a medium for production, factory, goods and service transactions. The larger the market the exhibition industry connects to, the greater its role in conveying industry information and guiding industry progress," Huang said.

Xiamen's industrial foundation has four major pillar industries: electronic information, mechanical equipment, commercial trade logistics and financial services; along with four strategic emerging industries: biomedicine, new materials, new energy and cultural tourism.

Additionally, modern industrial systems are comprised of semiconductors, hydrogen and energy storage, genetics and biotechnology, and deep-sea and aerospace development. These industrial clusters provide the exhibition industry with abundant resources and a vast market.

In 2025, Xiamen has proposed the development concept of "building an exhibition-friendly city and constructing a community of shared destiny and values". The focus is on providing value-added services for exhibition activities, creating additional value and enhancing the return on investment for exhibitors and attendees.

"When exhibitions come to the city, we not only ensure smooth operations but also strive to make them better, bigger and stronger through a series of value-added services," said Yu Hao, head of the Xiamen city's bureau of convention and exhibition.

"Our exhibition industry's operational philosophy is resonating with the world. We are capable of utilizing the opening-up policy to introduce Xiamen to the international MICE market and building Xiamen into a pivotal city connecting the domestic and international exhibition industry chains. Such efforts will be beneficial to achieve the goal of building Xiamen into an internationally renowned exhibition city," Yu added.