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[Scene] Despite worldwide interest, China is not an easy market for new foreign companies to penetrate the exhibition industry due to cultural differences in doing business (for example, government red tape and a reliance on personal relationships with authorities and associations).
尽管中国会展是一块很大的市场，但外国组展公司要渗入这个行业非常不易，因为中国有特殊的生意经，如政府禁区、各个主管部门间的利益关系等。
以下是从事会展业的中国人Wang和从事相关行业的西方人Thomas的交流内容。
Thomas: Shanghai New International Exhibition Center (SNIEC) is a fantastic example of cooperation between foreign companies and the Chinese government in the field of exhibition industry.
Wang: Yes, indeed. It's a joint venture of Messe Dusseldorf, Messe Hannover, Messe Munchen, and China's Shanghai Putong Land Development Corporation.
Thomas: The terms “exhibition”, “trade fair”, “fair”, and “expo” used in China and Europe have little difference in meaning from the terms “trade show” and “show” used in the USA. But doing business in China is not easy for a foreign exhibition company due to our cultural differences.
Wang: Really? Can you give some examples?
Thomas: UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry) officially defines international exhibitions as those exhibitions with foreign exhibitors making up at least 10% of the total number of exhibitors, or with 5% relevant foreign visitors of the total number of visitors. However, in China many organizers use the word “international” in their exhibition advertisements, even openly in their banners without considering whether they can reach these standards.
Wang: Well, that's an eye-catching way to attract attention and attendance.
Thomas: In the western world, not every show is open to any visitor. An example of this would be a trade exhibition. A trade exhibition, or a trade show, means a consumer/public exhibition that is open to trade professionals and not to the public. Normally, a member of the public can pay a fee to enter a consumer exhibition, while a visitor to a trade exhibition must be invited or have trade professional identification, and pay a higher entrance fee than would be charged for a public exhibition. Many trade exhibitions do not allow public visitors, even if they are willing to pay, but it seems that in China anybody can visit any show if they are willing to pay the entrance fees. There is no limit to visitors.
Wang: Well, it's a pity. We do differ a lot in this respect.
Thomas: Due to an oversupply of exhibition centers, many less-used exhibition centers are offering big rental discounts to attract more exhibitions. Sometimes we find it's hard to believe how much the same center's rental cost differs within the same year, sometimes even in the same month. Such a move is not helpful in the long run.
Wang: Yes, this practice certainly causes ill competition. It's nice talking with you. I am now able to realize the differences in our practice.
(1) Why is China not an easy market in terms of the exhibition industry?
(2) Who are the cooperative parties of SNIEC?
(3) What does Thomas imply by “The terms ‘exhibition’, ‘trade fair’, ‘fairv’, and ‘expo’ used in China and Europe have little difference in meaning from the terms ‘trade show’ and ‘show’ used in the USA?”
(4) What are the standards of an international event in the exhibition industry?
(5) When Chinese organizers use the world “international” in their ads, are they aware of the standards?
(6) Is it a common practice for Chinese organizers to permit entrance as long as entrance fees are paid? What is the case in western countries?
(7) Why do some centers offer big rental discounts?
(8) What is the consequence of dramatically changing rental prices too often?
The main aim of an exhibition is to create business opportunities between the exhibitors and trade visitors (or trade buyers). To organize a conference or an exhibition is a huge project which involves a lot of work and a lot of people. In groups, brainstorm to sum up “who are the parties involved in the exhibition industry” and use a web diagram to describe how they are related(关系). Also answer the following questions.
(1) Who are the major parties of a convention/an exhibition event?
(2) What are the relationships among the parties that exist in an exhibition event?
(1) exhibition image a. 合资企业
(2) professional conference organizer b. 展览业
(3) exhibition industry c. 会展形象
(4) joint venture d. 参展商
(5) exhibitor e. 面向公众开放的展览会/公共展
(6) consumer show/public show f. 观众
(7) visitor g. 入场券/入场费
(8) trade exhibition/fair h. 租赁折扣/租用打折
(9) entrance fee i. 专业会议组织者
(10) rental discounts j. 贸易展
Please match the questions and answers. Take turns asking and answering the following questions with a partner.
Question List
Answer List
续表
A foreign reporter is interviewing a government official in charge of the MICE sector in Shenzhen.
[Sample dialogue]
Reporter: Mr. Wang, we know you have years of work experience in MICE. Would you mind answering some questions about the exhibition industry of your city?
Smith: My pleasure.
Reporter: My first question is…
Smith: …
Reporter: My second question is…
…
Reporter: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask you questions.
[导读]
中国会展业在最近十年得到了迅猛的发展。会展的本质是信息传播，它是联系参展商和观众的桥梁和纽带，已成为许多企业开展营销的重要方式。参展商、观众、组展方作为独立的利益个体，他们都要实现自己的利益。
The China National Convention Center
In today's fast-changing global market, the convention industry is a channel that provides business contacts and information at any time and any place. It is essential to industry traders and suppliers and it is proving important both as a bridge between science and culture, and as a window for promotion.
As a measure of the market economy, the exhibition industry has developed rapidly in the past 30 years since the reform and opening up in China. In 1992, there was one mega convention &exhibition center (over 50,000 square meters of indoor space) in China, totally 160,000 square meters. By 2003, there were 16 mega centers, totally 1,288,000 square meters, a growth of 705% in 11 years. The exhibition industry is a huge business. In 2005, the Chinese exhibition industry earned 12.75 billion ($1.6 billion) and achieved an annual growth rate of 18%. As a result of the recent convention and exhibition center building boom in China, many big Chinese cities are building huge new conference and exhibition centers. They have strong belief in the promise that the economic growth factor to the community is between 1∶10 to 1∶40 from direct exhibition income.
A typical example of the building boom is the 530,000-square-meter China National Convention Center close to Beijing's National Stadium and National Aquatics Center (known respectively as the “Bird's Nest” and the “Water Cube”). It is another recent addition to the capital's already impressive skyline. The center was the site of the Olympic main press center and international broadcasting center, and also the venue for the fencing and pistol shooting (part of the modern pentathlon) events. The complex includes a 6,400-square-meter conference hall, a 24,000-square-meter exhibition section, and a hotel of 443 guest rooms.
Conferences, along with seminars and discussions, also often involve banquets and accommodation. These functions increase a hotel's income, but also test the quality of its service management. Just one careless mistake within the complex arrangements necessary for such a function could ruin a hotel's reputation, sending it to the bottom of the competitive line. The managers of CNCC believe that attention to detail is what differentiates a good hotel from ordinary ones. As a result, the staff are asked to give 100% attention to every aspect of service to convention clients. For example, lights should be precisely angled so as to avoid casting a shadow on the speaker's face. Utmost flexibility from the hotel's existing facilities, conditions, and services are made use of in order to meet the specific needs of different conventions to be held at the hotel, such as political, commercial and academic conventions.
Contracts for international events in 2009 that the China National Convention Center has already secured include the 9th International Symposium on Salt, the World Heart Disease Convention, and the First World Mind Sports Games. It welcomes a busy year.
(1) The exhibition industry is a channel that provides business contacts and information to traders and suppliers. ( )
(2) The exhibition industry developed rapidly in the last 30 years as a measure of the Chinese planned economy. ( )
(3) In 1992, there was only one convention and exhibition center bigger than 30?000 square meters in Beijing. ( )
(4) By 2003, the total exhibition space in China had grown by more than 7 times. ( )
(5) The exhibition industry has brought large profits for the local economy; therefore, a lot of exhibition centers have been built in a lot of cities. ( )
(6) China National Convention Center lies close to the “Bird's Nest” and was made the place for the fencing and pistol shooting in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. ( )
(7) The managers urged staff members to give great attention to the details of service, thus the center distinguishes itself from other ordinary hotels. ( )
(8) The Center is awaiting a busy 2009 because a series of international events will be held there. ( )
(1) 会展业涉及较多的群体，主要有组展商、参展商、服务商、观众、赞助商等。
(2) 会展有不同的分类，如按照展会性质分可分为专业展、展销会和综合展。
(3) 会展按照展会间隔时间可以分为定期展和不定期展。
(4) 会展按参展商或观众的来源不同可分为国际展、国家展、地区展。
(5) 会展是为商品供应商、销售商等群体提供面对面的接触和商品信息的一个渠道。
(1) What are the major types of exhibition according to the properties of exhibits?
(2) How do you distinguish between domestic expos and international expos?
Write a summary of the growth of China's exhibition and convention industry with at least 100 words. The following factors should be included: birth, present growth (ranking in the world in last two years), classification, trend, growth in major cities.
续表
(1) …is the first/second/third largest event in the world, in terms of economic and cultural impact.
(2) It aims at promoting…, and also developing…
(3) Do you know anything about the latest…?
(4) The show covers…square meters accommodating …people.
(5) What happened to …?
(6) What are the new development trends of …?
(7) We do differ a lot in…