Intercontinental Shanghai NECC
The National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) (above) – the world’s largest single building and exhibition complex that opened June last year – recently welcomed its first international hotel brand. Intercontinental Shanghai NECC (below) opened in September this year, the hotel management giant’s 38th China outlet.
The 536-room Intercontinental offers more than 2,200 sqm of function space, including a 900 sqm divisible Grand Ballroom and 10 meeting rooms within the hotel. Guests can access the NECC’s 38 meeting rooms (covering a total 24,000 sqm), 400,000 sqm indoor exhibition space and 100,000 sqm outdoor exhibition area.
Sustainability is key to the hotel’s design and features. The property’s heating systems utilise solar power and all guest rooms are equipped with energy saving light bulbs, water-conserving technology and biodegradable bathroom amenities. Meeting and guest rooms are also fitted with recycling facilities.
Situated in the new Hongqiao CBD, just 5km from Hongqiao International Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station, the strategically located property plays an important role in a new era of business development in western Shanghai by linking Hongqiao with the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone.
Qibao Ancient Town, Zhujiajiao Watertown, Hongqiao HUB commercial property and transport complex and Shanghai Outlets Mall are nearby.
“With the prominent location and leading MICE facilities, Intercontinental Shanghai NECC is poised to become the benchmark of luxury service in the burgeoning Hongqiao Central Business District,” says Peter Pollimeier, general manager of Intercontinental Shanghai NECC.
Shenyang New World Expo
In the capital of Liaoning province, in northeastern China, Shenyang New World Expo (below) is on track for its official opening on March 1, 2017. However, a pre-opening event has already been held with the 2016 Annual National Planning Conference, the annual event of the Urban Planning Society of China, in September.
The New World Expo, backed by Hong Kong-based NWS Holdings, which operates the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, offers 24,000 sqm of exhibition space and an additional 4,000 sqm of convention, meeting and banquet facilities, including a multifunction convention hall and 17 meeting rooms. The venue, which is in Shenyang’s central business district and has a direct link to the city’s metro, is part of a development that includes commercial space and two hotels – a three-star Penta and five-star New World properties.
Expo general manager Diane Chen says that following September’s pre-launch, the venue’s first five events will be the DPES Sign and LED Expo China 2017, March 1-3, the 19th Northeast Dental Equipment Expo, March 16-19, the 23rd Northeast China Building Decoration Expo, March 23-25, the 2017 China (Shenyang) Auto Fair Expo, April 1-4, and the 19th Northeast China Public Security Products Expo, April 20-22.
Cliff Wallace, chairman of Shenyang New World Expo (Management), says the pre-bookings show confidence in the new venue.
“The initial five exhibitions will average nearly 16,000 sqm each and result in 273,714 square-metre-days of usage, making it one of the most successful openings of an exhibition venue in a second-tier exhibition market within China,” says Wallace.
Suzhou Jinji Lake International Convention Centre
Suzhou Jinji Lake International Convention Centre (below) opened for business in March 2016 after three years of planning and is the third facility to be built as part of the overall Suzhou International Expo Centre.
The new development expands the Expo Centre’s facilities to more than 100,000 sqm indoor and 60,000 sqm outdoor exhibition space, plus 50,000 sqm multifunction area, 60 meeting rooms, and an 8,000 sqm, column-free banquet hall. The complex has direct access to business district support facilities as well as a purpose-built, four-star, 307-room, Novotel Suzhou SIP hotel.
The new convention centre’s opening coincided with the 2016 China (Suzhou) Convention and Exhibition Industry Fair and attracted more than 500 industry insiders. During the opening forum, centre management signed deals with seven organising committees, including the China Chain Store and Franchise Association, the China Early Childhood Education Conference, and the China International Conference for Science and Technology.
Suzhou International Expo Centre is located in the heart of China’s Yangtze River delta, a 40-minute drive from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, with high-speed inter-city railways connecting with two
of Shanghai’s train stations in 20 minutes and both of Nanjing’s stations in an hour.
Suzhou Expo chairman Yin Weidong says the Suzhou Jinji Lake International Convention Centre consolidates the Expo’s success: “Suzhou today is a modern city that already has a strong economic foundation in place that is growing rapidly… in 2014 [it] was named the world’s preferred meeting destination by the International Congress and Convention Association. Thanks to these unique advantages, Suzhou Expo has been the venue for over 1,000 large events since opening in 2004.”
