Pudong may have gained the most attention from business travellers and event organisers since the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, but a new chapter is opening for another district that is home to one of the city’s convention and exhibition centre.
CECIS-Shanghai, or the Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing opened in December 2013 on what was once a rundown area in the Putuo district of west Shanghai.
At the centre of the district’s redevelopment is Changfeng Ecological Business Zone where a more eco-friendly approach has been prioritised alongside the nurturing of new enterprises and residential communities.
Since 2003, Putuo has evolved from a former industrial cluster suffering serious pollution to a modern “ecological district” as one of Shanghai’s pioneering business zones, thanks to the city’s 11th five-year plan. Amid two million sqm of commercial, residential, educational and other infrastructure, one million sqm is reserved for greenery, most notably Changfeng Park.
CECIS has created a base for business events and conferences in the area reaching westwards beyond the historic Bund. The Changfeng zone forms part of a development plan aimed at reviving the Suzhou Creek area that had faded from the limelight as the banking and finance district rose in Pudong on the eastern side of the Huangpu River.
Changfeng also boasts two yachting marinas, a Jackie Chan Film Gallery and two five-star hotels nearby: the JW Marriott Shanghai Changfeng Park and Guomen Hotel Shanghai, from the British company that operates landmark London hotels such as The Grosvenor and The Royal Horseguards.
A spokesperson said there were more than 30 business hotels within a 2km radius and upscale malls such as Parkside Plaza target the increasing numbers of upwardly mobile families moving into the area.
CECIS offers a 16,000 sqm indoor exhibition area, 9,000 sqm for conventions, a 5,000 sqm restaurant and 850 underground parking spaces. The convention area includes a 3,000 sqm multipurpose ballroom with 180-degree views of the Suzhou River. The exhibition area is divided into three levels with the first and second each measuring 6,500 sqm and the third 3,000 sqm to accommodate 890 standard booths. One of the venue’s most impressive features is its sophisticated lighting system, which has added ambience to events including the Honda Car Show and Mobile SIFF event organised by the Shanghai International Film Festival.
The venue can be reached from Hongqiao Airport in 25 minutes by car, which would appeal to international organisers. A spokesperson said space on the second level could be partitioned to provide extra venues for business events and corporate conferences.
The centre’s membership of ICCA will see continued efforts toward bids for association conferences. One of those secured is Iscos 2017: International Spinal Cord Society’s 56th Annual Scientific Meeting with around 4,000 delegates expected in February of that year.
More than 20 large-scale exhibitions, conventions and business events have been hosted since the centre opened, including the China Interventional Therapeutics conference with 6,000 delegates and IT&CM China 2015, with a new record set of more than 13,000 business appointments conducted over the two-day event.
CECIS by numbers
30 business hotels in 2km radius
9,000 sqm for conventions
3,000 sqm multipurpose ballroom
25 minutes from Hongqiao airport
First and second level exhibition floors each measure 6,500 sqm.
