IT&CM China 2012, taking place from 16th – 19th April at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre, is now fully booked by exhibitors and will be a 30% larger MICE exhibition showcase. More than 300 international and Chinese exhibiting companies will fill over 6,000 sq m. Some 50 new international and domestic exhibiting companies will cover over 25% of the total.
First-time exhibitors include InterContinental Hotels Group, Shangri-La Hotels, Taipei World Trade Centre, Dusit International, Ningbo Tourism Administration, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Jeju Convention & Visitor Bureau, Switzerland Tourism, Geneva Convention Bureau, and Turkish Embassy Culture and Information Section.
Making its debut at IT&CM China 2012 in a big way is global hotel brand InterContinental Hotels Group. In addition to its 120 sq m space – the largest corporate booth at the event – the chain is also offering its InterContinental Shanghai Expo property as one of the official hotels of the event. The hotel will also be the host venue for two networking events for buyers and media – a luncheon hosted by Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (a division of Hong Kong Tourism Board) and a dinner hosted by Seoul Tourism Organisation.
Nick Barton, InterContinental’s Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Greater China, said: “China is our second largest and fastest growing market globally with nearly 150 hotels – with over 50,000 rooms – in the pipeline. In the next three to five years, one out of every four hotel rooms that we will open in the world will be in China.”
The show’s expansion in terms of numbers and its global footprint is mirrored in its buyer delegation, as IT&CM China 2012 draws participating interest from a host of new countries. International buyer registrations have crossed the 400 mark, with representation from first-time participating countries Czech Republic, Denmark and Morocco. More than 100 international and local media are also expected to attend.
Darren Ng, Managing Director of TTG Asia Media, said: “IT&CM China 2012 marks a lot of firsts for us. It is the first year of our strategic alliance with CITS, a partnership we are very excited about. We look forward to working with them and long-time partners MP International to make this event truly world class. This is also the first year that the event will be held at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre. We are confident that these new elements will go a long way to elevate the event for all participants and stakeholders.”
