The Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) is embarking on a new development phase where it will redouble its “focus on service”, and adopt a new event format to stand out.
Despite being “30 to 40 per cent more expensive” than its competitors, SNIEC’s occupancy is “number one” in the city, according to Michael Kruppe, CEO and general manager.
The focus on service and its importance, he shared, was reaffirmed by feedback from its top 10 clients, which include Informa Markets and Reed Exhibitions.
Kruppe, a speaker at a recent panel discussion on Driving China’s Next Tourism Revolution at ITB Asia 2023, said SNIEC, which is 90 per cent exhibition-focused, will be deploying a new “festivalistion format” where exhibitions are organised with entertainment, music and culture.
It has not been tried in Shanghai but is not new in the US or Germany, he noted, adding it would require a mindset change among SNIEC’s B2B show organisers.
SNIEC sees huge potential in the format and also e-sports, which may only put 2,000 gamers in a hall, but can reach up to 200 million online participants.
Currently, the 300,000m2 venue is “image building” to help SNIEC work more closely with the Shanghai government and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade to go after new events such as those which showcase technology, low carbon emission solutions, electric vehicle development, etc.
In September, SNIEC set up a five-member department to work with the government on the growing importance of environmental, social and governance, Kruppe shared with TTGmice.
“We need government support and it is up to stakeholders to improve the relationship. That is why SNICE is building its marketing and political image. We are talking to local government on subsidies and they know that the industry makes a 12:1 economic impact and the direct and indirect revenue is very high,” he elaborated.
