The Conference and Exhibition Economy Development Forum was held in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, on Sept 10. It was hosted by the Guizhou Provincial People's Government and the China International Chamber of Commerce.

The forum attracted more than 400 experts and scholars, including over 60 foreign guests from 16 countries and regions, to discuss how the Chinese conference and exhibition economy can transform and develop under the new global economic climate in terms of government, enterprises, and associations.

In recent years, the conference and exhibition economy of Guizhou has made great achievements. A large number of conferences and exhibitions have been held in the province, including the China (Guizhou) International Alcoholic Beverages Expo, Eco Forum Global Guiyang Annual Conference, China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week, China International Big Data Industry Expo, International Mountain Tourism Conference, and China (Guizhou) International Tea Industry Expo.

Chinese national officials, world-famous political celebrities, and global business leaders are also invited to give meaningful speeches to raise awareness of these conferences and exhibitions. Some of them have become important platforms for international communication and cooperation.

A series of positive policies and suggestions have been put forward to further promote the development of the conference and exhibition economy in Guiyang. In 2017, Guiyang hosted 784 conferences and exhibitions of different shapes and sizes, with a total exhibition area of 1.46 million square meters and a total economic benefit of 15.5 billion yuan ($2.26 billion).

Zhao Yandi contributed to this story