Part of the reason the Fortune Global Forum is coming to Chengdu is because of the ability of its experienced, efficient personnel to handle large international conferences.

One example of this was the 12th West China International Expo, which finished on Oct 22, 2011 and attracted 78,000 exhibitors and purchasers from around the world. The expo was established in Chengdu in 2000 and has been 12 times and has become an important place for western provinces to show their latest achievements and attract investment.

Chengdu’s convention and exhibition business is a barometer of its economic and social progress and is its most modern service industry. But, the West China Expo is just a small part of the city’s international conferences. In recent years, it has held an international auto show, the EU-China Partenariat, the Chinasoft expo， and an international gourmet tourism festival, giving it an even greater international reputation. These have attracted prominent convention and exhibition companies, including Reed Huabo Exhibitions, Reed Exhibitions, EASTPO, and Sinolink.

The National (Spring) Sugar and Wine Trade Fair, which started in 1987 and has been held 22 times, is said to be China’s No.1 trade fair and has settled on Chengdu as its permanent home since 2011.

The city’s convention and exhibition industry saw its fastest growth from 2005 to 2011 and produced some great economic benefits, large volume and wide scale, and good industrial output. The sector grew at an annual rate of 20 percent and was at the top in central and western China in scale and economic output.

As it develops, it raises the professional, standardization, and performance level of the city, which now has a large number of five-star hotels with international reception areas, including the Inter Continental, Shangri-La, and Sheraton, all of which have provided a solid foundation for holding top conventions and exhibitions.

Since 2009, Chengdu has been one of China’s Top 10 Convention and Exhibition Host Cities, Top 10 Charming Convention Destination Cities, and Top 10 Festival Cities. It is the only city to hold the China Famous City for Conventions and Exhibitions title.

Over the next five years, Chengdu plans to become one of central and western China’s largest cities for conventions and exhibitions and will become a first-rate city for conventions and exhibitions. In fact, it wants to be the “Chinese convention and exhibition capital” by 2015 and “Asian convention and exhibition capital” by 2030.