An economic platform to advance global leisure concepts and culture studies
The 19th West Lake International Expo promises to provide yet another huge economic boost for all those involved at the celebrated event held this year between October 20 and November 12.
The theme of this year’s expo is “To magnify the G20 effect, and build up the international exhibition of city events.”
Organizers promise four highlights, with 29 programs scheduled, and are working with sub-venues in 18 counties, towns and scenic spots in Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, while the main venue is at Hangzhou International Expo Center.
The expo is expected to generate 10 billion yuan (US$1.51 billion) in trade turnover, while attracting US$1 billion of foreign investment and 10 billion yuan of domestic investment. Approximately 8 million people are expected to attend and 0.5 percent of GDP would be driven for Hangzhou.
For years, the expo has been largely considered as an event for locals, and this year is no exception. More than 60,000 free tickets have been distributed in order to attract visitors to join the expo on October 23 to 27. Tickets are available on the official WeChat account of West Lake Expo.
The four spotlights include the 3rd World Leisure Expo, World Summit Forum on Leisure Development, Leisure Festival for Citizens and Route of Leisure Experience Demonstration Area.
The World Leisure Expo is held once every five years in Hangzhou and provides a platform to advance global leisure concepts and culture studies, stays abreast of the latest developments in the worldwide leisure industry and addresses the leisure preferences of the citizens of every country.
It will be divided into four categories: international leisure industry, leisure forums, leisure events and leisure experience. It contains 15 seminars, eight exhibitions and 15 programs, and more than 120 enterprises will be showcasing their products at the event.
This year, the World Leisure Expo has a more international feel, as 27 foreign organizations from 12 countries and regions bring their exotic products, including jewellery, gems, wine, food and tourism services. Visual reality technology, smart furniture, online education service and robots will be other highlights at the exhibition venue.
Rose wedding
This year’s leisure expo will stress the city’s regional tourism resources and a variety of handicrafts, organic food, tourism products from Lin’an County and Yuhang District will be displayed under the expo umbrella.
Other high-level meetings during West Lake International Expo include the 2017 New Generation Entrepreneurs Forum, the 2017 China (Hangzhou) City Convention and Exhibition Development Conference, and the 2017 Annual Summit Forum of British Financial Times. These conventions are designed to promote Hangzhou’s internationalization strategy.
Traditional events include the Hangzhou International Cultural Tourism Festival, China (Hangzhou) Food Festival, Grand Canal China Temple Fair, and International West Lake Rose Wedding. These events promote Hangzhou and show international travelers what the city has to offer.
Asia Design Management Forum, China International Chess Culture Expo, West Lake Art Fair, International Jewellery and Jade Fair, and China (Hangzhou) Arts and Crafts Fair are expected to boost cultural exchanges between Hangzhou and foreign countries.
The West Lake International Expo aims to maximize Hangzhou’s cultural and natural resources, promote the city image and boost the city’s MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) industry.
The city government wants to attract investment, professionals, information and capital to the city. The expo is hoped to accelerate the MICE industry and have a snowball effect to help allure more international events to the city.
First held in 1929, the West Lake Expo was regarded as the biggest exhibition the country had seen in modern times, a milestone of China’s booming domestic industry. It was closed after 1929. In 2000, the Hangzhou government revived the Expo, which today has become an annual extravaganza of leisure, tourism, culture and business.
A young visitor experiences the VR technology at the expo.
The 3rd World Leisure Expo
Date: October 20-30
Venue: Hangzhou International Expo Center
World Summit Forum on Leisure Development
Date: October 20-21
Venue: Hangzhou International Expo Center
Leisure Festival for Citizens
Date: October 27-29
Venue: Xicheng Plaza
Route of Leisure Experience Demonstration Area
Date: October 20-November 12
Venue: Counties and Districts
2017 Hangzhou Bay Forum
Date: November 3-4
Venue: Hangzhou International Expo Center
2017 Annual Summit Forum of British Financial Times
Date: October 20
Venue: Hangzhou International Expo Center
2017 New Generation Entrepreneurs Forum
Date: October 23
Venue: Hangzhou International Expo Center
Hangzhou E-commerce Expo
Date: October 26-29
Venue: Baimahu International Exhibition Center and Hangzhou International Expo Center
2017 China International Leisure Industry Expo
Date: October 20-23
Venue: Peace Convention and Exhibition Center
China International Chess Culture Expo
Date: October 14- November 13
Venue: Hangzhou Branch of China Qi-Yuan
2017 West Lake Art Fair
Date: October 26-30
Venue: Peace Convention and Exhibition Center
Asia Design Management Forum
Date: November 2-12
Venue: Hangzhou City Star Industrial Relic Area
2017 Hangzhou International Cultural Tourism Festival
Date: October 20-23
Venue: Hangzhou International Expo Center
2017 International Jewelry and Jade Fair
Date: October 26-30
Venue: World Trade International Exhibition Center
2017 China (Hangzhou) Food Festival
Date: October 27-29
Venue: Xicheng Plaza
2017 Grand Canal Temple Fair
Date: Through December
Venue: Areas between Gongcheng Bridge, Xiangji Temple Wharf and Dengyun Bridge
Hangzhou International Expo Center
Asia Design Management Forum
