Exhibition World Issue 5 — 2019 | Page 68

Venue project Shenzhen World: a big leap into China’s future Paul Colston takes a preview peak at China’s huge new exhibition venue pearl, Shenzhen World, set to become the biggest indoor tradefair facility in the world n a matter of weeks China is set to open Phase 1 of what will become the largest exhibition venue in the world. The new Shenzhen World complex is located just across the border from Hong Kong and is a truly breathtaking achievement of planning and engineering. With Shenzhen transforming itself in recent decades from a small fishing town of 30,000 people, to a 19m population super city that boasts a GDP third only in China to Beijing and Shanghai, the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center is set to be the main platform for the industries of the Pearl River Delta to showcase their products to the world, as China’s economy powers ahead. Shenzhen World is set for a soft opening in November 2019 and already has a pipeline of tradeshows booked in, management told EW. Shows include a leading Chinese furniture fair in March 2020, which is set to take over a significant part of the Phase 1 capacity of over 400,000sqm space across 16 standard indoor halls, one mega hall of 48,000sqm, one conference centre and one more event centre hall with a capacity for 13,500 attendees. The opening of Shenzhen World will allow the show to transfer from the city’s old exhibition centre where it had maxed out at 110,000sqm. With a fishbone style roof running the length of the new 1.75km construction, the project is striking to say the least. There are also two lobbies, each of 6,000sqm. Exhibition industry consultants JWC have ensured a very high specification all through, and there are to be four hotels on site when the Phase 2 completion adds a further 68 Issue 5 2019 100,000sqm of event space. SMG has a contract for supporting operations at the venue. Shenzhen World will have two metro stations and is close to the Airport New Town, lying at the top of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and at the centre of the Pearl River Delta and Guangdong Free Trade Zone. High-tech is not only embedded in the venue building but expected to power business with high-tech enterprises such as Huawei, Tencent and DJI based in the city. Shenzhen’s growth rate of 7.6% is higher than Beijing and Shanghai and Jochen Witt of JWC Consultants said that over 50% of all exhibition space sold in China is in the Pearl River Delta. Shenzhen World CEO Mr Ma Jun told EW that 2.2m sqm had been booked for 2020 and forecast 2.5m - 3m sqm for 2021. He expected the centre to break even after 4-5 years, once all the surrounding infrastructure was Above: Shenzhen World Shenzhen World • Phase 1 will deliver 400,000sqm of purpose-built indoor exhibition space • Phase 2 will add a further 100,000sqm • The venue is designed with an organising spine to connect 19 halls arranged symmetrically along a central corridor. • There are two main registration lobbies directly connected to the subway, two VIP entrances to the west, plus the grand South Entrance. • A two-level central corridor moves visitors efficiently from North to South • Shenzhen World is 3km from Shenzhen Airport and 75km from Hong Kong Airport • The venue is served by two metro stations completed. “We often compare Shenzhen to the US because it is home to many immigrants from across China and has a very young population with an average age of 32,” Mr Ma added, and explained this as a big contributor to the vibrancy of the city and its high- tech orientation. With wages higher than elsewhere in the country and the city and region strong in many IT and future-looking sectors, Mr Ma is predicting a bright future for the project and the city. w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk