News from SNIEC press conference: BUILDING ON ITS SUCCESS
The Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC) has vowed to increase its quality and service levels in coming years amid the increasingly intensified market environment.
Located in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, SNIEC was the first Sino-foreign joint-venture exhibition center in China. It was established in 2001 by the German Exposition Corporation International GmbH and the Shanghai Lujiazui Exhibition Development Co Ltd.
SNIEC offers 17 column-free, ground-level exhibition halls, covering 200,000 square meters of indoor space and 100,000 sq m of outdoor space. It has been part of the explosive growth of China’s convention and exhibition economy over the past decade and has developed into one of most successful exhibition centers in the country. Each year, close to 100 world-class exhibitions are held at SNIEC, attracting more than 4 million visitors.
“Despite the weak international and Chinese economy, 2016 was another successful year for SNIEC,” said Michael Kruppe, general manager of SNIEC.
“The sales growth of SNIEC in 2016 increased more than 10 percent from the year before, a much higher growth rate than the industry average.Additionally, the venue is almost sold out for the next 3 to 5 years.”
Kruppe revealed that SNIEC has started to focus more on international and hi-tech shows.
“We are very active in other international markets like the United States where we have successfully contracted three new shows. More shows from, including IAAPA, NAB, CES and World of Concrete are also our clients,” he said.
SNIEC is also looking to increase the types of shows it hosts, added Kruppe. In addition to the classic business-to-business events that it is usually home to, SNIEC has also begun hosting business-to-consumer events such as gala dinners, product launches and even television shows like the Asian Cup Competitions for pet dogs in November. Kruppe said that SNIEC is also in the midst of discussions about events like moto-cross shows, food festivals and sport competitions.
In addition, SNIEC may be expanding its space to better host new exhibitions and shows.
“Because of the limited space during peak seasons, many customers have urged SNIEC to expand. Some high-tech shows also require more space to hold conferences so this is something we are working on,” he said.
Kruppe stated that SNIEC will not relocate and will remain on Longyang Road for the foreseeable future. According to Kruppe, SNIEC will be building more visitor-friendly amenities and creating a new platform for family entertainment activities.
According to the Pudong government, the total exhibition area in the district measures about 7.92 million square meters, accounting for 53.6 percent of the city’s total, while the direct and indirect income of the exhibition industry in Pudong was 9.6 billion yuan and 79.2 billion yuan respectively.
In addition, the exhibition industry had helped consumption levels in related sectors, such as food and beverage, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping and cultural entertainment, reach 46.9 billion yuan.
Improving service
Last year, SNIEC unveiled its new logo, combining the brand’s name with two triangles representing the shape of the venue. As SNIEC prides itself as a platform for fostering the exchange of knowledge, commerce and cultures, the combination of triangles expresses the spirit of cooperation, sharing and innovation. Meanwhile, red and grey symbolize vitality and wisdom. The new tagline, “Experience & Excellence” also debuted during the new logo unveiling.
SNIEC has established a service quality improvement working team called the Performance Improvement Program (PIP).Comprised of members from different departments of the venue. The major role of the PIP is to strengthen communication with customers and to listen to customers’ feedback, allowing SNIEC to continuously improve its services. PIP has also set up a service evaluation system, which covers major areas and links in the service system.
While the commercial and service elements are an important part of SNIEC’s operations, the center has also been striving to boost its safety and security measures. Last year, SNIEC opened a new safety department to ensure the complex will be even safer than before.
“ Responsiveness to customers is our top priority. At last November’s UFI Congress in Shanghai, one of the top global organizers announced that our dedication to customer service is obvious, and that they are very happy to see SNIEC deliver on it’s promises,” Kruppe said.
“International shows need top quality and top service. We at SNIEC understand this and give them what they need,” he said.