China Expo Convention and Exhibition Complex (China Expo Complex)

The China Expo Convention and Exhibition Complex (China Expo Complex) is a national exhibition center co-built by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Shanghai Municipal Government. Invested and operated by the Shanghai Exhibition Co., Ltd., the China Expo Complex, based in the booming Yangtze River Delta region, aims to serve China and the world with its cutting-edge design and multiple facilities. Its rich services will help drive China’s economic restructuring, fuel the transformation of economic growth patterns, and contribute to the fast and healthy development of the Chinese economy and society.

China Expo Complex will be the largest single block building and exhibition complex in the world with a total construction area of 1.47 million square meters, among which 1.27 million square meters are above ground. It is only 1.5 km (straight-line distance) away from the Hongqiao Transportation Hub, and is connected with Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station via the city’s Metro Line 2. Furthermore, it is only one or two hours’ drive from the major cities in the Yangtze River Delta thanks to the convenient highway networks around.

Facilities at the China Expo Complex include exhibition halls, the commercial center, the office buildings, and a hotel. These four facilities are linked together by an 8-meter-high elevated pedestrian walkway.

This large complex offers 500,000 square meters of exhibition space, including 400,000 sq m of indoor exhibition space and 100,000 sq m of outdoor display areas. The indoor exhibition space include 13 large exhibition halls (28,800 sq m each), and 3 small halls (10,000 sq m each). All the exhibition halls are directly accessible by freight carriers.

There are four large and one small exhibition halls on the first floor of the North building, and these halls, equipped with ample power supply, all feature a ground load capacity of 5 tons/ m2. One of the large halls has a double-decker structure, the other four halls all offer a single-floor and column-free space with an interior net height of 32 meters. They are particularly suitable for exhibitions of heavy industrial products. The ground floor of the South Building houses four large double-decker halls, each with a ground load capacity 3.5 tons/ m2, a 27 * 36 m column-grid, and 11 meters of net height. The second floor has five large halls and two small ones, each with a ground load capacity of 1.5 tons/ m2, and a net height of 16 meters (and 36 * 54 m column-grid for the big halls). These halls can stage a large variety of exhibitions.

Conference facilities are nearby the exhibition halls. The China Expo Complex has over 60 meeting rooms of different sizes, with seating capacities ranging from less than a hundred people to three thousand attendees each.

Apart from the ample on-site parking space, two waiting areas for large freight carriers and three transfer parking areas will be built around the Complex, which will have an advanced transportation system featuring separate traffic channels for cars, pedestrians and trucks. These measures will help ensure orderly organization of exhibitions and organic growth of different types of businesses in the complex.

The commercial center is situated in the middle of the Complex, with direct access to exhibition halls and metro lines. It is a multi-purposed facility offering not only exhibition services such as meeting rooms, VIP lounges and information desk, but also cuisines, entertainments, marketing displays, and boutique shops, As a highlight of the Complex, the commercial center aims to serve the exhibitions, enhance the business values and meeting the needs of people from all walks of life.

Three office buildings and one 5-star hotel are situated at the four leaf tips of the shamrock-shaped Complex. The office buildings will be ideal home to trading firms, trade promoting agencies, financial institutions, and exhibition service providers. The buildings also offer conference services during exhibitions in addition to regular product shows so as to maximize the trading function of the exhibitions. The 5-star luxury hotel offers accommodation and conference services for premium clients in the exhibition industry.

The Complex also boasts an outdoor exhibition area of 100,000 sq m, a 10,000 sq m of central plaza, a 10,000 sq m of multi-functional exhibition hall and an eight-meter-high Exhibition Boulevard. The flexible space and layout enable the Complex to stage all kinds of economic, trading, cultural, and entertaining events of various levels.

The exhibition halls in the North Building will be put into use in September, 2014; the remaining halls will open in March 2015. The whole Complex is slated to open officially in June 2015. A multitude of international and domestic exhibitions will be held at the China Expo Complex, which will exert great impacts because of the sheer sizes and influences of these events. Exhibition-related modern services will develop exponentially at the complex, which will emerge as a brand new center for business, recreation and entertainment. The Complex is set to be a major driver for Shanghai’s growth into an international trade center. Furthermore, it will help facilitate China’s economic restructuring, and be a huge platform for international exchanges and win-win business development between China and the world.