Outlook of\"New Silk Road\"

2022 Convention Exhibition Industry Expo will be held in Xi’an， August 17-21， 2022. This is the first offline event organized by China Conference Exhibition this year. Meanwhile， it is also the fi rst time that the Expo has been held in the western region of China since its launch， which has drawn extensive attention from the industry.

Xi’an is a famous historical and cultural city in China， with thousands of years of history. It has been an important trade center in the central and western regions of China since Zhou Dynasty， as well as the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. Moreover， Xi’an could not be a better place for the convention and exhibition industry. Its superior geographical location， convenient transportation， numerous markets and diverse business formats enable Xi’an to build a stable and developed business ecosystem， which also lays a solid foundation for the development of the exhibition industry. Therefore， Xi’an became the most developed commercial and political center in ancient China， home to the earliest prototype of the exhibition industry， and the birthplace of the \"market\". It’s also known as one of the four ancient capitals of the world， and regarded as Rome of the East.

The splendid beauty of Chang’an in the past has been replaced by the prosperous scene of Xi’an today， and with a brand-new image， it rises on the land of China again. Nowadays， on its way to a new stage， Xi’an has become an important city for international exchanges in China by scientifi c development， deepening reform and expanding opening up. It also relies on various international conferences and exhibitions to promote the development of the economy and urban infrastructure construction.

In recent years， Xi’an has served as a core city to promote the \"Belt and Road Initiative”. The rapid development of economy and trade has directly boosted the development of the exhibition industry. With a large number of well-known exhibitions and conventions held in this ancient city， Xi’an has enjoyed a high reputation home and abroad. For example， thanks to Euro--Asia Economic Forum， Western Digital Economy Expo， Auto Show Xi’an， and World Culture and Tourism Forum， Xi’an has built an international exchange platform. Xi’an has not only set up a number of well-known exhibitions and conventions to grow the economy， but also introduced well-known brand events to support the local economy and trade， and promote industrial transformation and upgrading.

According to the statistics by Xi’an Bureau of Commerce， a total number of 332 exhibitions and conferences were held in Xi’an in 2021. Among them， there were 74 exhibitions， 196 conferences and 62 festival events， which increases 13.7% yearon-year. These events have effectively promoted the development of both the city’s economy and the regional economy.

Relying on the MICE industry， Xi’an has made great achievements in economy and trade. In my opinion， focusing on the \"14th Five-Year Plan\" layout， it is particularly important to continue to further develop the MICE industry.

First， speed up the exhibition and convention industry layout by focusing on the national strategy. Deploy new development around \"dual circulation\"， \"dual carbon goals\" and \"dual integration\"； promote the development of the \"Belt and Road\" economic zone， and strengthen exchanges and cooperation with countries alongside the \"Belt and Road\"， especially in MICE industry； reinforce the in-depth impact of the MICE industry on new technologies， new formats， and new consumption.

Second， convert old and new kinetic energy and strengthen exchanges and cooperation. The increase of exhibitions and conferences leads to more fierce competition. Xi’an’s MICE industry should participate in the global competition， thus to promote learning， exchanges and cooperation， and to improve the quality of the local MICE industry market development， and the high-quality development of exhibition brands.

Finally， enhance the momentum of development with technological innovation. The exhibition industry needs to improve development with technological innovation. The application of big data， information technology and artificial intelligence in the exhibition industry should be increased. Improve operational effi ciency and expand development space.

As depicted in a poem of WANG Wei （a famous poet in Tang Dynasty）， “Heaven’s nine doors reveal the palace and it’s courtyards； and people in the coats of many countries bow to the Pearl Crown”， China enjoyed great prosperity during Tang Dynasty because of the opening of the ancient Silk Road. Thousands of years later， China has restarted the establishment of the \"Silk Road\" economic belt， which can be called as the outlook of \"New Silk Road\". The MICE industry now plays an indispensable role in the economic development to restore the prosperity of the western regions.