Xiaoshan district of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is seeking to gather momentum for its booming exhibition industry, local media reported on Jan 28.

Since being the host of the G20 Summit at the Hangzhou International Expo Center, Xiaoshan has witnessed an upsurge in the number of exhibitions and meetings.

Official statistics reveals that in 2018, the district hosted a total of 9,115 meetings and exhibitions of various kinds, accounting for two-thirds of the amount for the whole city and generating 1.22 billion yuan ($181.22 million) in revenue, almost two times compared with that in 2016.

Hangzhou International Expo Center, in particular, pocketed a 15 percent increase in economic revenues last year.

To maintain the positive development trend, Xiaoshan in recent years has made the exhibition industry a priority in emerging industries, and established an action plan and supportive policies accordingly.

Each year, local government allocates a special fund worth 50-million yuan to support exhibition activities, facilities and talents in the key industries, including new energy vehicles, the bio-economy, and information technology.

In 2018, Xiaoshan attracted more than 3 million people to participate in various meetings and exhibitions, including 135,000 overseas personnel. According to statistics, the bourgeoning exhibition industry also gave a boost to the accommodation, catering, logistics, new retail and tourism industries with their economic revenue hitting around 10 billion yuan.

In the coming year, the district will take advantage of the influence of the Hangzhou International Expo Center, and introduce more international exhibition projects, in a bid to inject new impetus to the upgrading and transformation of local emerging industries.