Mr Shi Dong, vice president of event organiser Mack Brooks Exhibitions (Shanghai) Ltd, tells Airside all about what visitors to inter airport China, to be held in Beijing between 5 and 7 September, have to look forward to
Is this year’s inter airport China expected to be as popular as ever?
By as early as the end of March this year, 95% of the booths for the 8th inter airport China had already been booked, the stands to be placed in an exhibition area of over 10,000 square metres. There will be over 200 exhibitors and brands at the show.
inter airport China will attract guests and buyers from China’s top 35 airports, five newly built or rebuilt airports, its top 10 airlines and many other areas related to airports. Plus, it is expected that over 4,000 professional visitors will come to the show.
In addition, there will be a German Pavilion, British Pavilion, Danish Pavilion and Italian Pavilion at inter airport China.
Would you say that the last inter airport China in Beijing was a success?
The last inter airport China maintained its influence and a high standard of professionalism. There were more than 200 companies and brands from around the world and 3,538 visitors from 34 countries attended the show; all the visitors were from airports, airlines and other relevant industry sectors.
We are proud to claim that the visitor satisfaction level was 99%. From the feedback of the exhibitors and the visitors, the last session was certainly successful.
Did that event build on a growing success of inter airport China shows over the years?
inter airport China has been successfully organised seven times over the past 14 years since 2004, when inter airport China was first introduced. From only one pavilion at first, to the present indoor and outdoor exhibiting area, from 2,000 to 4,000 visitors today, we are making progress every time.
This year will be the 8th edition of inter airport China, and it has undoubtedly become China’s largest and most influential professional exhibition in the area of airport construction.
What would you say made the 2016 event stand out? What was different about it to previous shows?
The highlight of the 2016 show was that we had two different themes of forums. We had always had a discussion zone at previous shows but, in 2016, we co-operated with two industry associations and organised two forums: ‘China’s airport development in the 13th Five-Year Plan’ and ‘New technology exchange meeting’. More than 200 experts and scholars from 56 Chinese airports, airlines and the field of airport construction attended the forums.
What will be different this year? What have you learnt from previous shows that will feed into the coming event?
After the success of the forums in the last edition of the show, we will hold more events like forums, seminars, airport visits and various collaborative activities this year.
Both indoor and outdoor exhibition areas are ready for the events, making the whole exhibition period a lively one. In addition, we will upgrade the VIP buyer plan of the airport, and invite purchasing decision-makers from key domestic airports, providing the exhibitors with more opportunities to promote their products.
Will there be any particular themes that this year’s show will address? If so, how and why?
China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative will bring huge business opportunities to the whole airport industry. No less than 124 airports are currently under construction in the country and it is estimated that the total number of civilian airports in China will reach 260 by 2020.
inter airport China 2018 will take the construction and development of airports in China under the ‘Belt and Road’ project as the theme and hold relevant activities around it. We will also invite guests from airports along the One Belt And One Road to the site to share the development prospects associated with China’s Air Silk Road with us.
Does the show’s location in Beijing represent a significant advantage for it, given the rapid growth of China’s aviation industry?
It is reported that there will be around 166 million passengers on flights passing through Beijing by 2020, and the city’s new airport, Daxing Airport, will be operating by October 2019. Total investment in the Beijing Daxing International Airport project is RMB79.98 billion, and RMB30 billion investment is open to private capital. Beijing’s geographical location will allow it to act as a regional hub for China and even Asia.
Beijing, as the capital of China, has always been the number one choice for China’s exhibition industry. It hosts the largest number of exhibitions that have UFI certification in China [UFI describes itself as ‘the global association of the exhibition industry’ and it states that ‘UFI Approved Event labels are a global stamp of authority for high-quality exhibitions’].
Beijing also enjoys unique conditions and advantages in the developing exhibition economy. So it is self-evident why inter airport China is held in Beijing.
The aviation industry has generally had a good year; will that be reflected in the success of events such as inter airport China 2018?
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global aviation industry net profit will reach US$38.4 billion in 2018, and this will represent the fourth consecutive year of sustained profit growth in the airline industry. Indeed, there is now more travel than ever before and air cargo demand is at its highest level in more than a decade.
China, as an indispensable part of the world aviation industry, will also deliver satisfactory results: in addition to Beijing Daxing International Airport, the first phase of the Chengdu Tianfu Airport construction project is expected to be completed in 2019, involving a total investment of RMB56.21 billion.
Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport is expected to be completed in 2019 and will involve an investment of about RMB38.18 billion, with its terminal area planned to cover 700,000 square metres.
Other airports like Chongqing Wushan Airport, Wulong Xiannvshan Airport, Hubei Ezhou Airport, Jiangsu Lianyungang Huaguoshan International Airport and Anhui Wuhu Xuancheng Airport are also receiving heavy investment and are expected to be completed over the next couple of years.
The expansion of the global aviation industry, the booming development of China’s airport industry, and the holding of inter airport China in Beijing will mean a win-win situation of ‘1+1+1’, and all the relevant people in the airport industry will gain a lot from it.
All that investment must be very good news for the Chinese aviation industry?
On 19 January 2018, new ‘domestic investment in civil aviation industry regulations’ were unveiled. Civil aviation investment and private capital will be allowed for the airport industry and there will no longer be limits on this in many areas. The new regulations cover airlines, airports, terminals and other core areas of civil aviation.
All in all, the new regulations aim to encourage, support and guide state-owned and non-state-owned enterprises to invest in civil aviation and regulate investment behaviours among civil aviation enterprises. Private capital will have more opportunities to share a trillion RMB market.
