On the afternoon of August 28th, it was revealed at the release event for the “2023 Guangdong Province Exhibition Industry Development White Paper” (White Paper) and the Greater Bay Area Exhibition Industry Symposium that, according to the incomplete statistics, Guangdong held 781 exhibitions in 2023, covering an area of 27.639 million square meters. This represents increases of 266.67% and 224.95%, respectively, compared to 2022, making Guangdong the leading province in both the number of exhibitions and exhibition area nationwide.
According to the White Paper, Guangdong held 681 exhibitions covering an area of 21.8963 million square meters in 2019. By 2023, the number of exhibitions and exhibition areas had increased by 14.68% and 26.23% respectively compared to 2019, indicating a strong overall recovery of the exhibition industry. Additionally, notable trends include the dual-core development centered around Guangzhou and Shenzhen, robust performance of new consumer-related exhibitions, a surge in enterprises participating in and organizing exhibitions abroad, and a rapid acceleration of digitalization within the industry.
In terms of development patterns, the “dual-core leadership” characteristic has become more pronounced, with Guangzhou and Shenzhen together accounting for 64.66% of the total number of exhibitions and 76.36% of the total exhibition area in the province.
In terms of exhibition types, consumer-related exhibitions in new fields like pets, anime, mobile games, trendy toys, and smart products, which cater to the diverse and personalized needs of younger consumers, are booming and becoming new growth areas for the industry. The White Paper shows that groups with spending power increasingly favor high-tech products, and the younger generation is more willing to spend on products to gain “emotional value” and “experiential value”, leading to a swift recovery of industry exhibitions related to these products in 2023.
Notably, there has been a significant increase in overseas exhibitions, with over 30,000 Guangdong-based enterprises participating in more than 200 overseas events, showcasing a surge in outbound exhibition activity. Many of these exhibitions are targeting emerging markets such as ASEAN, the Middle East, and Russia. Additionally, 55.39% of these events are held in regions along the “Belt and Road” routes, and 35.78% are located in RCEP member countries.
There are still several constraints noted in the White Paper for the province’s exhibition industry, such as rising exhibition costs, a severe “exhibition hustlers” phenomenon, numerous challenges in participating in overseas exhibitions, and difficulties in independently organizing overseas events.
Liao Qihui, Vice Chairman of the Macao Convention & Exhibition Association, highlighted the potential for collaboration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He proposed two approaches: “one exhibition, multiple locations”, where the main event is held in Guangzhou with simultaneous venues in Hong Kong and Macao for differentiated presentations; and “one journey, multiple stops”, where an exhibition moves across different cities in the Greater Bay Area, such as Zhongshan this week and Guangzhou next week, leveraging the strengths of each location.
In response, the White Paper suggests establishing a joint conference system at the policy level for the development of exhibitions in the Greater Bay Area. This system would guide cities within the area to collaboratively develop exhibition industry plans based on their industrial foundations and unique city characteristics. It aims to address challenges such as inadequate support elements, intense regional competition, and new international regulations affecting the development of the exhibition industry in the Greater Bay Area.
增长266.7%！广东展览数量创新高
8月28日下午，记者从《2023年广东省展览业发展白皮书》（以下简称“白皮书”）发布会暨粤港澳大湾区展览业座谈会获悉，据不完全统计，2023年全省共计举办展览会781个、展览面积2763.90万平方米，较2022年数据分别增长266.67%、224.95%，展览数量、展览面积均居全国省份（省、自治区、直辖市）首位。
根据《白皮书》，2019年全省举办展览会681个、展览面积2189.63万平方米，2023年的展览数量、展览面积较2019年分别增长了14.68%、26.23%，展览业全面复苏态势明显。除此之外，还呈现广深双核发展格局、新消费类展览表现强劲、企业“井喷式”走出去参展办展、展览行业数字化不断加速的特点。
在发展格局方面，“双核引领”特征进一步凸显，广州、深圳两城展览数量占全省比重为64.66%，两城展览面积占全省比重为76.36%。
在展馆类型方面，迎合年轻消费群体多元化与个性化需求的宠物、动漫、手游、潮玩、智能产品等新领域的消费类展会火热，逐步成为展览业新的增长点。《白皮书》分析称，有消费力的群体愈发青睐硬核科技产品，新生代更愿意为“情绪价值”“体验价值”消费，因此围绕以上产品的行业展会在2023年复苏较快。
值得注意的是，境外办展呈现大幅度增长，有超过3万家广东企业参加200多场境外展，呈现了“井喷式”走出去参展办展图景。其中，一批展会聚焦东盟、中东、俄罗斯等新兴会展市场，55.39%的展会举办地在“一带一路”沿线地区，35.78%的展会举办地在RECP成员国。
记者注意到，《白皮书》也提到全省展览业发展仍面临着多种制约因素，如办展成本增加、“展虫”现象较为严重、境外参展困难较多、境外独立办展起步艰难等。
对此，澳门会议展览业协会副理事长廖奇辉提到了粤港澳大湾区会展合作的可能性：“我们其实看到了两个方向，一是‘一展多地’，也就是主会展可能设置在广州，分会场可以同步在香港、澳门进行，展商可以进行差异化地呈现；二是‘一程多站’，展览会在大湾区不同城市持续举办，这周在中山、下周去广州，把各地优势联动起来。“
与之对应，《白皮书》也建议在政策层面建立大湾区展览会发展联席会议制度，引导大湾区内各城市立足产业基础和城市特色协同制定会展业发展规划，共同应对大湾区展览业发展过程中存在的要素支撑不足、区域竞争激烈、国际新规则等问题和挑战。
文、表丨记者 许张超 通讯员 粤贸促宣
翻译丨林佳岱
英文审校丨王枥焓