THE construction of a new convention and exhibition center will start this September and it will be put into use in two years, the Municipal Economy, Trade and Information Commission said.

    The new exhibition center, to be located to the north of Shenzhen International Airport, will cover an area of 500,000 square meters and be the world’s largest exhibition center upon completion.

    The new exhibition center will be built on reclaimed land in west Shenzhen. The exhibition center is expected to boost the area’s economy.

    The construction of the center’s first phase, covering an area of 400,000 square meters, will start this September and be available to host fairs in 2018.

    The National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai is currently the largest exhibition center in China, with exhibition halls covering 400,000 square meters. The Hannover Exhibition Center in Germany now has the world’s largest exhibiting area at 496,000 square meters.

    Construction of a new exhibition and convention center is necessary because the existing Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian is unable to meet market demand. The existing center in Futian CBD, which only occupies 105,000 square meters, is fully booked.

    Many fairs fill its 11 halls and cannot expand. For instance, the China Hi-Tech Fair has been held there for more than 10 years and cannot accommodate more exhibitors.

    The new convention and exhibition center in west Shenzhen will host larger fairs while the existing center will be home to smaller fairs after the new one is completed. Analysts say the conventions industry has made a greater contribution to Shenzhen’s economy than tourism.

    (Zhang Qian)