SHENZHEN is drawing interest from international business and incentive-travel groups with experiences centered on artificial intelligence, robotics and other technologies.

Overseas clients are increasingly interested in visiting Shenzhen and Hangzhou to learn about emerging technologies, said Linda Wang, country director at Beijing-based Asia Concierge, a destination management company that designs customized trips and corporate experiences.

“They’re interested in robotic experiences, smart restaurants, smart hotels,” Wang told China Daily.

She cited safety, competitive hospitality prices and the range of destinations across China as advantages in attracting international incentive groups.

The interest in Shenzhen reflects a broader shift in China’s meetings and exhibitions industry, where companies are pairing events with opportunities to explore the country’s technology and business sectors.

China accounted for 30.7% of the world’s indoor exhibition venue capacity at the end of 2025, compared with 13.9% for the United States and 7% for Germany, according to the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry’s 2026 World Map of Exhibition Venues report.

At IMEX America 2026 held in October in Las Vegas, the U.S., industry professionals said that easier visa access, improved transportation and growing interest in China’s technology sector are creating new opportunities for corporate meetings, incentive travel and professional exchanges.

“The infrastructure has improved dramatically over the last 30 years,” said Alex Mortensen, a Los Angeles-based sales director for HiSEAS International Tourism Group.

International groups increasingly want to visit Chinese companies, factories, laboratories and innovation centers, said Bautista Vera Feld, business development lead at WildChina, which specializes in customized travel and corporate experiences.

“They’re not only interested in seeing a destination. They also want to understand how its businesses innovate, develop products and achieve growth,” Feld said.

China’s meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry is becoming more comprehensive, he said.

Success depends not only on impressive venues, but also on bringing together the facilities, services and experiences needed to host international events, according to Feld.

(SD News)