The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), co-organised the “Training Seminar for Joint Development of Guangdong-Macao Convention and Exhibition Industry”. It was successfully held in Guangzhou on 12 and 13 May 2016.

In a bid to strengthen exchanges and co-operation between convention and exhibition industries in Guangdong and Macao, IPIM organised a delegation of 30 representatives from the Macao convention and exhibition industry to join the training seminar in Guangzhou. The delegates included representatives of the Macao Convention and Exhibition Association, Macau Fair and Trade Association, Association of Advertising Agents of Macau, Macau Federal Commercial Association of Convention and Exhibition Industry and representatives of local convention and exhibition companies.

The opening ceremony was held on 12 May. Irene V.K. Lau, Executive Director of IPIM, and Zhou Tong, Deputy Director General of the Department of Trade and Investment Promotion for CCPIT, made speeches to nearly 80 participants attending the seminar.

Zhu Hong, Deputy Director – General of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, and Yan Zhigang, Director of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, also attended the opening ceremony.

The seminar aimed to promote the growth of the Macao convention and exhibition industry and enhance exchanges and co-operation between the convention and exhibition industry in Mainland China and Macao.

Such an initiative was in response to guidelines – contained under China’s 13th Five-Year Plan – on deepening co-operation and development between Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao.

The seminar analysed the trends and characteristics of the evolution of the convention and exhibition industry under the new market fundamentals. In doing so the seminar sought to expedite the joint development of a Guangdong-Macao convention and exhibition industry, and to achieve mutual benefits.

During the two-day seminar, several experts and instructors from the Ministry of Commerce of China, the China Convention and Exhibition Society and from IPIM, explored and analysed with the trainees the development, trends and characteristics of the Guangdong-Macao convention and exhibition sector. All parties had productive interactions and exchanges, which will contribute to facilitating co-operation in the regional convention and exhibition sector.