2019 Winter Expo: Gathering Over 600 Domestic and International Exhibitors with Highlights Across All Zones

Experience a colorful winter wonderland on the rainbow dry ski slope, enjoy the thrill of playing in the snow in a mobile igloo, get a preview of the Olympic vibe in the Olympic-themed exhibition area, and have an up-close encounter with Santa Claus from Finland with “authentic lineage.” On October 17, the 2019 International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo (hereinafter referred to as the Winter Expo) opened. Reporters at the scene observed that over 600 domestic and international exhibitors showcased achievements in the ice and snow equipment, technology, winter sports tourism, and education industries, opening visitors' eyes to a whole new world.

As the world’s premier ice and snow exhibition, this year's Winter Expo spans 30,000 square meters and has drawn exhibitors from nearly 20 global winter sports powerhouses such as Finland, Austria, and Norway, along with brands from various countries and regions. The expo features more than ten themed zones, including the Olympic-themed exhibition area, national pavilions, winter and alpine technology, indoor ice and snow technology, outdoor and personal equipment, winter tourism destinations, provincial and municipal group exhibitions, winter sports culture, ice and snow incubation, ice and snow in schools, media zones, and the public ice and snow carnival.

At the expo site, Cai Qi, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee and Chairman of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics; Xu Qin, Deputy Secretary of the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, Governor of Hebei Province, and Executive Chairman of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee; Zhang Jiandong, Vice Mayor of Beijing and Executive Vice Chairman of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee; Han Zirong, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee; Jiang Xiaoyu, Vice President of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association; Liu Jingmin, Executive Vice President of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association; Fu Xiaohui, Secretary-General of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association; Xu Zhou, President of IDG Asia; and Zhu Dongfang, Vice President of IDG Asia, visited booths including those of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Beijing Winter Olympics Documentary Channel, Shougang Group, Zhangjiakou, Jilin City, Yanqing, Changbai Mountain, the Ice Experience Zone (Ouye Real Ice Show), Burton, Mingxing Snow, Shijingshan, Cabrin Ski, the Finnish National Pavilion, the Norwegian Innovation Agency, the French Alps Pavilion, and the Canadian Tourism Board, and spoke highly of the work done at this Winter Expo.

In the Olympic-themed exhibition area, the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee pavilion showcased the overall preparation and progress of the highly anticipated Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics under the preparation principles of “full participation, full breakthroughs, and full impact,” allowing visitors to experience the Olympic atmosphere up close. The Chinese Olympic Committee pavilion focused on three aspects—Olympic imagery, preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the goal of getting 300 million people involved in ice and snow sports—to comprehensively present the development journey of China’s ice and snow sports and industry. The Chinese Olympic Committee also invited Asian short track speed skating champion Li Jiajun to the event to explain ice and snow sports knowledge and promote these activities. The Shijingshan District of Beijing set up an on-site curling rink to showcase the charm of curling to the public, with enthusiastic participation from attendees. The Shougang Beijing Park booth demonstrated the unique appeal of reusing world industrial heritage and revitalizing industrial areas. Its booth design was inspired by the flying apsaras from Dunhuang murals and modeled after the Shougang Big Air structure, attracting many visitors. The Zhangjiakou Pavilion presented the city’s efforts to build a global “Ice and Snow New City” through four sections: city profile, ice and snow industrial park, ice and snow equipment, and Winter Olympics preparations, highlighting Zhangjiakou’s determination to create an “extraordinary, splendid, and excellent” Winter Olympics ice and snow industry. The Yanqing Pavilion showcased Yanqing’s distinctive ice and snow resources and industry development via three parts: Beautiful Yanqing, Ice and Snow Summer Capital, and supporting facilities. Yanqing also leveraged new technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, drones, and smart platforms to build a high-tech Winter Olympics.

In the national group exhibition area, multiple countries participated, including Finland, Austria, Norway, France, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Georgia, the United States, Canada, and the Czech Republic. As the guest country of honor for this expo, Finland presented a diverse, richly formatted, and well-resourced exhibition. A delegation of over 40 Finnish enterprises and institutions focused on three themes—education and training, intelligent design, and culture and tourism—to demonstrate their strengths in ice and snow equipment, training, education, and tourism, giving visitors access to cutting-edge product information, representative new industry concepts, and a taste of the power of a leading ice and snow nation. The most authentic Santa Claus from Rovaniemi, Finland, also made an appearance, interacting joyfully with the audience and bringing them closer to Finland’s winter world. In the Austrian pavilion, Austria showcased its abundant ice and snow resources and key sectors of its economy, highlighting the great potential for cooperation between Austria’s winter sports industry and China. The Norwegian pavilion displayed its winter sports coach training camps and ski experience programs, fascinating visitors with the polar exploration stories of Norwegian adventurers. In the Canadian pavilion, staff gave a presentation themed “Canada’s Ice and Snow,” sharing the rich tourism resources and programs available in British Columbia.

The Public Ice and Snow Carnival experience area created a grand ice and snow entertainment event through a variety of hands-on experiences and special activities. At the scene, reporters saw that attendees could enjoy the fun of skating on real ice, participate in engaging curling interactions under instructor guidance, experience the unique thrill of skiing on simulated machines, and watch trendy winter and outdoor fashion shows at the Yulin City promotional event. The event attracted numerous visitors. “There’s a mobile real snow house where you can build snowmen and have snowball fights, plus some less common ice and snow activities, which really let me feel the unique charm of winter sports,” said an excited young attendee.

The Winter and Alpine Technology, Indoor Ice and Snow Technology, and Outdoor and Personal Equipment zones also gathered outstanding exhibitors from both China and abroad. For instance, at the Cabrin booth, a renowned domestic ice and snow brand, visitors could see professional equipment such as snowmaking machines, snow machines, and snow groomers. At the Mingxing booth, mobile igloos and all-weather snow parks attracted a large number of ice and snow enthusiasts eager to enjoy indoor snowfall. In the Ouye Ice Experience Area, a real ice show stage allowed guests to freely explore the excitement of ice sports. In addition, internationally and domestically renowned brands such as Secret Garden (Secret Garden Resort), China Olympic Committee-related groups, Bomond, Wandee, Doppelmayr, Shengxiang Ski, Xueyilan, Notek, TechnoAlpin, Alpina, Decathlon, Kono, Yispu, Yingjie, Hongliang Sports, Tuocheng Sports Technology, and Luckin Coffee all made impressive displays at the expo.

It is reported that the Winter Expo will run until the 20th of this month. By registering through the official website or WeChat account, you can join this top-tier global ice and snow extravaganza. Interested friends, hurry up and head to the Beijing National Convention Center to begin your “ice and snow fairy tale journey”!