On the morning of August 28, the press conference for the 2018 International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo was held in the press briefing room of the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office. The organizers, the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and International Data Group (IDG), shared the latest progress in the preparation for the expo in detail. Gao Yunchao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association, Zhang Li, Vice President of IDG China, Austrian Commercial Counsellor Guo Lizhi (the guest country of honor), and more than a hundred veteran journalists and industry professionals attended the event.
Gao Yunchao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association, introduced the preparation status for the 2018 Winter Expo and the significance of entering the “Beijing Cycle” for the Winter Olympics during the press conference.
Gao Yunchao stated that as the Winter Olympics officially enters the “Beijing Cycle,” global attention has shifted to Beijing. Over the next four years, Beijing will prove to the world not only that it can successfully host the Winter Olympics, but also that it can leverage the opportunity beyond the competitive arena to promote ice and snow sports culture, advance the popularization of winter sports, and become a formidable force in the global ice and snow community.
According to Zhang Li, Vice President of IDG China, since its inception in 2016, the Winter Expo has aimed to upgrade China’s ice and snow industry and support the goal of “300 million people participating in ice and snow sports.” With the accelerated promotion of winter sports across the country, and backed by a vast market and population base, the two consecutive successful editions have established the Winter Expo as one of the world’s largest and most authoritative ice and snow events. This edition has garnered high attention from the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, with nearly 20 officials including IOC members and mayors of Winter Olympic cities set to attend the 2018 Winter Expo.
Winter Olympics Enters “Beijing Cycle” – New Highlights of the Winter Expo Showcase Global Flair
According to Zhang Li, this year’s Winter Expo, themed “The Power of Ice and Snow,” integrates multiple dimensions such as winter sports, the ice and snow industry, tourism and leisure, and youth training through eight exhibition zones, a main forum plus parallel forums, industry matchmaking, and special promotional events, covering the entire ice and snow industry chain. The exhibition area will expand to 30,000 square meters, featuring over twenty parallel forums and thematic activities, attracting more than 500 domestic and international brands — including 35% from about 20 overseas countries — with an estimated 24,000 professional delegates attending for business discussions and 150,000 visitors expected.
Zhang Li noted that the 2018 Winter Expo will present “nine major highlights”: Austria, the birthplace of modern alpine skiing, serves as the guest country of honor; an Olympic Cities Forum will be launched; the Ice and Snow Think Tank project will be initiated; the Belt and Road theme will be emphasized to jointly advance the ice and snow industry; efforts will promote the development of the “Beijing-Zhangjiakou Sports, Culture and Tourism Belt”; snow product demonstrations will be advanced; collaboration with leading media and institutions will establish an International Ice and Snow Media Alliance; a dedicated e-commerce partner negotiation zone will be set up; and online business matchmaking will be conducted.
Key exhibition areas include: the Winter Olympics Theme Zone, National Pavilions and International Sports Organizations Zone, Winter and Alpine Technology Zone, Winter Tourism Destinations Zone, Dry Ski and Dry Snow & Personal Equipment Zone, Winter Sports Culture Zone, and Media Zone. These comprehensive exhibition zones will provide a full and multi-angle showcase of the global ice and snow industry’s development.
The Winter Olympics Theme Zone includes: the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, the Chinese Olympic Committee, the 2020 Lausanne Youth Olympic Games (Switzerland), Yanqing District, Shougang Group, and other Winter Olympics-related enterprises. The area also features live ice shows, cross-country skiing and shooting, and curling activity experience zones.
National Pavilions include themed exhibition areas for ice and snow countries, international sports organizations, and domestic regions: Austria (guest country of honor), Canada, Finland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Czech Republic, Nordic Countries Pavilion. International sports organizations include: the International Biathlon Union, the International Ski Federation, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, and the Ice and Snow Industry Alliance. Domestic regions include the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau, Jilin Provincial Sports Bureau, Jilin City, Altay Region of Xinjiang, Yanqing District of Beijing, Shijingshan District of Beijing, Xuanhua District of Zhangjiakou, High-Tech Zone of Zhangjiakou, Fushun Municipal Sports Bureau, and others.
The Winter and Alpine Technology Zone focuses on showcasing large-scale machinery and equipment, venue planning, design, and operations service providers. Representative companies include: Kässbohrer, Bomag, AST, Doppelmayr, Leitner, MND, AXIS, Beijing Crane and Transport Machinery Design & Research Institute, Jihua Mingxing, COPO, 17hua, Yahao, Senlinxue, BMF, Shandong Century Star, Zhongti Shanjian, Impulse, SDSC, Aerospace Esno, Snow Dream City, Zamboni, Maxxum, Nordtek, Ice Palace Craftsman, Aileta, and others.
Winter Tourism Destinations and Renowned Ski Resorts include: St. Moritz Tourism Board, Nagano Prefecture (Japan), Tohoku Tourism Organization, Changbai Mountain, Beidahu, Shengxiang Ski Resort, Secret Garden (Yunding), Club Med, and others.
Dry Ski, Dry Snow & Personal Equipment include: Alpinetg, Elan, Aerospace Esno, Mammoth Extreme, Benrun, Liski, BigAirBag, Tengte Sports, Senhaida, and others.
The Winter Sports Culture Zone includes: ice and snow IP events, sports universities and colleges, training institutions, media, art collections, SWIX, Dongyun Sports, Excel Career College, Cascadia, and domestic sports colleges.
The Media Zone includes: CCTV.com, People's Daily Online, Sina.com, Tencent.com, Snow News, China Snow, Sports Ecosystem, and others.
International Forums Gather Industry Leaders – High-Level Dialogues Lead Industry Development
Additionally, during the 2018 Winter Expo, the 2018 International Winter Sports (Beijing) Theme Forum on September 19 will focus on the theme of “The Power of Ice and Snow.” Domestic and international ice and snow leaders will engage in dialogue on building the blueprint and brand landscape for China’s ice and snow industry.
At the opening ceremony and main forum, invited speakers will include leaders from the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, Beijing Municipal Government, the General Administration of Sport of China, as well as representatives from the International Olympic Committee, the International Ski Federation, the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Austrian Ambassador to China, and other international organizations. Key attendees at the opening include: Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., Vice President of the International Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission; Christophe Dubi, Executive Director of the Olympic Games Department at the IOC; Irina Gueladko, Project Manager for Winter Sports and IF Relations at the IOC; Risto Nieminen, Member of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission; Gian Franco Kasper, IOC Member, President of the International Ski Federation, and Member of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission; Ivo Ferriani, IOC Member, President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, and Member of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission; Kate Caithness, President of the World Curling Federation and Member of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission; Sara Lewis, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation; Jan Dijkema, President of the International Skating Union; Ryan Fahel, IOC Member, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and Member of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission; Nicolas Bideau, President of the Swiss State Secretariat for International Financial Matters; Karl Stoss, President of the Austrian Olympic Committee; Ambassadors Shi Difu (Austria) and Matti Anttonen (Finland); Mayor Gregoire Junod of Lausanne (Switzerland) and President of the World Union of Olympic Cities; Mélanie Duparc, Secretary General of the World Union of Olympic Cities; Georg Willi, Mayor of Innsbruck (Austria); Anatoly Pakhomov, Mayor of Sochi (Russia); Katsuhiro Akimoto, Mayor of Sapporo (Japan); Jackie Biskupski, Mayor of Salt Lake City (USA); Ian Logan, President of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympics; and leaders from the Chinese Olympic Committee, among others.
During the roundtable dialogue session, thought exchanges and collisions of wisdom will take place among numerous domestic and international leaders from various fields, including leaders of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, Nicolas Bideau, Karl Stoss, Austrian Commercial Counsellor Guo Lizhi, and Finnish Ambassador Matti Anttonen. Following this, a champion dialogue will feature athletes Wang ..., Guo Dandan, Liu Jinli, and Paralympic Winter Games champion Chen Jianxin from Yanqing.
In addition to the exciting main forum, numerous parallel forums will focus on new breakthroughs during the Beijing Cycle for the Winter Olympics:
Olympic Cities Development Forum. Mayors of successful Winter Olympic host cities, urban planners, designers, and operations management experts will discuss key topics such as Winter Olympics opportunities and urban development, post-Games venue utilization, and international cooperation, offering insights and innovative paths for sustainable development as a dual-Olympic city.
In addition to the Olympic Cities Development Forum, other parallel forums include the Youth Ice and Snow Popularization Forum, Venue Design and Construction Forum, Winter Sports Brand Conference, WSTOPS Awards Ceremony, Ice and Snow Entrepreneurship Competition, Ski Resort Operations Management Forum, Winter Sports Tourism Industry Forum, Winter Sports Technology Innovation Forum, and Winter Sports Talent Development Forum — each offering unique themes and industry leadership.
Supporting Activities Boost China’s Ice and Snow Industry – Showcasing Industry Brand Landscape
During the 2018 Winter Expo, supporting activities will further amplify the expo’s role in the ice and snow industry, including the WSTOPS Awards Ceremony, Ice and Snow Entrepreneurship Competition, China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report, and Yanqing Sub-venue.
WSTOPS Awards Ceremony. The development of China’s ice and snow industry requires the emergence of more leading enterprises to leverage brand influence and market appeal. Through the WSTOPS Awards, corporate case sharing, and brand collaboration, the event aims to drive the growth of China’s ice and snow industry and showcase the industry’s brand landscape.
Ice and Snow Entrepreneurship Competition. The wave of sports industry development and innovation presents boundless opportunities for the ice and snow market. The competition selects outstanding entrepreneurial projects in areas such as winter sports equipment, ski resorts and tourism destinations, winter tourism culture, event marketing, and AR/VR for winter sports. Selected projects will pitch, network, and seek investment at the Winter Expo. The platform aims to incubate future stars of China’s ice and snow industry.
China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report. Although China’s ice and snow industry started late, it has grown at an astonishing pace. Comprehensive and timely research on both internal and external environments is essential. This report aims to summarize achievements and lessons, analyze the industry landscape, outline future trends, and provide a scientific, professional, and authoritative white paper for the development of China’s ice and snow industry.
Yanqing Sub-venue. Themed “Winter Olympics Yanqing, Green Development,” discussions and dialogues covered multiple topics including “The Winter Olympics’ Role in Promoting the Ice and Snow Industry and Tourism in Yanqing,” “Model Projects,” and “Green Living, Beautiful Homeland.”
Hosting the Winter Expo was a solemn commitment Beijing made to the international community when bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Over the past two years, the Winter Expo has gradually evolved into a large-scale, highly internationalized, authoritative, and widely participated ice and snow industry event. The Winter Expo will continue to be dedicated to promoting the development of winter sports in China and the rise of the ice and snow industry, facilitating industrial transformation and development, and encouraging 300 million Chinese people to participate in winter sports.