New Ideas at the Beijing Cycle of the Winter Expo: Ice and Snow Power to Help Achieve a 300-Billion-Yuan Industry Growth

    Reporters learned on site that,The 2018 International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo will be held from September 19 to September 22, 2018 in Beijing.Themed "Ice and Snow Power," this year's Winter Expo will comprehensively cover the entire ice and snow industry chain through eight major exhibition sections, a main forum plus parallel forums, industry matchmaking, and special promotional events. The Expo will feature a 30,000-square-meter exhibition area, host over 20 parallel forums and supporting activities, attract participation from more than 500 domestic and international brands, see nearly 24,000 representatives from professional organizations attending for discussions, and expect around 150,000 visitors.

    "Hosting the Winter Expo meets the needs of the development of the ice and snow industry, effectively building a platform to promote the growth of the industry and the popularization of winter sports. It is not only a commitment to the bid for the Winter Olympics but also an important measure to promote the Olympic spirit and support the preparation of the Beijing Winter Olympics."Liu Jingmin, Executive Vice President of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association, introduced that as a professional platform for the exchange and development of China's ice and snow industry, the Winter Expo will integrate multiple resources to help achieve the goal of 300-billion-yuan industry growth.

    Fu Xiaohui announces Austria as the Guest Country of Honor for the 2018 Winter Expo

    Attendees jointly witness the signing of the Guest Country of Honor agreement

    Christoph Leitl delivers a speech

    According to the plan, the 2018 Winter Expo will be held from September 19 to 22 at the National Convention Center. In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, with the goal of "getting 300 million people involved in ice and snow sports," actively promoting the preparation work for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, serving the national "Belt and Road" strategy, and in line with the coordinated development plan of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Expo aims to elevate the level of winter sports in China, strive to build the Beijing-Zhangjiakou sports, culture, and tourism belt, and assist in the development of China’s ice and snow industry.

     To take concrete actions in welcoming the arrival of the “Beijing Cycle” of the Winter Olympics, based on the experience gained from the 2016 and 2017 editions, the 2018 Winter Expo, themed "Ice and Snow Power," will continue with the four formats of industry forums, exhibitions, industry matchmaking, and special events, while introducing nine highlight activities: Guest Country of Honor cooperation, Olympic Cities Forum, launch of the Ice and Snow Think Tank project, enhanced focus on the Belt and Road theme, creation of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou sports, culture, and tourism belt, promotion of on-snow product demonstrations (On Snow Demo), establishment of an Ice and Snow Media Alliance, setting up an e-commerce partner negotiation zone, and conducting online business matchmaking.

IDGSpeech by Xu Zhou, Vice President for Asia

    Among these, the industry forum section emphasizes internationalism, professionalism, and industrial leadership, contributing ideas and strategies for the sustainable development of “dual-Olympic” cities through exchange activities such as the Olympic Cities Forum. In the exhibition section, while continuing the concept of the Guest Country of Honor, introducing winter tourism destinations, venue construction and facilities, mountain and winter sports-related technologies, personal clothing and equipment, ice and snow technology, ice and snow events and culture, it also highlights the role of the Winter Expo in serving national strategies and supporting the preparation of the Winter Olympics through features like the “Belt and Road” countries import-export exhibition area and the Beijing-Zhangjiakou sports, culture, and tourism belt. In the industry matchmaking and special event sections, by organizing industry matchmaking services related to the Expo, industry research, sector awards, startup and innovation project support, On Snow Demo, and ice and snow culture dissemination, a full-industry-chain trading platform for the winter sports industry will be built, striving to create a world-class winter sports exhibition.

    To fulfill the commitments made to the international community and the International Olympic Committee during Beijing and Zhangjiakou’s bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics, support the preparation of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, promote comprehensive progress in China’s sports, and foster and lead the vigorous development of the winter sports industry in China, with the approval of the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, the Winter Expo adopts the overall idea of "connecting with international winter sports resources and boosting the development of China’s ice and snow industry." It uses exhibitions to promote popularization, forums to drive improvement, and a series of events to enhance exchanges, aiming to become an authoritative and mass-participatory ice and snow sports exhibition with a certain scale within 5 to 8 years. The Expo seeks to advance the development of China’s winter sports and the rise of the ice and snow industry, and support the successful hosting of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

    After two years of effort, the Winter Expo has gradually become a new brand in Beijing’s winter sports industry exhibitions, playing an increasingly prominent role in promoting the popularization of winter sports and advancing the development of the ice and snow industry.Meanwhile, the hosting of the Winter Expo has received active participation from the International Olympic Committee, the seven international winter sports federations, leading winter sports nations in Europe and America, and domestic industry players. IOC President Thomas Bach spoke highly of the Winter Expo, stating that "the Winter Expo has not only become an important measure in supporting the preparation of the Beijing Winter Olympics, but I believe it will also make greater contributions to the development and growth of winter Olympic sports in China, which has the largest population in the world."