Building Winter Olympics Dreams, Uniting the Power of Ice and Snow – The 3rd Winter Expo Opens Grandly in Beijing

Nine major highlights shine brilliantly, with the Olympic spirit illuminating the venue

2018With the official entry into the “Beijing cycle” for the 2022 Winter Olympics, China’s winter sports are entering a golden period of vigorous development. Driven by a series of favorable policies such as the “Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Sports Industry and Promoting Sports Consumption” and the “Mass Winter Sports Promotion and Popularization Plan (2016–2020),” regions across the country are ramping up efforts to promote winter sports and develop the industry. Enterprises at all levels are also focusing on ice and snow initiatives. Data shows that the number of people participating in winter sports in China and the rate of repeat participation are increasing year by year. Winter sports, once an occasional “luxury,” are quietly becoming a regular “daily necessity.” Effectively leveraging the strategic node of the Beijing Winter Olympics to accelerate progress in infrastructure, market regulations, talent cultivation, and cultural development remains a key focus for all sectors of society.2016~2020With the impetus of a series of favorable policies such as the "Outline for the Development of China's Winter Sports (2016–2025)", regions across the country are stepping up efforts to promote winter sports and develop related industries. Enterprises and institutions at all levels are also actively investing in ice and snow projects. Data shows that both the number of participants in winter sports and the proportion of repeat participants in China have been increasing year by year. Winter sports, once an occasional “luxury,” are quietly transforming into a regular “daily necessity.” How to effectively seize the strategic opportunity of the Beijing Winter Olympics and accelerate comprehensive progress in infrastructure, market standards, talent development, and cultural construction in the field of winter sports remains a key focus of attention for all sectors of society.

This edition of the Winter Expo seizes the valuable opportunity presented by the rapid development of winter sports driven by the Beijing Winter Olympics, bringing visitors a frosty experience featuring nine major highlights. These showcase the scientific development path of winter sports under the backdrop of the Beijing Winter Olympics through various aspects of the industrial chain — including the establishment of an Olympic Cities Forum, which brings together representatives from past Winter Olympic host cities to discuss Olympic opportunities and urban development with Beijing experts; the creation of a Beijing-Zhangjiakou sports, culture, and tourism belt around the three main Winter Olympic venues in Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou, supporting new preparations during the Beijing cycle; continuing to respond to the national “Belt and Road” initiative by inviting multiple countries along the route to participate and engage in industrial resource alignment and cultural exchanges with domestic enterprises; extending and upgrading the distinctive Guest Country of Honor program by inviting winter sports powerhouse Austria as this year’s Guest Country, introducing more advanced Austrian equipment and winter sports training programs; launching the first-ever Snow and Ice Think Tank by inviting senior experts and scholars from both domestic and international winter sports industries to explore the development path of China’s winter sports sector; hosting snow product demonstrations (On Snow Show), with diverse formats such as snow experiences, snow music festivals,Fashion Show,Happy Hour, and ice and snow film festivals to support diversified industry growth; building a media community focused on the ice and snow industry to deliver the latest developments in real time; inviting e-commerce partners to set up dedicated negotiation areas at the expo to systematically integrate channel resources; and utilizing data analysis networks for online business matchmaking to achieve efficient information exchange.

Fu Xiaohui, Secretary-General of the Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association, stated at this Winter Expo: "During the bidding process and preparation work for the2022Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the Association, as an Olympic legacy inheritance organization, played an irreplaceable role and carefully formulated the 'Beijing Cycle Action Plan of the Olympic Promotion Association for the Winter Olympics.' The Winter Expo, as one of the world’s largest and most authoritative ice and snow industry events, is not only a solemn commitment Beijing made to the international community during the bid for the2022Winter Olympics, but also a key driver in boosting the growth of China’s ice and snow industry. It will undoubtedly help showcase our ice and snow strength across all dimensions during the 'Beijing Cycle' of the2022Winter Olympics."

As the largest edition of the Winter Expo to date, this event has set up specialized exhibition areas for global500+ participating brands and9000+ channel partners, covering winter and alpine technologies, dry skiing and dry snow, personal equipment and accessories, venue equipment, ice vehicles, snowmaking machines, winter tourism destinations, and winter sports culture. It systematically presents cutting-edge global ice and snow technologies, equipment,IPevents, winter sports tourism, and winter sports education industry achievements. Exhibitors from Austria, France, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, South Korea, the Czech Republic, and other countries gathered at the Winter Expo to showcase the strengths of ice and snow powerhouses. In addition, the expo also brought together representative enterprises in the fields of large winter sports machinery and equipment, venue planning, design, and operational services, including Kassbohrer, Bomag,AST, Doppelmayr, TechnoAlpin,MND,AXIS, Beijing Crane & Transport Machinery Design & Research Institute, Mingxing, China Olympic, Shiqihua, Yahao, Senlinxue,BMF, Impulse, Soted Sports, Aerospace Isno,Zamboni, Maxga, Nordtek, Shengxiang Ski, Zhongxue Zhongyuan, Qixing Luxury Camping, Blue Ocean, Ice Palace Artisans, Ailaita, as well as renowned winter tourism destinations and ski resorts such as St. Moritz Tourism Board, Nagano Prefecture (Japan), Tohoku Tourism Bureau, Changbai Mountain, Beidahu, Secret Garden (Yunding),Club Med, among others. There were also exhibitors showcasing dry skiing and dry snow, as well as personal equipment, including AlpinePro, Xueyilan, Mammut Extreme,Liski,BigAirBag, Tengte Sports, Senhaida, and more.

The Summit Forum Focuses on the Road Ahead, Jointly Painting the Ice and Snow Blueprint

Adhering to a development path that emphasizes both practice and theory, the Winter Expo has been committed since its inception to creating an internationally authoritative high-level forum on winter sports, paving the way for the advancement of China’s ice and snow industry. At this edition of the Winter Expo, the “2018 Opening Ceremony & Main Forum of the International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo”led a series of parallel forums, inviting over200industry leaders, including representatives from the International Olympic Committee, international winter sports federations, ambassadors to China from various countries, and Winter Olympic champions, to gather in Beijing to discuss the future of China’s winter sports development and gain deep insights into the pulse of the industry.

During the2018 Opening Ceremony & Main Forum of the International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo,Gian-Franco Kasper, IOC member, President of the International Ski Federation, and member of the Beijing2022Winter Olympics Coordination Commission; Austrian Ambassador to China Michael Schiefer; IOC member, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation, and member of the Beijing2022Winter Olympics Coordination Commission René Fasel; Ireen Wüst (placeholder—correct name needed); Jan Dijkema, President of the International Skating Union; Ivo Ferriani, IOC member, President of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, and member of the Beijing2022Winter Olympics Coordination Commission, and other global industry leaders shared their insights and expectations regarding China’s promotion of winter sports and the unification of ice and snow forces.IDGZhu Dongfang, Vice President for Asia, released the 'China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report,' helping to summarize the past, focus on the present, and look toward the future of China’s ice and snow industry development.

In addition to the keynote speeches, leaders and guests from various sectors also...2018 The opening ceremony and main forum of the International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo kicked off a thematic dialogue on the ice and snow industry, sparking a collision of ideas and insights to offer suggestions for the development of winter sports. During the "Unleashing the Power of Ice and Snow to Shape the World" themed dialogue, Jiang Xiaoyu, Vice President of the Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association, engaged in professional exchanges with distinguished guests from the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, the International Olympic Committee, and other organizations, discussing how China can develop winter sports efficiently to build an ice and snow force capable of reshaping the global winter sports landscape.2022In the "Collaborating with Social Forces to Promote Ice and Snow Development" themed dialogue, Zhao Yinggang, Chairman of the Chinese Luge Association, joined domestic and international guests and winter sports leaders from the International Olympic Committee and the Norwegian Embassy in China to focus on the ecosystem of the ice and snow industry and innovative cooperation models, exploring ways to coordinate resources from all sectors of society to drive industry growth.2018During the "Champions Dialogue at the Winter Expo" session, Tang Weihong, Vice President of People’s Daily Online, had in-depth conversations with Olympic short track speed skating champion Li Jianrou, Paralympic curling champion Chen Jianxin, world curling champion Liu Jinli, and world skiing champion Guo Dandan, among other Olympic champions. They shared personal insights from their experiences at the Winter Olympics and analyzed the opportunities and challenges in popularizing winter sports in China.

As winter sports rapidly develop, knowledge reserves and theoretical construction related to the ice and snow industry have become even more indispensable. To this end, this edition of the Winter Expo launched the "International Ice and Snow Think Tank Closed-door Meeting" for the first time, inviting seasoned experts and scholars in the winter sports industry to join and bringing together top global intellectual resources. At this closed-door meeting,IDGZhang Li, Vice President for China, organized experts and scholars from around the world to conduct detailed analysis and discussions, conducting professional research on major issues concerning the development of winter sports in China, providing authoritative academic insights, and striving to lay a solid foundation and clarify directions for the growth of the ice and snow industry. 

Other parallel forums also focused on various key aspects of the growth of the winter sports industry, deeply analyzing pain points, sharing experiences, and seeking optimal strategies—the "Youth Ice and Snow Popularization Forum" brought together domestic and international youth training experts to discuss campus winter sports training paths suitable for China’s ice and snow development; the "Ice and Snow Entrepreneurship Competition" selected outstanding entrepreneurial projects from various fields related to the ice and snow industry, aiming to discover and incubate a new generation of future stars in China’s ice and snow industry through the platform of the Winter Expo; the2018"China Ice Hockey Development Summit Forum" integrated advantageous resources from the ice hockey community to deeply explore key aspects of the development of China’s ice hockey industry; the "Venue Design and Construction Forum" focused on the new order of the sports venue industry, helping enterprises conduct self-assessments and build new blueprints; the "Winter Sports Brand Conference" gathered high-quality domestic and international ice and snow brands, offering a marketing perspective;/?bedridden?strategy?revealed?China’s??role model; the "Ski Resort Operations Management Forum" brought together operators of ski resorts from China and abroad to discuss and seek development models suitable for Chinese ski resorts; the "Winter Sports Tourism Industry Forum" created a communication platform for tourism bureaus, travel agencies, and ski resort operators to share experiences in operating winter sports tourism; the "Winter Sports Talent Development Forum" invited leaders from sports bureaus, presidents of sports universities, and ski resort operators to engage in dialogue, exploring ways to cultivate talent for winter sports in China.。

Exciting interactions and vibrant energy as the ice and snow craze continues to heat up

As the ice and snow craze driven by the Beijing Winter Olympics continues to gain momentum, the winter sports industry has been incorporated into national and local economic development plans, playing a vital role in boosting regional consumption, enriching cultural life, and benefiting public health. Making every individual in society understand and love winter sports has thus become key to accelerating the growth of the ice and snow industry. In addition to systematically integrating global winter sports resources and thoroughly analyzing the development trajectory of the industry, the Winter Expo also provides ordinary consumers with an excellent platform to experience winter sports firsthand. This edition of the Winter Expo introduced a variety of engaging interactive activities, dedicated to creating an immersive ice and snow journey for exhibition attendees that combines spectacle, knowledge, and fun, effectively promoting the popularization of winter sports and the development of soft power in ice and snow culture.