From left to right: Song Lu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Nanjing Municipal Government; Li Qi, Vice Mayor of Nanjing; Andreas Brand, Mayor of Friedrichshafen; Klaus Wellmann, General Manager of the Friedrichshafen Exhibition Hall. (Photo source: Gardner, Germany)
Just as Nanjing is home to the Asia Outdoor and Asia Bike exhibitions, Friedrichshafen in Germany is the birthplace of the world’s largest outdoor show, OutDoor, and the largest bicycle exhibition, Eurobike. As the Asian edition of the European OutDoor Show, the Asia Outdoor exhibition has been held annually in Nanjing for seven years. After years of development, it has grown into a flagship event for Nanjing and the largest professional outdoor exhibition in Asia. The Asia Bike Show, introduced to China from the globally renowned Eurobike, was first held in Nanjing in 2011 and quickly gained strong attention. In recent years, it has grown rapidly, striving to become another hallmark event for Nanjing in the coming years. Both the Nanjing municipal government and German partners place high importance on the China-Germany partnership and have provided full support to the two collaborative projects—Asia Outdoor and Asia Bike. The main goal of this meeting was to further strengthen ties and cultivate closer partnerships on the foundation of the two exhibitions.
The Nanjing delegation was deeply impressed by Friedrichshafen’s economic environment and industrial development, showing strong interest in the Zeppelin and the museum. The exhibition halls, which combine functional design with an enchanting environment, also earned sincere praise from the delegates. Mayor Li remarked, “Friedrichshafen, as a famous exhibition city and the birthplace of the Zeppelin, has left a profound impression on us. With its resort-like environment and abundant natural resources, the scale and magnificence of its exhibition industry are truly exciting.”
Mayor Andreas Brand of Friedrichshafen spoke highly of the close cooperative relationship and historical ties with Nanjing, saying, “The joint organization of the Asia Outdoor and Asia Bike exhibitions has laid a solid, trust-based foundation for deeper and better collaboration between us. We are very willing to further develop this partnership.” Mr. Klaus Wellmann, CEO of the Commerce Association, briefly explained the importance of the two cities in hosting exhibitions: “Nanjing provides an important and effective platform for exchange in the Asian outdoor industry and bicycle market. Similarly, Friedrichshafen offers a crucial business platform for the global market through the OutDoor and Eurobike exhibitions.”