On the morning of August 28, the press conference for the 2018 International Winter Sports (Beijing) Expo was held in the press briefing hall of the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office. The organizers, the Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association (BODA) and the International Data Group (IDG), provided detailed updates on the latest progress in the preparation for the Winter Expo. Gao Yunchao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association, Zhang Li, Vice President of IDG China, Austrian Commercial Counselor Guo Lizhi (the guest country of honor), and over a hundred senior media reporters and industry professionals attended the event.
Gao Yunchao, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association, introduced the preparation status for the 2018 Winter Expo and the significance of entering the "Beijing Cycle" of the Winter Olympics at the press conference.
Gao Yunchao stated that as the Winter Olympics officially enters the "Beijing Cycle," the world’s 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 beyond the competitive arena, it will leverage the opportunity of hosting the Games to promote ice and snow sports culture, advance the popularization of winter sports, and become a globally significant force in the ice and snow domain.
According to Zhang Li, Vice President of IDG China, since its inaugural edition 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 projects domestically, and backed by a massive market base and population, the success of two consecutive editions has established the Winter Expo as one of the world’s largest and most authoritative ice and snow events. This year’s edition has received 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 International Flair
According to Zhang Li, this year’s Winter Expo, themed “The Power of Ice and Snow,” will integrate multiple aspects 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 themed activities, attracting more than 500 domestic and international brands—35% of which are overseas brands from about 20 countries. Approximately 24,000 professional representatives are expected to attend for business discussions, with visitor attendance projected to reach 150,000.
Zhang Li noted that the 2018 Winter Expo will feature “9 major highlights”: Austria, the birthplace of modern skiing, serves as the guest country of honor; an Olympic Cities Forum will be held; the Ice and Snow Think Tank project will be launched; the “Belt and Road” theme will be emphasized to jointly advance the development of the ice and snow industry; efforts will promote the creation of the “Beijing-Zhangjiakou Sports, Culture and Tourism Belt”; snow equipment demonstrations will be conducted; collaboration with leading industry media and organizations 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 take place.
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. The comprehensive layout will offer a full and multi-angle showcase of the global and domestic ice and snow industry 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 zone will also feature live ice shows, cross-country skiing and shooting, and curling activity experience areas.
National Pavilions include thematic exhibitions from ice and snow nations, 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, International Ski Federation, Russian Ice Hockey Federation, Ice and Snow Industry Alliance, etc. Domestic regions include: 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, etc.
The Winter and Alpine Technology Zone will focus on showcasing large-scale machinery and equipment, venue planning, design, and operation service providers. Representative companies include: Carving, Bomag, AST, Doppelmayr, TechnoAlpin, MND, AXIS, Beijing Crane & Transport Machinery Design & Research Institute, Jihua Mingxing, COPO, 17Hua, Yahao, Senlinxue, BMF, Shandong Century Star, Zhongti Shanjian, Impulse, Shuode Sports, Aerospace Aisino, Xuemengdu, Zamboni, Maxxum, Nordtek, Ice Palace Craftsman, Ailaita, etc.
Winter Tourism Destinations and Famous Ski Resorts include: St. Moritz Tourism Board, Nagano Prefecture (Japan), Tohoku Prefecture Tourism Bureau, Changbai Mountain, Beidahu, Shengxiang Ski, Secret Garden (Yunding), Club Med, etc.
Dry Ski and Dry Snow & Personal Equipment include: Alpinetg, Elan, Aerospace Aisino, Mammut Extreme, Benrun, Liski, BigAirBag, Tengte Sports, Senhaida, etc.
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, Ice and Snow Headlines, Zhongbingxue, Sports Ecosystem, etc.
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,” where domestic and international ice and snow leaders will engage in dialogue on building a blueprint and brand landscape for China’s ice and snow industry.
At the opening ceremony and main forum, invited speakers include leaders from the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, Municipal Government, and General Administration of Sport of China, as well as representatives from the International Olympic Committee, International Ski Federation, International Ice Hockey Federation, and the Austrian Ambassador to China. Key figures such as Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., Vice President of the IOC and Chair of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission; Christophe Dubi, Executive Director of the IOC Olympic Games Department; Irina Gueladze, 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; Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of the International Ski Federation; Jan Dijkema, President of the International Skating Union; Ryan Fry, 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; Ambassador Shi Difu of Austria to China; Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto of Finland to China; Mayor Gregoire Junod of Lausanne (Switzerland) and President of the World Olympians Association; Secretary General Melanie Duparc of the World Olympians Association; Mayor Georg Willi of Innsbruck (Austria); Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov of Sochi (Russia); Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto of Sapporo (Japan); Mayor Jackie Biskupski of Salt Lake City (USA); Ian Logan, President of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympics; and leaders of the Chinese Olympic Committee, will all attend the theme forum.
During the roundtable dialogue session, leaders from the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, Nicolas Bideau, President of the Swiss State Secretariat for International Financial Matters, Karl Stoss, President of the Austrian Olympic Committee, Austrian Commercial Counselor Guo Lizhi, Finnish Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto, and other distinguished guests from various fields will engage in intellectual exchanges, sparking collisions of wisdom. Following this, renowned athletes Wang Meng, Shen Xue, Zhao Hongbo, and Yang Yang, as well as other special guests, will be invited.
In addition to the captivating main forum, numerous parallel forums will focus on new breakthroughs during the “Beijing Cycle” of the Winter Olympics:
Olympic Cities Development Forum. Mayors of successfully hosted Winter Olympic cities, urban planners, designers, and operational management experts will discuss important topics such as Winter Olympics opportunities and urban development, post-Games venue utilization, and international cooperation among Olympic cities, offering strategic advice for Beijing and pioneering 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-leading dialogues and activities.
Supporting Activities Boost China’s Ice and Snow Industry Development; Showcase Industry Brand Landscape
During the 2018 Winter Expo, related 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 among others.
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 Ceremony, corporate case sharing, and brand exchanges and collaborations, the event aims to foster major growth in China’s ice and snow industry, showcasing the industry’s brand landscape and image.
Ice and Snow Entrepreneurship Competition. The wave of sports industry development and innovation and entrepreneurship will inject boundless business opportunities into the ice and snow market. The competition will select outstanding entrepreneurial projects in areas such as winter sports equipment, ski resorts and tourism destinations, winter tourism culture, event promotion and marketing, and ice and snow AR/VR. These projects will be showcased, discussed, and invested in through concentrated roadshows at the Winter Expo. The platform aims to discover and incubate a new generation of ice and snow innovation and entrepreneurship projects, creating the 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 relatively late, its development speed has been astonishing. In the process of industry construction, thorough and timely research on both internal and external environments is essential. The China Ice and Snow Industry Development Research Report aims to summarize China’s achievements and lessons in ice and snow development, 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 in Yanqing, Green Development,” the sub-venue featured discussions and dialogues on multiple topics including “the Winter Olympics’ role in promoting the development of the ice and snow industry and tourism in the Yanqing area,” “model projects,” and “green living, beautiful homes.”
Hosting the Winter Expo was a solemn commitment Beijing made to the international community during its bid 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 participatory event in the ice and snow industry. The expo remains committed to promoting the development of winter sports in China and the rise of the ice and snow industry, driving industrial transformation, and encouraging 300 million Chinese people to participate in winter sports.
