What is a Convention Center?

The words related to "Conference Center" are: convention hotel, conference hotel, conference center, congress center, convention center and exhibition center. So far, there has not been a unified understanding of these concepts in the world. Different countries and different industry associations will have their own interpretations of this. The same is true in our country, and no authority has defined the concepts related to meetings and conference venues.

conference Center

Chinese name: conference Center
Foreign name: conference cente

Related words

Literally, "

It has been about ten years since China's conference market entered a period of rapid development. The construction and development of conference centers (including conference hotels, resorts, and convention centers with strong conference functions, hereinafter referred to as "conference centers") is actually the process of the development of China's conference industry.

The convention center industry in Beijing has a strong representative significance in China. Beijing is China's political center, cultural center, and international exchange center, and it is the earliest and most mature city in the domestic conference center. In a sense, the development process of the Beijing conference market and conference center actually represents the development of China's conference market and conference center. Leaving aside the Great Hall of the People, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, and the Beijing International Convention Center (BICC), which was left after the Asian Games, the decade after the 21st century is the most prosperous decade for the development of the Beijing Convention Center. From a wellness center ten years ago to the current "Big Mac" conference center, Jiuhua Villa has a business income of more than 600 million yuan in 2007 and has experienced a single wellness functiona certain conference function Strong conference reception functionsuper conference and exhibition function and other development stages, and these stages actually reflect a gradual development of Beijing and even the national conference market and conference center from the beginning to the gradual development. process. The successful performance of Jiuhua Villa in the conference market has made more and more people see the good development prospects of China's conference market, which has triggered the climax of the construction of the Beijing Suburban Conference Center. Up to now, there are hundreds of conference centers and conference hotels in Beijing suburbs. Even so, by the end of the year, the Beijing conference market is the most prosperous season-from November to January each year, the convention centers are all booming. The National Convention Center, which opened in November 2009, is a representative of the construction of Beijing and even the National Convention Center. It is a representative product of the conference industry entering a new period of development after China's social and economic development has reached a certain stage.

In the past ten years, most types of conference hotels in the suburbs of Beijing have maintained a high growth rate until 2008. Taking Jiuhua Villa as an example, the hotel's annual operating income was only tens of millions of yuan ten years ago. By 2007, its total annual revenue had reached more than 600 million yuan, and the annual growth rate could basically remain above 40%. It is understood that so far, there are many conference hotels in Beijing with annual operating income exceeding 200 million yuan (assuming that we count the conference team income over 35% of the total hotel revenue as conference hotels), and the annual turnover is between two and three. There are more than 100 conference hotels in the suburbs alone.

The climax of the construction, reconstruction and expansion of conference centers and conference hotels in other regions in China is a few years later than Beijing. It started around 2004-2005, and 2007-2009 was the peak period when the conference centers and conference hotels in various regions entered the market. There are several phenomena worth paying attention to:

The first is the large number of new professional conference centers. In addition to the representative Guangzhou Baiyun International Conference Center, many second-tier cities across the country have built many professional conference centers and conference hotels. Among them, there are many individual hotels with more than 1,000 rooms and strong conference reception capabilities. , Such as Xiamen Xianglu, Sanya Guoguang Howard Johnson and so on.

The second is to increase the conference and exhibition functions of the hotel through reconstruction and expansion. There are also many hotels in this category, such as Guizhou Hotel, Hangzhou First World Hotel, Xi'an Jianguo Hotel, Shandong Mansion, etc. Beijing has Wendu Water City and Beijing International Hotel.

Third, the conference functions of newly-built business hotels are very strong, which makes the boundary between business hotels and conference centers more blurred. Business hotels and resort hotels built in the first and second-tier cities in China in recent years have several characteristics. One is high-grade, mostly five-star; the other is a hotel with a large volume, with more than 400-500 rooms. The number of conferences is increasing rapidly. The third is that the conference function is very strong. It has a multi-function hall of more than 1,000 square meters and is equipped with multiple small and medium conference rooms, which has become a regular configuration of new high-star hotels.

3. The rapid development of China's conference center industry's contribution to the conference industry

First, the development of the conference center meets the actual needs of the development of the conference market in China, and provides an ideal place for domestic and international conference organizations to host various international and domestic conferences and events;

Second, the development of the conference center in turn has promoted the rapid development of the conference market and conference industry in China;

Third, a large number of different types and different levels of conference centers have been put on the market, increasing the choice of conference organizers, which is conducive to the healthy development of the conference market and the healthy competition between conference centers;

Fourth, the development of regional conference centers has changed the pattern of large and high-end conferences and events in China that can only be held in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, and has promoted the process of diversifying the conference market in China;

Fifth, the use of some high-end conference centers has greatly improved the international status of China's conference industry and made a positive contribution to the integration of China's conference industry with international standards;

Sixth, because the conference industry is an emerging industry with a strong driving force, large-scale conference centers have entered the market, which has injected new vitality into the development of the regional conference industry and even the regional economy.

Judging from the current situation, China's convention center market generally exceeds supply, and this trend is further intensified. Although the growth rate of the conference market is higher than the growth rate of economic development (GDP) in the same period, the market supply of the conference center has far exceeded the economic development and the growth rate of the conference market. From another aspect, the excess of the total is only the appearance of the problem. The essence of the problem is that the planning and construction of the conference center in China does not match the actual needs of the conference market in China. The problems existing in our conference center are:

First, the investment, management, and operation of many conference centers in China are disconnected or partially disconnected. Investors have a variety of motivations for building a conference center, but they do nt really invest in researching the basic needs of conference organizers and the conference market, and investing in response to this demand and its development trends. This has caused some conference centers to become head-slap projects, which is far from the actual needs of the conference team, leaving a series of unsolvable problems for future operators;

Second, the planning and construction levels of many conference centers are inversely pyramidal with the actual purchasing power of the conference market. That is, high-end conference centers with high-end hotels have become the main means for new conference centers to display their grades and tastes. Consumption is excluded, which restricts the space for hotel business development;

Third, the planning and design of the internal function blocks of some conference centers are irrational, which departs from the basic principles of large-scale conference center planning and design, and brings great trouble to the actual operation of the conference center. Not to mention that the conference center in the suburbs needs more comprehensive facilities, let's talk about the four basic functions of the conference center in the urban areameetings, exhibitions, eating, and living. Not comprehensive and reasonable;

Fourth, in the planning and design of some suburban conference centers, they did not understand the basic characteristics of the conference market in China, and they were not clear about the main differences between urban business hotels and suburban conference hotels. And blindly seeking "foreign" in management does not meet the actual needs of the conference market.

Fifth, regional planning is unreasonable. Due to insufficient understanding of the current status and development trends of the domestic and international conference markets, some second- and third-tier cities in China have built too many conference centers, exceeding the actual market demand;

Sixth, there is a problem with positioning. Some hotels want to do a good job in both the business individual market and the conference market, and don't want to let go of the tourism and vacation market. As a result, they have no focus and characteristics;

Seventh is the quality of service. Many conference centers only focus on the construction of hardware facilities, ignoring key factors such as management, branding, and services. Especially in many suburban conference centers, the awareness of service centered on customers and guests is not in place, and the professionalism of conference management and service is not enough;

Eighth is the problem of low season. Take the Beijing hotel market, for example, the seasons of business hotels in the urban area are not very different, while the suburban hotels that are mainly for conference reception have obvious differences in the off-peak season. The difference between low and peak seasons has become a major obstacle to the improvement of management and service levels and the stability of the workforce in many suburban conference centers.

5. Analysis of factors affecting the development of the conference industry and conference center industry

First, the macroeconomic environment and the basic trend of economic development. As the conference industry is an important part of the current service industry, the national macroeconomic trend will have an important impact on the conference industry and the conference center industry;

Second, the conference industry is an integral part of the large tourism industry. The development of domestic and foreign tourism industry will also have a greater impact on the trend of the conference industry and conference center industry;

Third, the conference industry, like the tourism industry, is a relatively fragile industry. Political, economic, and social policy adjustments and major events at home and abroad will affect it to varying degrees;

Fourth, because the investment of the conference center also belongs to the real estate investment field, the national land policy and the development of the real estate industry will also have a direct impact on the development of the conference center industry;

Fifth, the relationship between government agencies and the conference center will become closer. In the case of the traditional tourism and exhibition industries encountering certain growth bottlenecks, the national and local governments have focused their attention on the conference industry, which belongs to the high-end tourism industry. More and more local governments use the conference industry as a driving force. New growth points for regional economic development, and various effective measures to support it. As the "propulsion" and "engine" for the growth of the regional conference industry, the conference center will inevitably become the target of government support and even direct investment.

First, the concept of planning and construction will change. If the previous stage of the planning and construction of the conference center in China was passively following the trend of the development of the conference industry, then, as people s understanding of the conference industry and the conference market continue to deepen, the planning of the conference center The concept of construction will undergo major changes.

Changes in the concepts of the investment and planning stages have prompted investors to think more about future management and operations in the early stages. In this case, the practicality of the newly built, rebuilt and expanded conference center hardware facilities in future operations will further increase.

Second, the pace of the construction of the conference center will remain at a relatively fast level, and large-scale complexes with conferences as the main part in the suburbs and tourist resorts will become bright spots. Due to the rapid development of the conference industry, coupled with the government's high attention and the drive of real estate investment, China's convention center construction will maintain a rapid growth rate. Since a large number of ancillary facilities are not required in the urban conference center, the total investment can be relatively low. Therefore, building a conference center in the urban area is still a common option. However, with the economic development, social progress, and continuous improvement of people's living standards, a series of unprecedented changes are taking place in the conference market, and people's pursuit of nature, green, health, and leisure will be more intense. Therefore, the construction of conference centers in suburbs and scenic resorts will also maintain a rapid growth rate. Large-scale comprehensive conference and leisure resorts will become a bright spot in the domestic conference market. In this case, compared with large-scale conference, leisure, entertainment and holiday complexes, the market competitiveness of small and medium-sized conference hotels in suburbs and tourist resorts will be significantly reduced. In North America, Europe, Asia, and other places, large-scale comprehensive conference and entertainment resorts invested by well-known corporate groups such as Disney, Sands, and Gaylord usually have more than 2,000 to 4,000 rooms and hundreds of conferences. room. These comprehensive areas combine conferences, exhibitions, performances, shopping, entertainment, leisure, vacation and other elements organically, thus occupying a clear competitive advantage in the conference market. Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa being built in Singapore by Sands Group and Genting Group belong to this category of conference-oriented comprehensive facilities.

Third, in terms of planning and design, internationally advanced concepts such as environmental protection, green, energy saving, and ecology will be paid more and more attention. Due to various reasons, in the previous period, various conference centers built in China had a large gap in environmental protection, green, energy saving, and ecology compared with the international advanced level. Advanced planning and design concepts, as well as internal and external design styles with high artistic standards, will give the conference center a high score in market competition.

The Vancouver Convention Centre's creative "green" roof design has become a new landmark in Vancouver.

Marina Bay Sands, which was invested and constructed by the American Sands Group in Singapore and will open in 2010, is a masterpiece of a modern conference, tourism, leisure and holiday complex. It is self-evident that it is environmentally friendly, green and energy-saving. The largest aerial garden in Asia with a height of 200 meters and an area of 12,400 square meters has become its biggest highlight.

At present, the internationally popular green design concepts are: recycling, energy saving, green lighting and air conditioning systems, natural ventilation, carbon emission control, natural light applications, green roofs, indoor pollution control, etc.

It is normal for a country to take some detours at the beginning of the development of the conference industry, as is the United States. They acknowledged that many so-called "box projects" have also been built in the past, that is, houses that were built to simply meet conference functions, which have little artistic value.

Fourth, the internal functions are more flexible and convenient, and the design style is more intimate. The internal design of the conference center has also received more and more attention from all aspects, making the conference center more convenient in function and more visually intimate. From the current international trend, the following functional elements are increasingly valued:

Try to make each functional area closer to each other in space, so as to reduce the walking time of conference delegates in each functional area

Add various auxiliary functions to maximize meet the multiple needs of conference delegates

Increase the adjustability of meeting space

Increase space versatility

Add rest areas, cafes, restaurants, business service centers, etc. in the conference area

The conference lounge area has a wide view

Enough enough small and medium meeting rooms

Exclusive access for conference delegates

Accessible for disabled people

Convenience of cargo handling

Enough signs

High-definition display

Convenience of conference delegate registration

Guarantee privacy

Comfortable seat

Good audiovisual system

Fifth, the large-scale application of new technologies. In western countries, the latest technologies in communication, audio-visual, etc. can be quickly applied to the planning and design of conference centers. These technologies and services include:

High-speed Internet access

Video conference technology and equipment

Electronic signs

High-definition display

Comprehensive audio system

Embedded MICE Service Network

Electronic access control system

Simultaneous interpretation system

Sixth, the respective characteristics of urban conference centers and suburban conference centers will be more prominent. Location is one of the most important factors for the conference center. It determines strategic issues such as how the hotel needs to plan its main functions. We usually divide conference centers into urban and suburban categories in terms of location, and the requirements for core functions and supporting functions of these two types of conference centers are quite different. This is related to the characteristics of the meeting team's needs. The needs of the conference team are divided into two levels, one is the core level, which includes four aspects: conference, exhibition, catering, and accommodation; the other is other requirements, which mainly include conference and exhibition services, business services, shopping, cultural activities, leisure and fitness , Visiting, communication, catering, transportation, etc. Moreover, with the economic development and social progress, people are no longer just satisfied with "meeting for meetings", "meetings" have been given more functions in other aspects, and these functions need to be in the conference center and meeting purposes To achieve.

Convention centers invested directly by governments of developed countries are generally built in the downtown area. The conference center itself only needs to provide regular conference, exhibition, and catering services. Other services, including accommodation, can be provided through the downtown area. Within the facility to complete. This can achieve a dual purpose. First, the amount of investment need not be too high; second, it can give full play to the economic driving role of the conference center and promote local economic development.

Most of the conference centers built in suburban resorts and scenic spots are invested by enterprise groups. The Suburban Convention Center requires significant investment. Because there are fewer facilities available, investors must not only build strong enough conference, exhibition, catering and accommodation facilities, but also build a large number of supporting facilities to meet the various needs of the conference team, which is to rely on their own strength to build a New "meeting destination".

Unlike business hotels and tourist hotels, which have a long history of development, people have a deep understanding of their characteristics, and the history of the development of conference centers in China is still very short. Our understanding and research on the operating laws of conference centers are not deep enough. It is for this reason that China's convention center took a lot of detours in the early stages of development. Therefore, earnestly learning lessons and actively learning the successful experiences of developed countries has important practical significance for the healthy development of China's convention center industry.

Seventh, the pace of reconstruction and expansion of the existing conference center will be further accelerated. For various reasons, some of the professional conference centers that were built earlier and newly built in China will have more or less problems in planning and design. After many conference centers are completed and put into use, they often find that the planning and design in many places is unreasonable, or that the functional sections do not match, which is a huge waste in actual operation. Multiple needs; or the unreasonable space planning of the sections, which makes it very inconvenient for the conference team to move between the sections. These problems can only be improved and improved through reconstruction and expansion. With the rapid development of China's conference industry, there will be many unprecedented changes in the conference market, and these changes were unexpected in the planning and construction period of most conference centers. Therefore, joining the ranks of reconstruction and expansion team has become the choice of many conference centers.

Eighth, the competition in the conference center market is becoming increasingly fierce, and the survival of the fittest is accelerating. At present, the problem of overcapacity in China's convention centers has become more prominent under the impact of the financial crisis. China's first-tier cities and some key tourist resort cities have particularly fierce competition in the conference market. Although China's economic development continues to improve and the impact of the financial crisis has gradually begun to recede, the fierce competition in the hotel conference market will not decrease at all. Comprehensive analysis shows that the competition in China's hotel conference market will present the following characteristics:

The first is to transform competition from simple conference facilities into competition in comprehensive facilities. The stronger the ability to meet the needs of the conference team, the more obvious the advantages in competition.

The second is the transformation from simple price competition to competition in brand and service quality. The increasing expectations of the conference team for the hotel have made it impossible for the hotel to position itself as a "place to provide a meeting place". The conference center will evolve into a colorful and attractive meeting organizer and conference delegates with multiple values and needs to be met. Paradise.

Third, the traditional marketing model has begun to transform into a diversified and multi-level marketing model-virtual marketing, personalized marketing, partner marketing, consultative marketing, digital distribution, channel marketing, multi-media marketing, high-tech marketing, and experience Marketing, social marketing, group marketing, etc.

Ninth, the local government attaches great importance to the conference industry, which promotes closer cooperation between the conference center and local government conference authorities. In this case, each city will form a "conference service alliance" organization with the government department as the core. On the one hand, it will strengthen internal coordination and support. On the other hand, it can form a joint force to compete with other cities.

Tenth, management and service levels will be further improved. Service quality has always been one of the main challenges facing our conference center. Due to the characteristics of the conference team, there is a certain gap between the management and service of the conference center and high-star business hotels. However, with the continuous increase in the requirements of the conference center for the conference center and the increasingly fierce competition in the conference center market, it is necessary to improve the management and service level of the conference center as soon as possible to meet the increasing needs of conference organizers and conference representatives. It is the management of each conference center. This is an important issue that must be addressed. (Conference Magazine)

What is a Convention Center?

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