Shanghai – The 8th installment of Leading International MICE Event In China, IT&CM China, will open tomorrow with its strongest Chinese delegation to date. The unprecedented strength of the local participation is evidenced most significantly in the Chinese buyer numbers where close to 480 will attend over the next 3 days. Total International and Chinese buyer attendees have exceeded 600. This has surged the ratio of Chinese buyers to an all-time high of 70% of all buyers delegation.

Collectively, buying responsibilities of the attending local buyers span across all 31 administrative divisions of Mainland China, and encompass both outbound and domestic MICE procurement. Through CITS’ 30 buyer representatives alone, they represent a wide and diverse range of corporate, government and association clients in China with connections to more than 1,400 tour operators and travel agencies in all parts of the world. IT&CM China’s collaboration with the newly formed MICE Committee of China Association of Travel Services (CATS) is also credited with delivering some 50 MICE buyers from close to 40 established travel agencies across China.

“IT&CM China 2014’s achievement in attracting both quality and quantity of Chinese buyers is not just a reflection of the massive buying interest from Mainland China, but also the strength of the organisers’ network and resources to reach valuable segments that both our International and Domestic exhibitors deliver,” commented Zhang Jian, Executive GM of CITS International MICE, one of the show’s three co-organisers on this year’s dominance of Chinese buyers.

Adding to the significance of this, Darren Ng, Managing Director of TTG Asia Media, co-organiser behind IT&CM China, remarked, “The Chinese MICE industry itself is burgeoning at 20% annually, reflecting endless opportunities for both international and domestic MICE suppliers alike. Our unsurpassed proportion of Chinese buyers fulfils both international and local suppliers’ intention of boosting outbound and domestic traffic respectively.”

Other 2014 event highlights include the overwhelming percentage of new buyers, largest exhibition showcase edition in IT&CM China’s history, and launch of Association Meetings and Corporate Travel presentations as part of the returning Association Day and Corporate Travel programme on the 16 and 17 April respectively.

The overwhelming potential of fresh procurement opportunities made tangible as a result of a whopping 65% new buyers across the board, has scored top marks among exhibitors and other stakeholder delegates. This was made possible through several initiatives including the partnerships with CATS, as well as an advisory board of proactive local corporate travel authorities that led to the Corporate Travel Roundtable road show series launched last year in Shanghai and Chengdu. These efforts contributed to new Chinese MICE and Corporate buyer faces at IT&CM China 2014. International buyers also witnessed new buyer pools in its mix this year, where 15 international Media Affiliates, as part of a revamped media partnership programme, introduced close to 50 new hosted buyers from the MICE, Associations and Corporate Travel sectors from around the world.

On the exhibition front, IT&CM China attracted the official representation of over 20 leading NTOs and CVBs from China, Asian regions and beyond including Guilin, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Jeju, Korea, Malaysia, Macau, Ningbo, Philippines, Sanya, Shanghai, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suzhou, Taihu, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Xiamen. This year’s showcase also features 154 new exhibiting organisations, as well as new representatives from the cruise and airline sectors and offerings from the United Kingdom and the United States of America, making this IT&CM China 2014 exhibition edition the largest in its history.

IT&CM China 2014 will welcome some 3,000 MICE professionals from sectors including DMCs, PCOs, corporate travel and associations from both International and Chinese regions. Other event features include more than 600 registered buyers, 400 hosted delegates, over 12,000 on-site business appointments and more than 70 business, education and networking sessions over the next three days. IT&CM China 2014 pre-event activities kick-off today with city tours of Shanghai and on-site registration of pre-registered delegates. Shanghai Business Events Week runs from today to 19 April.

ABOUT IT&CM CHINA 2014

IT&CM China 2014 will be held from April 15 to 17 at Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. This is the 8th instalment of the international MICE event that seeks to “Promote China to the World and the World to China”. This year’s event will see an attendance of 3,000 MICE professionals from sectors including DMCs, PCOs, corporate travel and associations, some 400 hosted delegates, over 10,000 business appointments as well as over 60 business, education and networking sessions.

The event is organised by TTG Events, a business group of TTG Asia Media, CITS International M.I.C.E – a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITS (China International Travel Service) and MP International. It has the support of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (SMTA), Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Industries Association (SCEIA), Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) and Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE), International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO), International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), MICE Committee of China Association of Travel Services (CATS), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Society of Incentive Travel Executives (Site) China chapter.

IT&CM China is proud to be the anchor event of the Shanghai Business Events Week 2014 for the 4th year running.

For more information: www.itcmchina.com