At present, when talking about MICE industry, or meeting, incentives, conference and exhibition, people tend to focus on exhibitions, and hence, conference and exhibition centers are mostly built to meet exhibition needs, whereas the trend to combine conferences and exhibitions is neglected. Once such conference and exhibition centers are put into operation, they cannot meet market need and hence have low occupancy rate. We have encountered such problems in many facilities, whose functions are not well integrated. For instance, an exhibition space cannot be used for conferences, whereas a conference room usually does not have a good catering service, so food and beverages for a high-end meeting have to be ordered from another place. I think it takes time to change. Through practice, conference and exhibition centers will find their right positions in the market and improve their efficiency.

CNCC was once an Olympic facility. What can people learn from its successful transformation into a conference and exhibition center after the Olympic Games?

First, the design of Olympic venues should take into account their functions during and after the Olympic Games. Second, marketing for the post-Games function should start before the Olympic Games have concluded. Third, the transformation of functions after the Olympic Games should be completed as soon as possible.

In 2007, before the Olympic Games began, we had set up a preparation team to recruit people, make suggestions on functional transformation after the Olympic Games, and launch marketing initiatives. This is one of the secrets to our successful transformation after the Olympic Games.

The 2010-15 period is a critical time as China accelerates the transformation of its economic development model, which also provides opportunity for the MICE industry. Can you talk about CNCC's plan for the future?

Now, CNCC faces some challenges. First, its space is still not enough to satisfy market need. On May 28, the first Beijing Fair hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and Beijing Municipal Government will be held at CNCC. CNCC's current space cannot meet the need of this fair. We wish to take this opportunity to further expand our space.

Second, we should develop a chain business under our brand. In the 1990s, Beijing Northstar Industrial Group converted the press center of the 1990 Asian Games into the Beijing International Convention Center, kicking off the MICE industry in China. As the pioneer in the MICE industry, Beijing Northstar Industrial Group owns the earliest and largest conference center in China. We wish to pool the strengths of Beijing International Convention Center and CNCC into one brand, and strengthen our overall management.