IT&CM series returns to China with full fledged in-person meetings

IT&CM China and CTW China 2024 kicked off on March 26’s afternoon in Shanghai, with more than 250 exhibitors, over 400 buyers, and 30 media representatives in attendance. This is the 16th edition of both events, and the first in-person gathering for the annual series since the pandemic.

IT&CM China and CTW China were held virtually in 2020 and 2021, and in a hybrid format in 2023.

In-person meetings and educatio sessions resume fully at this year’s IT&CM China and CTW China in Shanghai

Day one featured a keynote presentation led by Sun Weijia, special researcher of Counsellors’ Office of the State Council, who discussed the importance of government influence on the growth of meeting destinations.

Other guest speakers for the day included Hong Kong Tourism Board Beijing Office’s Zhu Jun, SITE China Chapter’s Lisa Xu, First Incentive Travel’s Joost de Meyer, and Beijing Zhongrunhua Petrochemical’s Yu Dandan.

The exhibition component commenced today, with two days set aside for one-on-one business meetings.

Exhibitors hail from destinations such as Abu Dhabi, New Zealand and Sri Lanka as well as from Chinese territories.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board dominates in terms of pavilion size, at 222m2, followed by the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism (90m2), Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (84m2), and Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province (66m2).

In terms of buyer presence, representation from China is the strongest, at 81 per cent of total attendance. India, Singapore, and Indonesia buyers form the majority among international attendance.

Association buyers from China and around the world make up 12 per cent of total buyer attendance. Besides meeting with potential travel and event suppliers, they also attended educational sessions at the IT&CM China Association Day Forum on March 27.