Water Expo China, one of the country’s most authoritative water business exhibitions, was successfully held from 18 – 20 November 2015 at the New China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. The exhibition was organised by the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society and Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd. Favourable water-related polices and increased funding put in place by the Chinese government for domestic projects proved advantageous to the fair. They helped to attract a number of water technology specialists and professionals to explore, discuss and exchange ideas regarding the current and future development of China‘s booming water industry.
The show featured seven thematic zones to facilitate various sourcing needs. Returning zones included the Water Business, Country Pavilion and Brand Zone; Pipes and Pipelines, Pumps, Valves and Accessories Zone; Water Information, Automation and Apparatus Zone; National Water Park and Water Ecology Zone; and Shanghai Water Engineering Association Pavilion. New additions to the 2015 edition were the Sponge City and Water Ecology Planning and Construction Zone, and Water Conservancy Development and Achievements Zone.
Mr Hu Siyi, President of the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society, mentioned: “Water Expo China is approved by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and has gradually positioned itself to be the preferred sourcing platform for innovative water-related products, technologies and solutions. The 10th China International Water Business Summit, held on 19 November, was one of the most anticipated concurrent events at the fair. It offered attendees a better understanding of government policies affecting the industry and insights into the latest technologies. The summit also promoted closer cooperation and the sharing of high-level information among industry players from across the world. I am very pleased with the professional qualities of the event.”
Mr Jason Cao, Chairman of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd, said: “The 2015 fair attracted 328 exhibitors from 26 countries and regions as well as 20,411 visitors from 42 countries and regions. Among the visitors, 17,799 (87%) were domestic visitors and 2,612 (13%) were international visitors. Contributing to the visitor numbers were 56 overseas delegations from countries including Norway and Mozambique, domestic government agencies, and trade associations. Additionally, 1,866 participants attended the fair’s concurrent events. We were pleased to receive coverage by over 100 domestic and trade media groups including CCTV, BTV, the Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, the Beijing Times and China Daily. Xinwen Lianbo, China’s most important daily news programme, also covered Water Expo China for the very first time.”
Positive participant reviews demonstrate fair’s success
Water Expo China is an important meeting point for exhibitors looking to expand their businesses both inside and outside of China. Some of the brands in attendance this year included Beijing Capital, Beijing Hanjian Heshan Pipeline, Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes, Xylem Analytics, Jinluo Water, Qingdao Sanli Group, Huber Environmental Technology, Yonggao and many others. The fair also welcomed country pavilions from Belgium, Germany, Hungary and Switzerland. Furthermore, approximately 2,000 professional visitors from various government departments, trade associations and universities, including the Department of Water Resources of Shanxi Province, Beijing Municipal Engineering Research Institute, Hebei Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, Shanghai Water Engineering Association, China Agricultural University, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture and others attended the fair.
Long-term exhibitor, Xinxing Ductile Iron Pipes Co Ltd, returned to the fair due to successful experiences from previous editions. Mr Bai Zhanshun, Marketing Department Director and General Sales Manager of the company, shared: “Like in previous years, we are very satisfied with the fair’s visitor flow and the buyers that came to our booth. We connected with government bodies, representatives from China’s Ministry of Water Resources and design institutions. We are very satisfied with the venue. Concurrent events, particularly the China International Water Business Summit, also helped to draw many specialised visitors to our booth and created additional business leads. The new thematic zones also helped attract visitors from different industries.”
Exhibiting for the first time was Huber Environmental Technology (Taicang) Co Ltd, a subsidiary of HUBER SE and reputable waste water, sewage and sludge management company from Germany. Mr Niu Yingcheng, Regional Sales Supervisor, commented: “Water Expo China is great for two primary reasons. Firstly, the fair is popular within both domestic and international markets and we were able to use its reputation to effectively promote our company. Secondly, it is a gathering point for people from different countries and regions with various industry backgrounds to network and share industry knowledge. The fair is an important marketing tool for our company and we look forward to future editions.”
Another first-time participant was Baden-Württemberg International GmbH (bw-i) who organised the German Pavilion which consisted of seven exhibitors. The fair acted as an important platform for promoting their quality products and strengthening their international brand images. Ms Jennifer Olbrich, Project Manager International Fairs and Location Communications at the organisation, expressed: “The fair was executed in a professional manner, reflecting the show organisers’ experience within the trade fair industry and attention to service. All pavilion exhibitors reported positive results and were satisfied with the number of professional visitors that visited their booths.”
Visitors were impressed by the prominent brands in attendance as well as the diversity of products and technologies displayed at the fair. First-time visitor Mr Wang Tao, Civil Architectural Design and Research Institute Water and Wastewater Engineer at Beijing Shougang International Engineering Technology Co Ltd, came specifically to visit the fair’s Sponge City and Water Ecology Planning and Construction Zone. He expressed: “Sponge cities, though a relatively new concept for many, are one of the hottest industry topics in China and I was really impressed with the zone. The case study on the pilot cities Zhenjiang and Xixian New Area in Jiangsu and Shanxi Provinces, respectively, provided me inspirational insights into the future planning and design of sponge cities.”
Mr Crimildo Marcelino, Technical Planning Specialist from the Ministry of Science and Technology Directorate of Plan, Statistic and Cooperation from Mozambique visited the fair for the first time with the show’s first-ever African delegation. He said: “I was very pleased with the variety of innovated products at the fair and was particularly interested in agricultural irrigation systems, water purification systems and membranes. Within hours, I made connections with a number of exhibitors. I am satisfied with the exhibition and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.”
Summit and other concurrent events attracted high-quality industry professionals
High-level concurrent events, covering the most relevant issues to China’s water business development, also added to Water Expo China’s success. The fair welcomed 89 industry specialists as speakers to share their views on the latest market trends and industry news.
Featuring the theme “Promoting water industry development and ensuring water safety”, the 10th China International Water Business Summit was one of the most anticipated and well-attended events held alongside the show. Reputable speakers, including Ms Gao Minfeng, Vice Director of Department of Planning and Programming, China’s Ministry of Water Resources; Mr Zhang Jianyun, Academician of the Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute; and Mr Wang Hao, Academician of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, provided invaluable knowledge surrounding the development of sponge cities and other relevant topics.
Return summit speaker, Ms Liu Qian, Policy Researcher for the Development Research Centre of the Ministry of Water Resources of China, commented: “The forum discussed the industry’s hottest current topics. This year, the fair featured a strong and professional line-up of speakers, maintaining the high standards and quality of the concurrent programmes.”
The “Water Innovation in China’s Apparel / Textile Supply Chain Forum” was jointly organised by H&M and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The forum provided an in-depth look into China’s water environment policy and its impact on the textile industry. Mr Murphy Min, Marketing Executive at China Industrial of Veolia, was an attendee. He stated: “I really appreciated the organisers’ efforts to set up this forum. It enabled me to gain a better understanding of the government’s policy on waste water treatment for textile manufacturers and textile industry giants’ initiatives to manage waste water. This is a very important topic and the forum should be made into an annual event. Open discussions on this topic will without a doubt benefit a range of manufacturing industries.”
In addition, the sixth Technology Exchange Conference on Highly Difficult Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Sludge Disposal, the fourth Water Quality Monitoring Technology and Management Conference and the second China Wisdom Water Development Seminar also concluded on positive notes. Government officials, enterprise leaders and technical experts were invited to give in-depth analyses on China’s water industry.
Finally, over 1,100 participants joined the “Vote for my favourite national water park” competition. The national water park submitted by the Songliao Water Resources Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources was awarded the “People’s Most Favourite National Water Park” by onsite visitors, while the submission from the Water Resources Department of Guizhou Province was awarded “2015 Most Popular National Water Park”.
For more information about Water Expo China, please visit www.waterexpochina.com or email water@china.messefrankfurt.com.
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Media contact:
(Ms) Keena Tsui
Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd
Tel： +852 2238 9970
Fax：+852 2519 7919
Email：keena.tsui@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
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