The 2023 Xiamen International MICE Cooperation Forum is held in Xiamen on April 15. [Photo by Zhang Qihui/Xiamen Daily]

The 2023 Xiamen International MICE Week was held in the coastal city of Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, from April 14 to 17, presenting attendees more than 30 themed activities. Its success is expected to boost the fast recovery of the city's meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) industry.

The 2023 Xiamen International MICE Cooperation Forum, one of the most important activities of this year's MICE Week, was held in Xiamen on April 15, in which industry experts and leaders shared their insights on the opportunities and challenges in the development of China's exhibition industry.

Chong Quan, president of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, suggested that the MICE industry should focus on the development of strategic emerging industries, as well as foster a batch of new conferences and forums with global influence and supporting exhibitions.

Wang Jinzhen, former vice-president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that exhibition enterprises should have international thinking and global vision, as well as set up more overseas exhibitions to bring more production-oriented enterprises into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) market.

This year is crucial for the full recovery of the MICE industry, which has been hampered by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Xiamen is beefing up efforts to promote the high-quality development of its MICE industry. A number of newly-built exhibition venues are expected to be put into operation in the second quarter of the year in Xiamen, which will help the city establish a cluster area for the MICE industry, as well as further improve the city's capacity in hosting exhibitions and fairs.