Second edition of CIIE to be bigger, better and more immersive

The second China International Import Expo is expected to display high-end consumer goods, establish a unified "product debut" area, and have interactive modules that will provide visitors a more immersive exhibition experience.

These are just some of the new features that will be introduced this year to raise the exhibition's scale and quality, Liu Fuxue, deputy director of the CIIE Bureau, said on Friday.

He added that the Enterprise and Business Exhibition area will be expanded to 300,000 square meters, up from the previous 270,000 square meters.

According to Liu, companies from a greater number of countries that attended the first edition last year have already been flocking to sign up for the event. There has even been a Finnish firm that has expressed interest in attending the third edition.

In light of the growing Chinese economy and the upgrade in consumption behavior, the event will also showcase high-end consumer products, augmented reality and virtual reality merchandise, elderly care-related goods. Additional outdoor space will be catered for automobile and mechanical equipment displays.

New products, technologies and services will be launched through a new unified channel this year, making the CIIE the premiere stage for unveiling cutting-edge technologies and applications, Liu noted.

An outdoor experience zone will also be added this year, featuring activities like unmanned driving experiences, to forge a stronger connection between merchants and prospective buyers.

China Pavilion will highlight the achievements and opportunities of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. This will be realized through a string of events, from policy interpretation, research finding releases to cultural performances.

Global professional service firm Deloitte is doubling the size of its booth this year with "more sufficient preparation and larger-scale of investment", said Dora Liu, Deloitte China Innovation Leader.

"Our theme for this year's CIIE is 'Smart+'. We want to bring our latest solutions on smart city, smart healthcare and smart finance," she said.

Cosmetics giant L'Oreal is planning to offer online-to-offline interactions during this year's CIIE, in a bid to explore new ways to "satisfy people's purchasing impulse as they visit the show", said Lan Zhenzhen, vice-president of L'Oreal China.

"We also plan to introduce products and ideas featuring (a good) lifestyle," said Lan. "As consumption forms the backbone of China's economic development, it is our growing responsibility and mission to impact our consumers in a positive way."