China held more than 1,500 conventions and exhibitions in more than 70 countries in 2017, up 5.8 percent from 2016.

At the first China Convention & Exhibition Industry International Trade Forum in Shanghai last week, it was concluded by participants, from world organization officials to industry leaders, that development has happened quickly and that further upgrades in the information era may be needed.

Bruno Masier, presidentof World Trade Point Federation, revealed statistics that prove the expo industry to be a significant part of global trade, a view shared by many speaking at the forum.

Chen Deming, China's former minister of commerce, agreed. "The exposition industry has become increasingly more competitive and globalized," he said."There have been more international partnerships and deals in mergers and acquisitions in the industry."

He added that exhibitions today are more than just a display of products.

"More services should be provided to participants, such as helping them to design the best way to show their products, or sharing big data with enterprises so they can use such data for better and more targeted marketing strategies."