The Qingdao West Coast New Area will host 65 key MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) activities in 2021, said local officials.

The events will help build more platforms to attract investment, talents, projects, as well as facilitate industrial transformation and upgrading so as to promote economic and trade exchanges and boost the high-quality development of the West Coast New Area.

Qingdao West Coast New Area after snow [Photo/VCG]

Last year, buoyed by the opportunities created by the pandemic, the area's MICE industry experienced a boom, hosting more than 300 large-scale exhibitions, meetings and festivals, including the 30th Qingdao International Beer Festival and the 2020 East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum.

This year, the area will continue to strengthen epidemic prevention and control efforts and host more than 400 conferences, forums, exhibitions and competitions, including the 31th Qingdao International Beer Festival, the Qingdao Phoenix Music Festival, the second Global Health Forum of Boao Forum for Asia, and the 2021 Asian Beach Sepak Takraw Championships.

In recent years, the West Coast New Area has ramped up efforts to boost the development of its MICE sectors and become a world-renowned host region for major meetings and exhibitions.