Xiamen city will substantially increase incentives for exhibitions in order to help the growth of the convention and exhibition industry.

In view of the development of the convention and exhibition industry in Xiamen and fierce competition at home and abroad, the Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, the Bureau of Finance, and the Office of Convention and Exhibition jointly announced new policies for more support, diversified means of support and a lower incentive threshold, in order to further promote the rapid growth of the convention and exhibition industry. New policies will support self-organized convention and exhibition projects, the introduction of exhibition organizers, key convention and exhibition activities, propaganda & promotion, and basic safeguarding efforts, which are promising in many aspects.

First, impressive influence. Several Opinions play a guiding role in convention and exhibition policies, which help Xiamen answer the transfer of the world's convention and exhibition industry, introduce large branded exhibition enterprises and projects at home and abroad. A stronger convention and exhibition industry will boost the economy, thus promoting it to be an important platform to blend traditional industry with the competitive industry. Moreover, more efforts will be made to forge Xiamen into the exhibition and trading center of traditional products, product R&D and design center, product pricing center for the west bank of Taiwan Strait and even the entire country, as well as industry and product quality standard center.

Second, double incentives. The upper limit of three incentives has been increased: the conventional incentive for self-organized exhibitions, the incentive for Taiwan projects and the incentive for introduced exhibition tours, and the sum of single incentive is doubled. Specifically, the total amount of conventional incentive has been increased from 500,000 yuan to 1 million yuan six times; the total amount of incentive for Taiwan projects has been increased from 200,000 yuan to 400,000 yuan, in order to maintain Taiwan characteristics and regional advantages; the total amount of incentive for introduced exhibitions has been increased from 1 million yuan to 2 million yuan, in order to attract ultra-large exhibitions to be held in Xiamen.

Third, three newly added incentives. Besides the incentives for self-organized exhibitions, introduced exhibition tours and conference, as well as more support for key activities of convention and exhibition, the propaganda of convention and exhibition industry, bidding activities and other basic and safeguarding efforts, the special incentive for self-organized exhibitions, the increment incentive and the incentive for the introduction of large exhibition organizers have been newly added.

The special incentive targets key exhibitions in 10 fields that facilitate the mix of traditional industry and competitive industry, for example, culture & recreation and information consumption, which is 30 percent on the basis of conventional incentive. Thus, the exhibition and trading centers of key industries are taking shape; the increment incentive refers to the subsidy of 50,000 yuan after the support of conventional incentive expires.

Based on the largest exhibition scale in previous years, the subsidy is granted for the increment of 5000 sq meters with no less than 250 booths, in order to encourage larger scale exhibitions; incentive for the introduction of large exhibition organizers targets the convention consulting companies in Xiamen or large exhibition enterprises with registered capital of 5 million yuan and above from home and abroad, which will set up exhibition enterprises in Xiamen and achieve turnover of 2 million yuan from annual conventions and exhibitions. The subsidy is equivalent to 5 percent of the housing price (the upper limit is 2 million yuan) or 20 percent of rentals for office building for three years (the upper limit is 800,000 yuan).

Fourth, lower incentive threshold. Based on eight regulations, pragmatic and economical style of conventions and exhibitions and new conditions, the incentives are kept between 20,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan; the threshold for business and academic conference incentives are regulated from the same starting point of 500 rooms/night in 5-star hotel to 500 rooms/night in 4-star hotel for business conference, and 500 rooms/night in 3-star hotels for academic conference.

The implementation of Several Opinions will mobilize exhibition enterprises to hold exhibitions and conventions by means of supportive policies and fund support, effectively facilitating the upgrade of the convention and exhibition industry in Xiamen.