a new convention and exhibition center covering 600,000 square meters, five times the size of the present shenzhen convention and exhibition center, will be built at shenzhen airport new town, officials of the city's economy, trade and information technology commission said at a meeting monday.
work on the first phase of the project, which includes exhibition halls and facilities covering 300,000 square meters, will start in 2016 and be completed in 2018.
construction on the new exhibition center is to meet the increasing demand of the city's exhibition industry. the city hosted 82 exhibitions last year, an equivalent of one event every four days.
the new location at shenzhen airport new town was selected because of its location at the center of the pearl river delta region and the guangdong free trade zone. it is 3 kilometers away from shenzhen international airport's future terminal 4 and 7 kilometers away from terminal 3. it is close to the guangzhou-shenzhen riverside expressway and will be linked with future metro lines.
the project, which is expected to cost 8 billion yuan (us$1.26 billion), might begin accepting private investment for a 300,000-square-meter exhibition hall and a 300,000-square-meter complex that includes hotels and offices.
