Although the end of the year is generally viewed as a low season for conferences and exhibitions, the business in Chengdu has still been robust over the past two months.

The global food and hospitality trade show FHC China was held in Chengdu on Nov 18, its first time in a western China city. High-quality imported food was a highlight at the show.

The event has been held for 16 years attracting the world's top suppliers of retail and hospitality equipment as well as hundreds of buyers from China and overseas.

Organizers said the event provided opportunities for the city and the entire western region to access world-class food and hospitality equipment. As well, the many international exhibitors had the chance to explore the local market.

As a regional hub, Chengdu will help exhibitors expand their businesses to a wider West China market due to its strong demand, organizers said.

Another event, the Chengdu International Sourcing Fair 2013, opened on Nov 26 and lasted for three days.

It attracted nearly 40 overseas companies and international organizations from 10 countries and regions across the world including Austria, Sweden, Germany, Japan and the United States. Some 1,000 Chinese companies also joined in the fair.

Many global industry leaders including IBM from the US, Bosch from Germany and Magna International from Canada signed contracts with a combined value of $1.5 billion.

The fair was started in 2002 in Shanghai and then moved to Chengdu in 2012. Organizers said they chose the city for its rapidly growing manufacturing industry and received "quite positive feedback from purchasers" after the 2012 Chengdu fair.

On Dec 3, World Disabled Day, the city's first expo of goods for disabled people opened.

Exhibits included medicines, medical devices and electronic aid systems.

The three-day event had 4,500 square meters of exhibits and attracted more than 70 international companies with their latest products including Starkey hearing aids from the US, Kawamura wheelchairs from Japan and Schtaf barrier-free facilities from Germany.

The Chengdu International Travel Fair is the first large tourism fair in West China. When it was launched in 2012, it attracted 118 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions around the world, as well as some 35,000 visitors.

Opening on Dec 6, CITF 2013 attracted around 200 global exhibitors from 35 countries and regions including tourism authorities from the Philippines, Seychelles, Malaysia and Bhutan.

Many tourism agencies and airlines announced their latest travel routes.

Besides, the city also hosted Chengdu Modern Industrial Technology Expo, the first China Chengdu International Urban Modern Agricultural Expo, Chengdu Jewellery Fair and many other events in the past two months.

At the ceremony of the national golden five-star award for conferences and exhibitions industry, which was held on Dec 15, Chengdu won the prize for excellent conferences and exhibitions city.

On that same day, the city also won another four awards at the 2013 annual seminar for the conferences and exhibitions industry of China.

Over the last year, more than 500 conferences and exhibitions were held in Chengdu, a 10.1 percent increase compared with 2012. Fifty-three were international exhibitions, a surge of nearly 40 percent. The city also hosted 104 international conferences, a rise of 36.8 percent.

The events generated direct revenue of more than 6 billion yuan ($991.2 million), an increase of 20.5 percent from 2012. They also led to indirect revenues of more than 50 billion yuan.

"Thanks to the many international events, the city is increasingly integrated in global industry and has sharpened its global competitiveness," said Mu Tao, director of the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Expositions.

The business has become a "thruster" to boost the city's industries, he said.

During the Fortune Global Forum in June, one of the most prominent events Chengdu hosted in 2013, the city government signed 74 investment contracts with transnational companies including some Fortune 500 giants worth a total of 112 billion yuan.

At another highlight event, the 12th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention in September, 47 investment contracts were signed with total value of 33.6 billion yuan.

According to the local government's overall plan unveiled in June 2012 to regulate the conference and exhibition industry, the sector will generate 10 billion yuan in direct revenue by 2015 and 80 billion yuan in indirect business.

zhangzhao@chinadaily.com.cn

Last summer's Chengdu motor show attracted more than 600,000 visitors. Photos Provided to China Daily

An international travel fair in December hosted some 200 exhibitors from around the world.